Gregory of Tours: The History of the Franks (Penguin Classics)

Rating:
Summary: An interesting first hand account of Medieval events
Review: Gregory of Tours wrote the History of the Franks because he was one of the few people who could write. He was afraid that if no one wrote down who the kings of the Franks were, people would forget. He was right.

In a rather junior-high-like style he tells what happened after Clovis invaded Gaul, and founded France. Gregory had a front row seat - his dad was a Roman Senator and he was a Bishop. It's a really interesting book about three generations of leaders after Clovis (generations didn't last very long among the barbarians). This is a really interesting book that's easy to read, and presents an interesting Medieval view of the world.

Rating:
Summary: Ian Myles Slater on: Dark Ages Semi-Illuminated
Review: Gregory, Bishop of Tours from 573 to 594, was a member of a prominent Gallo-Roman family of aristocrats, and, like some of his relatives, was eventually canonized. His accounts of holy men, martyrs, and miracles are still extant; a work on liturgy is lost. He is best remembered, however, for a long work (which he called just "Ten Books of History") on how Gaul was conquered and ruled (after a fashion) by the Franks, particularly their ruling dynasty, the Merovingians, together with their relations with neighboring kingdoms. It is commonly known as "The History of the Franks," although modern scholarship tends to disapprove of the title as misleadingly nationalistic, and at once too broad and too narrow. The "Kingdom of the Franks" (more exactly, the collective of various rival kingdoms) corresponds very roughly to modern France and western Germany, and Gregory obviously did not have later political divisions in mind.

The Franks were Germanic warriors -- probably from a variety of tribes mentioned by Roman historians -- who entered Roman territory as (at least mainly) pagans. The Burgundians, Ostrogoths and Visigoths, Vandals, and other predecessors, had adopted an archaic form of Christianity much earlier, and had come to be stigmatized as followers of the Arian Heresy when they insisted on following their now-traditional ways. The Franks converted -- at least in name -- directly to Post-Nicene, Trinitarian, Catholic, Orthodoxy. This gave their kings an otherwise inexplicable reputation for piety, if not exactly for virtue. (A Merovingian ruler with only one or two illegitimate children, who refrained from murdering more than a few opponents, and tried to protect his subjects, was widely regarded as a saint.)

Gregory, after summarizing the history of the world (Biblical and Christian), focuses on events in the lands of the Franks and their neighbors, eventually reaching his own time, which he reports in considerable, sometimes confusing, and not always reliable, detail. He is a primary source for much of the period, and, although sometimes frustrating, is markedly superior to his immediate (and many not so immediate) successors. As a bishop, he was also an important administrator and judge. He understood practical affairs, and he knew many of the people he describes. A tendency to alleviate the blood-stained darkness with miracle stories is understandable. Given the intellectual assumptions inherited from late antiquity, they do not mark Gregory as particularly gullible or superstitious; one does, however, miss the Venerable Bede's moderation in such matters. (And if you are interested in Dark Age Euroe, but have not yet read Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English," try either the Penguin Classics or Oxford World's Classics translation.)

Gregory's world is the reality behind a lot of later medieval literature, It is the age of Beowulf (literally; King Hygelac's raid on Frankish-allied Frisia is reported in one chapter), and, with its royal feuds, pursuit of buried treasure, and royalty with names like Sigibert, Sigismundis, and Brunnichildis, is the background of at least parts of the "Nibelungenlied." For these reasons alone it would be worth attention. It is also worth reading on its own account, for, despite many lapses in narrative logic (from a modern point of view), and uneven command of Latin, Gregory could (sometimes) tell an interesting story reasonably well. (Erich Auerbach's "Mimesis" has a brilliant discussion of Gregory's failures as a narrator, but fails to mention that he has selected for analysis a passage with the inconsequential details of a minor quarrel leading up to a blood feud, in which Gregory is reporting testimony given *in his own courtroom*.)

The late Lewis Thorpe's translation is the second complete version in English. The first, by O.M. Dalton, appeared in two volumes -- the first being an Introduction -- in 1927, and was reprinted in the early 1970s. It has a better reputation for meticulous accuracy than for being enjoyable reading. (I made several unsuccessful attempts to read it through, not long before Thorpe's translation became available in 1974, and, by contrast, I am now on my second copy of Thorpe.) And Dalton's impressive scholarship (being mainly from before World War I) is nearly a century out of date.

