History, Frankish Identity and the Framing of Western Ethnicity, 550 - 850

This Pioneering Study Explores Early Medieval Frankish Identity As A Window Into The Formation Of A Distinct Western Conception Of Ethnicity. Focusing On The Turbulent And Varied History Of Frankish Identity In Merovingian And Carolingian Historiography, It Offers A New Basis For Comparing The History Of Collective And Ethnic Identity In The Christian West With Other Contexts, Especially The Islamic And Byzantine Worlds. The Tremendous Political Success Of The Frankish Kingdoms Provided The Medieval West With Fundamental Political, Religious And Social Structures, Including A Change From The Roman Perspective On Ethnicity As The Quality Of The 'other' To The Carolingian Perception That A Variety Of Christian Peoples Were Chosen By God To Reign Over The Former Roman Provinces. Interpreting Identity As An Open Ended Process, Helmut Reimitz Explores The Role Of Frankish Identity In The Multiple Efforts Through Which Societies Tried To Find Order In The Rapidly Changing Post-roman World-- Part I. Communities Of The Middle Ground In Sixth-century Gaul: 1. Gregory Of Tours And His Genealogy Of Pastoral Power In Late Antique Gaul ; 2. Virtutes Sanctorum Et Strages Gentium : The Deeds Of The Saints And The Slaughters Of The Peoples : The Radicalisation Of Church History ; 3. The Dangers Of History ; 4. Continuities And Discontinuities : Roman And Frankish Alternatives To Gregory ; 5. The Politics Of Identity In The Merovingian Kingdoms Of The Sixth Century -- Part Ii. Countermyths : The Search For Origins In The Merovingian Kingdoms: 6. The Persistence Of Gregory's Vision Of Community : The Réécriture And Reconfiguration Of The Histories In The Seventh Century ; 7. Iocundus In Fabolis Et Strenuus In Consiliis : Roman Trickery And Frankish Mythmaking In The Chronicle Of Fredegar ; 8. Sicut Ceterae Gentes : 'like The Other Peoples' : The Liber Historiae Francorum And The Definition Of The Populus In The Seventh And Eighth Centuries ; 9. Spielräume Of Frankish Identity In The Long Seventh Century -- Part Iii. A Common Future : The Reforms Of Frankish Identity Under The Carolingians: 10. Gens Francorum Inclita : The Illustrious Frankish People : The Centralization Of Frankishness Under The Early Carolingians ; 11. Correctio : The Redefinition Of Central Frankishness ; 12. Before And After 800 : Central And Local Frankishness In The Carolingian World ; 13. Before And After 829 : The Transformation Of Frankish Identity From The Short To The Long History Of The Royal Frankish Annals -- Conclusion: Frankish Identity, Western Ethnicity. Helmut Reimitz, Princeton University. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 456-505) And Index. Cover Half-title Series information Title page Copyright information Table of contents List of figures List of maps List of tables Preface and acknowledgements Introduction Reflections on Frankish identity Identity and processes of identification Ethnicity and ethnic identity Late antique and early medieval reflections on ethnic identity and ethnicity Middle grounds, brokerage and historical writingin late antique gaul Writing for the future Part I Communities of the middle ground in sixth-century Gaul 1 Gregory of Tours and his genealogy of pastoral power in late Antique Gaul 1.1 Being Gregory of Tours, I: the cultural broker 1.2 Being Gregory of Tours, II: actor, auctor and auctoritas 1.3 Being Gregory of Tours, III: the historian, the prophet and the business of truth 2 Virtutes sanctorum et strages gentium: ‘The deeds of the saints and the slaughters of the peoples’ 3 The dangers of history 3.1 The deconstruction of the Franks Gregory’s anti-origo The unimportance of being a Frank: the diversification of the Franci in Gregory’s Histories Reges and their regnum in Gregory’s Histories The location of Francia 3.2 History and providence The regna and the regnum Dei Gentes and regna The deconstruction of the Romans 4 Continuities and discontinuities 4.1 Historia multiplex est: histories and myths in late Antique Gaul 4.2 Romans