FULBERT of CHARTRES. – Bishop and theologian. b. c. 960, d. at Chartres on 10 Apr. 1028. Some call him French, probably from Aquitaine; Mabillon, however, considers him Italian on the basis of a letter from F. to Einhard (PL 141, 192). From the same letter it appears that he received his first schooling from an Italian bishop, from whom he also received minor orders. He then went to Rome, attached to the Library, where he met the famous Gerbert of Aurillac (later Pope Sylvester II). Moving on to the school at Reims, he became a companion of Hugh Capet’s son, Robert, later King of France, with whom he maintained friendly relations. In 987 (according to others in 992), at the invitation of Bishop Odo or his former schoolmate Heribert, he went to Chartres, where he became head of that renowned school, which attracted students not only from France but also from Italy and Germany, and where he also practiced medicine.
F. was not a monk, as some believe, but had close ties with the most celebrated monastic figures of his time (Odo of Cluny, Abbot Richard of Fleury). In 1006, with the favor of King Robert, he was appointed to the episcopal see of Chartres and was consecrated by Leotheric, Archbishop of Sens, who had been his schoolmate at Reims.
FULBERT of CHARTRES. – Scant fragments survive regarding his pastoral activity: having abandoned the practice of medicine, he continued teaching and was appointed treasurer of St Hilary’s in Poitiers by William, Duke of Aquitaine. He rebuilt the cathedral of Notre-Dame of Chartres (destroyed by fire in September 1020) with the munificent aid of King Robert of France, Stephen, King of Hungary, and Cnut, King of England and Denmark.
Considering himself unequal to the office of bishop, he thought of resigning, but was dissuaded by Odo of Cluny. As a member of the royal council, he played a major role in the political affairs of his time.
The literary output attributed to F. includes hagiographical works (of doubtful authenticity), among them the Life of St Aubert (d. c. 607), bishop of Arras and Cambrai; poetic compositions in various metres on sacred and profane subjects, including autobiographical poems and mnemonic verses on the liberal arts; nine sermons, five of which are on the purification and nativity of the Virgin Mary, of whom he was particularly devoted; and two treatises, the first of which has as its subject the passage: Misit Herodes rex manus, ut affligeret quosdam de Ecclesia (Acts 12:1), and the second entitled Tractatus contra Iudaeos, in which he demonstrates that the prophecy of Jacob Non auferetur sceptrum de Iuda (Gen. 49:10) was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. His 128 letters, regarded in the Middle Ages as models of epistolary style, are important, especially those relating to Church discipline and liturgy, as they illuminate the practice of the 11th century. Among the letters, the most interesting is the one addressed to Ado on De tribus quae sunt necessaria ad profectum Christianae religionis (c. 1007), in which he expounds the mystery of the Trinity, the nature of Baptism and the Eucharist.