Gregory of Tours: Clovis becomes a Christian.

Some 4 years ago I published a post about Clotilde’s attempt to converse her husband Clovis (Latin Chlodovechus) to Roman Christianity (Gregory of Tours II, 29). I was reminded of that episode when I recently visited the magnificent cathedral of Rheims. About halfway the pavement is a marble with the inscription that Clovis was baptised at that very spot. Of course not in the cathedral as it is nowadays, but in one of its predecessors. I will continue the store with chapter 30.

The conversion of Clovis I (466- 511) to the Roman branch of Christianity and not to Arianism can hardly be underestimated. Clovis was a Frankish king, who united the various Frankish factions and petty kingdoms under his rule and so was the first king of France. It is however important to keep in mind that he was Germanic as were of course the Franks and that other Germanic kingdoms also existed at that time in France. Actually these Germanic tribes never had a majority, but were the ruling classes over a Gallo-Romanic population.

Though his wife tried to convert him, it was not after a battle he won against all odds, that Clovis left the religion of his forefathers and became a Christian. This event looks suspiciously like the conversion of Constantine and I think Gregory of Tours did some theologically inspired rewriting of history. There is also some Germanic flavour in the way Clovis adopts his new faith: demanding rather than submitting, despite Gregory’s pious treatment.

The exact date of this battle and hence of his conversion is a matter of dispute as the sources don’t agree, but Gregory gives 496.

Note the spelling!

Gregory of Tours, Historiae II, 30. Bellum contra Alamannus.

Regina vero non cessabat praedicare, ut Deum verum cognusceret et idola neglegerit. Sed nullo modo ad haec credenda poterat commoveri, donec tandem aliquando bellum contra Alamannos conmoveretur, in quo conpulsus est confiteri necessitate, quod prius voluntate negaverat. Factum est autem, ut confligente utroque exercitu vehementer caederentur, atque exercitus Chlodovechi valde ad internitionem ruere coepit. Quod ille videns, elevatis ad caelum oculis, conpunctus corde, commotus in lacrimis, ait: 'Iesu Christi, quem Chrotchildis praedicat esse filium Dei vivi, qui dare auxilium laborantibus victuriamque in te sperantibus tribuere diceris, tuae opis gloriam devotus efflagito, ut, si mihi victuriam super hos hostes indulseris et expertus fuero illam virtutem, quam de te populus tuo nomine dicatus probasse se praedicat, credam tibi et in nomine tuo baptizer. Invocavi enim deos meos, sed, ut experior, elongati sunt ab auxilio meo; unde credo, eos nullius esse potestatis praeditos, qui sibi oboedientibus non occurrunt. Te nunc invoco, tibi credere desidero, tantum ut eruar ab adversariis meis.‘ Cumque haec dicerit, Alamanni terga vertentes, in fugam labi coeperunt. Cumque regem suum cernirent interemptum, Chlodovechi se ditionibus subdunt, dicentes: 'Ne amplius, quaesumus, pereat populus, iam tui sumus'. Ad ille, prohibito bello, cohortato populo cum pace regressus, narravit reginae, qualiter per invocationem nominis Christi victuriam meruit obtenire. [Actum anno 15. regni sui.]

regina: Clothilde

cognusceret (= cognosceret): subject is Clovis (for u instead of o see also victuriam)

idola: the Germanic gods

tandem: finally

Alamannos: the Alamanni were a Germanic tribe, who after trey were defeated by Clovis were incorporated into his empire.

bellum conmoveretur: a war arose

confiteor confessus: to confess

factum est: it happened

confligo conflixi conflictum: to fight

caedo cecidi caesum: to slay, slaughter. Caederuntur `they were being slaughtered

internitio = internecio, -onis (f.): destruction, massacre

ruo rui ratus: to fall down

valde: very much

conpunctus: vexed, troubled

auxilium: help aid

laborantibus: note that laboro is not just `to work’, but ‘`to exert oneself’

diceris: you are said, `people say of you’

opis: gen. of ops, àid’,  but this nominative form does not occur in Classical Latin.

devotus efflagito: I humbly ask (the glory of your aid)

ut…credam tibi

indulgeo indulsi indultum: to favour, grant

experior expertus: to experience

dico (-are!): to dedicate

probo (-are): to experience

baptizer: passive subjunctive first person

elongatus: far away

praeditus: gifted, furnished

eruo erui erutum: to rescue

labor lapsus: to slide, move

cerno crevi certum: to perceive, see (cernirent = cernerent, subject Allemanni)

interimo interemi interemptum: to kill

ditio = dicio, -onis (f.): dominion, power

amplius: further

quaeso: to try (quaesumus = quaesimus)

prohibeo prohibui prohibitum: to stop

qualiter: how, in which way

mereo merui meritum: to deserve

Translation by Earnest Brehaut (1916)

