What drives me - Daniel Götte

Daniel Götte (34) The sealing practice of the Fulda abbey administration

The documents of Fulda Abbey, which were once authenticated by seals, tell us a lot about the intentions of their owners and the history of the former abbey. In January, I presented my dissertation, which was funded by a scholarship from the University of Kassel in the field of medieval history. It deals with the sealing practices of the Fulda abbey stewards (1011-1531). Archbishops of Mainz, neighboring nobles and canon knights as well as dignitaries of the chapter acted as administrators of the Fulda monastery. For the first time, the focus is on the targeted use of different types of seals for the administration of a medieval abbey in times of crisis. The sealing activities of the clerical and secular caretakers, which took place independently or in cooperation with the abbots, the convent as well as the knighthood and the towns of the clerical territory, provide a diverse insight into the diplomatic strategies for overcoming financial and governmental crises. Mutual dependencies become apparent. To authenticate contracts, the administrators used their own (official) seals, with which they authorized their noble status and position, as well as official seals with depictions of monastery saints, which they also used together with the abbots for legitimization. In September 2021, I started my two-year scientific traineeship at the Wewelsburg District Museum. In exhibition projects on the former Hochstift Paderborn, I can build on my previous source-based and object-related research, also thanks to Prof. Dr. Ingrid Baumgärtner, who gave me the ideal start to an academic career with my doctoral thesis.

This article was published in the university magazine publik 2022/1. protocol: Sofie Althoff