herre und pfaffe. Die Repräsentanten weltlicher und geistlicher Macht in der Sicht ihrer Zeitgenossen in Mittelalter und Gegenwart.

[Representatives of secular and ecclesiastical power from the perspective of their contemporaries in the Middle Ages and the Present Time. A Comparison employing Didactic Literature of the 13th century as well as Public Opinion Surveys.]

This study analyses the relationship of human beings with power, i.e., with the representatives of secular and ecclesiastical power, focusing on imagined ideals, demands, and criticism. It also compares the ideal image formulated in the didactic literature of the 13th century, with the demands that are posed on present-day secular and ecclesiastical officials. It draws on the three most important didactic books of the 13th century as sources: Thomasin von Zirklare: „Der welsche gast“, Freidank: „Bescheidenheit“, and Hugo von Trimberg: „Der Renner“. This interdisciplinary study combines the history of mentalities with cultural studies and literature studies.