The queen did not cease to urge him to recognize the true God and cease worshipping idols. But he could not be influenced in any way to this belief, until at last a war arose with the Alamanni, in which he was driven by necessity to confess what before he had of his free will denied. It came about that as the two armies were fighting fiercely, there was much slaughter, and Clovis's army began to be in danger of destruction. He saw it and raised his eyes to heaven, and with remorse in his heart he burst into tears and cried: "Jesus Christ, whom Clotilda asserts to be the son of the living God, who art said to give aid to those in distress, and to bestow victory on those who hope in thee, I beseech the glory of thy aid, with the vow that if thou wilt grant me victory over these enemies, and I shall know that power which she says that people dedicated in thy name have had from thee, I will believe in thee and be baptized in thy name. For I have invoked my own gods but, as I find, they have withdrawn from aiding me; and therefore I believe that they possess no power, since they do not help those who obey them. I now call upon thee, I desire to believe thee only let me be rescued from my adversaries." And when he said thus, the Alamanni turned their backs, and began to disperse in flight. And when they saw that their king was killed, they submitted to the dominion of Clovis, saying: "Let not the people perish further, we pray; we are yours now." And he stopped the fighting, and after encouraging his men, retired in peace and told the queen how he had had merit to win the victory by calling on the name of Christ. This happened in the fifteenth year of his reign.

Gregory of Tours 7.20: competing women.

Anyone interested in mediaeval heroic lays knows queen Brünhild, the legendary queen from Das Nibelungenlied and the Valkyrie Brynhildr from Old Norse Eddic poems. She is also known to opera lovers as one of the main roles in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. In both traditions there is an antagonist: Kriemhild in the West Germanic sources and Gudrun in the North. Many scholars think that these figures are based on the Merovingian queen Brunichild (c. 543–613) and Fredegund  († 597), stepmother of her second husband Merovech. I can’t go in all the details of their animosity and the complicated intrigues of the various competing factions – for which see the links – but it lasted for some decades. Brunichld’s end was tragic: having made herself unpopular amongst the Franks and Burgundians, she was captured and torn apart by horses, limb by limb.

In this extract from Gregory of Tours’ History of the Franks, Brunichild has managed to gain the upper hand, to the dismay of Fredegund. She sends a clergyman to Brunichild, who after having won her confidence, had to kill her. The plot was discovered and after returning to Frededgunde, his feet and hands were cut off as punishment for not succeeding. Who says women are incapable of harsh measures?

Gregory of Tours, Historiarum Libri Decem, 7,20. Quod idem emisit qui Brunechildem lederet.

Postquam autem Fredegundis regina ad supradictam villam abiit, cum esset valde maesta, quod ei potestas ex parte fuisset ablata, meliorem a se existimans Brunichildem, misit occulte clericum sibi familiarem, qui eam circumventam dolis interemere possit, videlicet ut, cum se subtiliter in eius subderet famulatum, ab ea credi possit, et sic clam percoliretur. Veniens igitur clericus, cum diversis ingeniis se eidem commendavit, dicens: 'A facie Fredegundis reginae fugio, deposcens auxilium tuum'. Coepit se etiam omnibus reddere humilem, carum, oboedientem ac reginae privatum. Sed non longo tempore interposito, intellexerunt eum dolosae transmissum; vinctusque ac caesus, cum rem patifecisset occultam, redire permissus est ad patronam. Reseransque quae acta fuerant, effatus, quod iussa patrari non potuissit, manuum ac pedum abscisione multatur.

There is no translation of this chapter on internet. Keep in mind that this is not classical Latin, but a stage between Late Latin and Vulgar Latin: syntax is sloppy and word order is becoming more important than cases.

quod idem: that the same (in the heading of the previous chapter Fredegundis is mentioned. Note the carelessness in gender: idem = eadem)

lederet = laederet (laedo laesi laesum: to hurt, kill)

supradictam villam: her estate mentioned above (at Reuil)

valde: very much

maestus: sad

ei…ablata: taken away from her

ex parte: partly

meliorem: more powerful

occulte: secretly

sibi familiarem: belonging to her inner circle

circumvenio  -veni -ventum: to cheat

dolus: trickery, fraud

interemo -emi -emptum: to kill

videlicet ut: namely in such a way

se in eius subderet famulatum: would impose himself in her servitude

et sic clam percoliretur: and so would be done away with secretly (lit: `to be swallowed’)

ingenium: deceit

commendo:  to recommend

deposco depoposci: to require

Coepit se etiam omnibus reddere: he even started to show himself to all

ac reginae privatum: and in private to the queen (to show himself humble etc.)

