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From: Cristopher Nash< >
Subject: Re: Ermengarde d'Anjou
Date: 2 Sep 1998 17:45:56 -0700


On 1 Sep Dave <> wrote:

>In a message dated 8/31/98 5:31:47 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> writes:
>
>> Has anyone an account (with confidence-carrying sources) of the children,
>> respectively, of the wives of Robert I 'le Vieux' de Bourgogne, viz. (1)
>> Helie de Semur and (2) Ermengarde/Blanche d'Anjou?
>>
>My source for Hildegarde de Bourgogne's Mother, as Ermengarde d'Anjou,
>is *Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europaischen Staaten* [Genealogical
>Tables for the History of the European States] *Neue Folge* by Detlev
>Schwennicke, Band II, Tafel 20 [Volume II, Table 20] courtesy of Alan B.
>Wilson, of Berkeley, California.
>
>Always optimistic--Dave

Thanks loads, Dave - I appreciate the ES reference (which I have). The
problem is - as always with ES - that it's not a 'source' but only a
compilation and one more vulnerable than any other 'serious' one in our
time because it's, as you know, uniquely without annotation or analysis,
makes no qualitative distinction between its sources (which are in
themselves rarely more than further secondhand compilations), behaves as
though every entry is the only truth rather than merely an unargued option,
and thus masks the fact that many of its decisions conceal a great deal of
disagreement and equally viable competing options. Forgive this seemingly
ungrateful rap! It's just that I've come to feel we should view ES (as
I've argued in specific cases on other threads) as approximately as
critically helpful as say 19th-century Burke's Ext & Dorm Peerages, and
considerably less so than, say, CP - or even late Weis/Faris - for the
comparative reasons I've mentioned above. I'm sure you'll disagree with
me, but don't get me wrong! of course ES, like many the others, certainly
offers useful leads. I'm just hoping friends here will see ES for what it
is - and that we'll reach a time when, when we quote from it, we
include/confront ES's source in each case! As it happens I don't feel its
sources in this case are encouraging - but that only means (as always)
there's more to do! Honest - this is meant more as an 'open letter' than
as a close response to yours - not about your kind contribution but about
the calibre of ES's, and our use of it! I do appreciate _your_ taking the
time to get in touch! Many thanks!

Cris

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