The Gesture of the Frankish Kings. Liber historiae francorum.
Beautiful Letters| N° d'inventaire | 19469 |
| Format | 12.5 x 19.5 |
| Détails | 288 p., paperback |
| Publication | Paris, 2015 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | |
Written in 727, the Liber Historiae Francorum is, along with Gregory of Tours' Ten Books of Histories and the so-called Chronicle of Fredegar, one of the main sources for the history of the Franks and Merovingian royalty. Its author wrote it in the region of northern Gaul then called Neustria, less likely in a monastery than in the shadow of the royal palace. For he was undoubtedly a lay aristocrat, certainly well-read but certainly familiar with military campaigns, who was able to collect numerous original traditions, relating both to the underside of princely marriages and the motives for royal assassinations. It expresses the point of view of the Neustrian elites who had long remained loyal to the Merovingian kings, but who, tired of the too many dissensions which were then tearing the kingdom and the royalty of the Franks apart, were preparing to rally to the rising power of the Pippinides, guarantors of a return to political and social order. Stéphane Lebecq is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Lille III.
Written in 727, the Liber Historiae Francorum is, along with Gregory of Tours' Ten Books of Histories and the so-called Chronicle of Fredegar, one of the main sources for the history of the Franks and Merovingian royalty. Its author wrote it in the region of northern Gaul then called Neustria, less likely in a monastery than in the shadow of the royal palace. For he was undoubtedly a lay aristocrat, certainly well-read but certainly familiar with military campaigns, who was able to collect numerous original traditions, relating both to the underside of princely marriages and the motives for royal assassinations. It expresses the point of view of the Neustrian elites who had long remained loyal to the Merovingian kings, but who, tired of the too many dissensions which were then tearing the kingdom and the royalty of the Franks apart, were preparing to rally to the rising power of the Pippinides, guarantors of a return to political and social order. Stéphane Lebecq is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Lille III.