From sapientia honorabilissima to nobilitas animae: a Note on the Concept of "Nobility" in Ulrich of Strasbourg’s De summo bono

In many respects, the adjective “noble” plays a signi cant role in Ulrich of Strasbourg’s De summo bono. It de nes contemplative happiness and philosophical wis- dom, and delineates a remarkable character of the intellect (human and divine). In ex- amining some signi cant occurrences of the term, I intend to focus my attention on its theoretical meaning and on the sources which have in uenced its use. In this way, I will demonstrate that “nobility” is a necessary, key factor for investigating what the real plea- sure of knowledge consists in for Ulrich.