(There is, or was, also available a volume of selections from the "History" and other books by Gregory, translated by Ernest Brehaut, reprinted several times in recent decades, and excerpted on various websites. It was published in the Columbia University "Records of Civilization" series in -- I think -- 1922. It is not without merit, although Gregory went on record opposing any excerpting or abridging of the "Ten Books." Gregory was probably right -- the longer stories are reduced to rubble -- but Brehaut's offering is still worth a look.)

Thorpe is more readily available, less expensive, and, as I have indicated, far more enjoyable. The weird and violent world of witchcraft-fearing, God-bribing, homicidal dynasts (sometimes compared to the Wild West, but without many White Hats in evidence) presents itself to the reader, with helpful notes along the way. A superb index also help sort out characters and events, which frequently are spread over several chapters or different books, as events unfolded before Gregory's eyes.

Some medievalists have challenged the accuracy of Thorpe's translation, although the examples I have seen look to me (a very amateur Latinist, to be sure) more like debatable interpretations than obvious errors. Still, in his other translations for Penguin, Thorpe does tend to prefer the clear and interesting, but questionable, reading of the original to the cautious but obscure one. If you need precision (say, for a college-level course), checking a passage against Dalton, and if possible a recent Latin edition, would obviously be advisable. The only other possible objection is that, inevitably, Thorpe was not able to take advantage of the last quarter-century of scholarship, which has re-evaluated Gregory's methods, goals, and accomplishments.

Gregory's "History" is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in early medieval Europe, particularly the early Germanic kingdoms, and Thorpe's translation is a fine entry into the field.

Rating:
Summary: "A Fulfilling Read"
Review: Gregory, the assiduous bishop of Tours, treats the history of the world until the year 511 in the first two books, and covers the history of the Franks up the the year 591 in the remaining eight. Although he wrote in the crude Latin that was later to become the native French, his narrative is still entertaining and valuable for the knowledge he provides of sixth-century Gaul. His primary purpose for this work is to show the spread of Christianity through the exploits of kings, missionaries and martyrs. This book will be rewarding for anyone serious about history.

Rating:
Summary: "A Fulfilling Read"
Review: Gregory, the assiduous bishop of Tours, treats the history of the world until the year 511 in the first two books, and covers the history of the Franks up the the year 591 in the remaining eight. Although he wrote in the crude Latin that was later to become the native French, his narrative is still entertaining and valuable for the knowledge he provides of sixth-century Gaul. His primary purpose for this work is to show the spread of Christianity through the exploits of kings, missionaries and martyrs. This book will be rewarding for anyone serious about history.

Rating:
Summary: Shedding light on the Dark Ages
Review: St. Gregory's "History of the Franks" is a far better read than almost any other manuscript handed down to us from the ancient post-Roman period. His powers of observation are exceeded only by his keen eye for a scandalous story. If you can stomach the dry readings of historical documents, this oldest of the primary post-Roman European histories will be a pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: Not For Everyone
Review: The chronicles of Bishop Gregory of Tours are a rich piece of source material from a time and place whence such material is scarce. He seems to know all that was going on and he doesn't hesitate to tell it all. The political and social chaos left in the wake of the collapse of Rome's secular authority in the west is described in a vivid and readable style. Petty chieftains ruled over their local territories with little restraint, often inflicting cruel fates on those who crossed their paths. Order was precarious. Life was dangerous and often cut short arbitrarily. In the midst of all this upheaval, Gregory shines forth like a sixth century gossip columnist.

What I found most intriguing in Gregory's account is the way that the local Roman aristocracy used the structure of the church to maintain whatever degree of order and restraint they could manage. Gregory doesn't make this point explicitly, but it is clear from his account of events and people. Bishops routinely came from families of senatorial rank, and were often men who had already raised families themselves. By holding positions as abbots, bishops, etc., the remnants of the old order were able to exert influence over the barbarian chiefs who now controlled secular life, encouraging moderation and the rule of law over personal whim. They were also able to maintain a certain degree of moral and, in a limited sense, secular authority for Rome. Though imperial authority was gone, the bishops of Rome were able to step into the void in a limited way. The modern Popes can be seen as direct descendants of the Caesars in an institutional sense.

Despite his gossipy style, Gregory isn't for everyone. He clearly doesn't have the formal training of the classical Roman historians. His narrative is not only gossipy, but somewhat jumbled. The familiarity is pleasant, but the cascade of names and events can be quite difficult. For the historian, or the reader with a serious interest in this period, this is a treasure trove of information, but the casual reader may struggle to keep it all straight. If that happens, Gregory's "History" can become more work than pleasure.