Abstract: Hildegard of Bingen was one of the most notable women of the 12th century, as even a cursory glance at the recipients of her correspondence will suggest. The present volume concentrates on her personal life as viewed through the defining lens of her personal letters: her early bid for recognition of her spiritual gifts with her hesitant letter to the powerful and renowned Bernard of Clairvaux; her courageous, and ultimately futile, fight to keep her beloved confidante and friend, Richardis von Stade, by her side and the poignant outcome of that struggle; her vehement defiance of the male hierarchy of the Benedictine Order in her bid to establish communities under her own governance; her impudent challenge to contemporary conservative views by the dress and customs she established in her community; her paean of praise for the power of music; her adamant refusal, even at the advanced age of eighty, to give in to the demands of the male authorities even in the face of excommunication. Accompanied by informative and detailed introductions, these letters give an extraordinary insight into the life and reputation of this medieval saint.

Keywords: twelfth century, Bernard of Clairvaux, Richardis von Stade, Benedictine Order, music, excommunication, medieval