and Trojans in Gaul 4.3 Common Spielräume – Venantius Fortunatus and Gregory of Tours 5 The politics of identity in the Merovingian kingdoms of the sixth century 5.1 The Merovingian kings and the name of the Franks 5.2 Franci et eorum proceres 5.3 Franci et eorum regales 5.4 The coalescence of Frankish identity in the last decades of the sixth century 5.5 In the shadows of empire: post-Roman contentions with the imperial past and presence Conclusion Part II Countermyths 6 The persistence of Gregory’s vision of community 6.1 The end of the histories and the anticipation of their future 6.2 The transmission of the Histories in the seventh century: the Merovingian six-book version 6.3 The removal of Gregory’s individuality and the appropriation of his vision 6.4 After the end of ancient Christianity: the reconfiguration of late Antique topographies in the seventh century 7 Iocundus in fabolis et strenuus in consiliis 7.1 Profilers: construing Frankish continuity through universal history 7.2 The compilation of perspectives in the Chronicle of Fredegar Regions, elites and Frankish consent in the Chronicle of Fredegar Columbanian networks after Columbanus and the composition of the chronicle 7.3 Fredegar’s Roman fables: storytelling, politics and the integration of a Roman and Frankish past 7.4 Roman models and their reinvention under Chlothar II 7.5 Inundatio gentium: the ethnic rendering of world history 7.6 The role of the Franks in a world divided among gentes 7.7 The transmission of the Ordo singularium gentium in the eighth and ninth centuries 8 Sicut ceterae gentes: ‘Like the other peoples’ 8.1 The wild ones go west: a new profile for the Franks 8.2 Alia pro aliis referent: to relate some things for others. historiographical discourse in the... 8.3 Historia in the Liber historiae Francorum: the realisation of the scriptures 8.4 Recordare praeterita et cogita futura: biblical advice and social order from the seventh to the eighth century 8.5 Nutri nunc reliquias Francorum: governmentality and the populus in the seventh and eighth centuries 9 Spielräume of Frankish identity in the long seventh century Part III A common future 10 Gens Francorum inclita: ‘The illustrious Frankish people’ 10.1 The historian as vir inluster: double continuities into a common future 10.2 Una cum consilio et consensu Francorum: the Carolingian viri inlustres as members and rulers... 10.3 Historia vel gesta Francorum:– a shared Frankish history for a common future The reorganisation of the Ordo singularium gentium in the Historia vel gesta Francorum The pre-configurations of Carolingian conflict-resolution in the Merovingian past Auxiliante domino: the Carolingian appropriation of providence 10.4 Impetus Francorum: the Carolingian ­politicisation of ethnic identity 11 Correctio 11.1 ... ut in omnibus oboediens et fidelis domno regi Carolo ac genti Francorum: the conjuration... 11.2 The revision of central Frankishness in the Chronicon universale 11.3 Towards the year of the elephant: the Lorsch Annals 12 Before and after 800 12.1 The study of history in the monastery of Lorsch 12.2 But some are more equal than others: the Frankish Empire in the Annals of Metz 12.3 The challenge of equality 12.4 The response of the Chronicon Laurissense breve 12.5 The localisation of the Trojan Franks: the example of the Liber de episcopis Mettensibus 12.6 Nonnulli etiam nobilium in partibus Austriae: the provocation of local Frankishness 12.7 Local Frankishness and Merovingian history ‘Auf den Spuren verlorener Traditionen’: traces of lost traditions 12.8 A Christian history for the Frankish Empire: the Carolingians and Gregory of Tours 12.9 Conclusion 13 Before and after 829 13.1 Correctio and consensus before 829 13.2 The compromise of consensus 13.3 The end of the short history of the Royal Frankish Annals 13.4 Nomen Francorum obscuratum: the crisis of Frankish identity and the beginning of the long history... 13.5 Compilation and convergence: the perspectives of Frankish Identity Conclusion Bibliography Abbreviations Manuscripts Primary sources Secondary works Index