The Merovingian Kingdoms and the Mediterranean World: Revisiting the Sources (Studies in Early Medieval History)

This book explores the Merovingian kingdoms in Gaul within a broader Mediterranean context. Their politics and culture have mostly been interpreted in the past through a narrow local perspective, but as the papers in this volume clearly demonstrate, the Merovingian kingdoms had complicated and multi-layered political, religious, and socio-cultural relations with their Mediterranean counterparts, from Visigothic Spain in the West to the Byzantine Empire in the East, and from Anglo-Saxon England in the North to North-Africa in the South. The papers collected here provide new insights into the history of the Merovingian kingdoms by examining various relevant issues, ranging from identity formation to the shape and rules of diplomatic relations, cultural transformation, as well as voiced attitudes towards the “other”. Each of the papers begins with a short excerpt from a primary source, which serves as a stimulus for the discussion of broader issues. The various sources’ point of view and their contextualization stand at the heart of the analysis, thus ensuring that discussions are accessible to students and non-specialists, without jeopardizing the high academic standard of the debate. The book explores the place of the Merovingian kingdoms within a broader Mediterranean context. Apart from being post-Roman successor states, deeply rooted in the traditions and practices of the Western Roman Empire, the Merovingian kingdoms had complicated and multi-layered political, religious, and socio-cultural relations with their Mediterranean counterparts, from Visigothic Spain in the West to the Byzantine Empire in the East. The politics and culture of Merovingian Gaul have mostly been interpreted in terms of a local phenomenon. This volume seeks to re-examine perceived knowledge and accepted paradigms by broadening the perspective in order to include cross-Mediterranean connections and thus reaching new insights regarding the history of the Merovingians and the early medieval Mediterranean. Following this objective, the articles in this book examine subjects from the formation of identity to the shape and rules of diplomatic relations, social, legal, and religious aspects that reflect cultural transfer, as well as voiced attitudes towards the respective “other”. The perspectives of the individual sources and their contextualization will be at the center of our studies. To this end, the papers begin with a short excerpt from a relevant source text, which will then serve as a stepping stone to the discussion of broader issues. This innovative structuring principle will turn the discussions more accessible to students and novices in the field, without jeopardizing the high standard of academic debate and diligent historical analysis. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Acknowledgments Contributors Abbreviations Maps Introduction Gregory of Tours, Histories VI.6 Part One The Wider World: Setting the Context of the Post-Roman World 1 History, Geography, and the Notion of Mare Nostrum in the Early Medieval West A survey of the entire world and its peoples 2 True Differences: Gregory of Tours’ Account of the Council of Mâcon (585) Gregory of Tours, Histories VIII.201 Part Two Mediterranean Ties and Merovingian Diplomacy 3 East and West from a Visigothic Perspective: How and Why Were Frankish Brides Negotiated in the Late Sixth Century? 1 Gregory of Tours, Histories IX.15–16 4 Friendship and Diplomacy in the Histories of Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours, Histories IX.201 Introduction: amicitia in the world of Gregory of Tours Personal friendships in the Histories How to create a bond of amicitia Letters of diplomacy Amicitia and treaties Conclusion 5 Private Records of Official Diplomacy: The Franco-Byzantine Letters in the Austrasian Epistolar Collection Epistolae Austrasicae 14 6 The Language of Sixth-century Frankish Diplomacy Epistolae Austrasicae 42 Part Three Bridging the Seas: Law and Religion 7 Mediterranean Homesick Blues: Human Trafficking in the Merovingian Leges1 Lex Salica 39.2-4 Concerning kidnapping 2 Lex Ribuaria 17 (16) [ Concerning a captured man or freewoman ] Two Merovingian laws on kidnapping and the Roman Crimen Plagii Transmarine slave trade in historiography and its traces in legislation from the early medieval Frankish kingdoms Conclusion 8 The Fifth Council of Orléans and the Reception of the “Three Chapters Controversy” in Merovingian Gaul1 Letter from Pope Vigilius to Bishop Aurelianus of Arles , AD 550 9 Reconciling Disturbed Sacred Space: The Ordo for “Reconciling an Altar Where a Murder Has Been Committed” in the Sacramentary of Gellone in Its Cultural Context 10 Imitation and Rejection of Eastern Practices in Merovingian Gaul: Gregory of Tours and Vulfilaic the Stylite of Trier Gregory of Tours, Histories VIII.15 Introduction Simeon Stylites in Merovingian Gaul The rise and function of the Merovingian holy man Power and authority: the case of Gregory of Tours Conclusion Part Four Shifting Perspectives: Emperors, Tributes and Propaganda 11 Magnus et Verus Christianus: The Portrayal of Emperor Tiberius II in Gregory of Tours1 Passages from Gregory of Tours, Histories2 Objects, people and stories on the move—channels of communication Dealings with the Empire in the Histories Christian rulers, heretics and sinners 12 When Contemporary History Is Caught Up by the Immediate Present: Fredegar’s Proleptic Depiction of Emperor Constans II Fredegar, Chronicon IV.81 1. Fredegar’s narrative sequence of seventh centuryEast Roman history 2. The Arab conquest of Palestine and Egypt 3. North Africa and the revolt of the exarch Gregory 4. The Arab attack on Constantinople 5. Historiographer and observer of a world crisis 13 Byzantium, the Merovingians, and the Hog: A Passage of Theophanes’ Chronicle Revisited1 The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index "The book explores the place of the Merovingian kingdoms in Gaul within a broader Mediterranean context. Their politics and culture have mostly been interpreted in terms of a local phenomenon, but as this book shows, the Merovingian kingdoms had complicated and multi-layered political, religious, and socio-cultural relations with their Mediterranean counterparts, from Visigothic Spain in the West to the Byzantine Empire in the East. The papers provide new insights into the history of the Merovingian kingdoms in their late-antique and early-medieval Mediterranean context, examining subjects from the formation of identity to the shape and rules of diplomatic relations, social, legal, and religious aspects that reflect cultural transfer, as well as voiced attitudes towards the other. The perspectives of the individual sources and their contextualization are at the centre of this analysis, and each paper thus begins with a short excerpt from a relevant source text, which then serves as a jumping board to the discussion of broader issues. This innovative structuring principle ensures discussions are accessible to students and non-specialists, without jeopardizing the high standard of academic debate and diligent historical analysis"-- Provided by publisher