non longo tempore interposito: `being not a long time set in between (abl. abs.)’ = after not a long time

eum dolosae transmissum: that he had been sent for a deceitful thing (dolosae rei)

vincio vinxi vinctum: to bind, fetter

caedo cecidi caesus: to cut bet, torture

patifacio (= patefacio) –feci –factum: to disclose

resero: to tell

effor: to say

patro: to accomplish

multo: to punish

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunhilda_of_Austrasia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredegund

Gregory of Tours: the merry widow of Tours.

Gregory of Tours (c. 538 – 17 November 594) did in his Historia Francorum not confine himself to main political and social events, but regularly included anecdotes.  The following story is such an anecdote and it is also illustrative of Germanic law.

Once at Tours, a man, Ambrosia, persuades his brother Lupus – a widower who had also lost his children – not to enter the clergy, but to remarry. The reason is that he fears that his brother will make the Church his heir. Under Germanic law a man inherited from his deceased childless brother, even when the latter was married, as the wife was not considered as belonging to the next of kin. Otherwise there is no logic in the action of this Ambrosia. Ambrosius finds a woman for his brother. They set a day for giving over the betrothal gift. In all likelihood the wife in spe was an orphan or had otherwise no male relatives who could receive this gift and hand it over to her, so Ambrosius acted as intermediary. The betrothal gift guaranteed some financial independence for a woman within her marriage.  Next the brothers go to a common house of theirs at Chinon – not far away from Tours -, had a lot of booze and fall drunk asleep in the same bed. Then a new theme is introduced in the story: Ambrosius’ wife is a meretrix (how far more interesting those women are than bleak virgins!)  and she has a lover.  Hating her husband, she wants to get rid of him. The lover enters at night the house and kills Ambrosius with his sword, not noticing that Lupus was sharing the same bed. Lupus awakes and finding himself bathing in the blood of his brother, he is crying for help but no other people at home hear his as they too had had enough wine, but the invader does and returns to give Lupus some firm blows with his sword. The following day Lupus dies of his wounds, but not before he has told the servants what has happened. The merry widow and her lover get away with it. This may surprise us, but apparently there were no relatives to ask for compensation in the form of weregild.  Weregild (also spelled wergild) was the money one had to pay in compensation for injustice done. It means `man money’ and the first member of this compound is the same word as Latin vir. Anyway, this episode must have been the talk of the town at Tours for decades!

Gregorius Turonensis, , Historia Francorum, liber vi, 13. De Lupo et Ambrosio Turonicis civibus interfectis.

Lupus urbis Turonicae civis, cum, uxore perdita ac liberis, clericatum expeteret, a fratre Ambrosio prohibitus est, timens, ne heredem institueret Dei ecclesiam, si ei coniungeretur. Rursumque illi uxorem providit et diem, in quo ad disponsalia donanda coniungerent, malesuadus frater indicit. Dehinc ad Cainonensem castrum, ubi hospitium habebant, pariter advenerunt. Sed uxor Ambrosii, cum esset adultera et alium in amore lupanario, exoso marito, diligeret, insidias viro tetendit. Cumque hi germani pariter epulantes et nocte usque ad ebrietatem vino maduissent, in uno strato pariter quieverunt. Tunc moechus uxoris Ambrosii nocte veniens, quiescentibus cunctis et vino depressis, accensis igne paleis, ut videret quid ageret, extracto gladio, Ambrosium in capite librat, ita ut descendens per oculos gladius cervical capitis amputaret. In quo ictu expergefactus Lupus et se in sanguinem volutari decernens, exclamat voce magna, dicens: 'Heu, heu, succurrite, frater meus interfectus est!' Moechus vero, qui iam perpetrato scelere discedebat, haec audiens, regressus ad lectum, Lupum adiit. Quo repugnante, multis plagis laceratum oppressit et mortali ictu sauciatum semivivum reliquid. Sed nullus de familia sensit. Mane autem facto, stupebant omnes de tanto scelere. Lupus tamen adhuc vivens nanctus, sicut actum fuerat referens, spiritum exalavit. Sed nec longum meretrix lugendi sumpsit spatium; sed paucis diebus interpositis, coniuncta moecho, discessit.

Lupus: probably a Latinization of the Germanic name `wolf’

clericatus, us (m.): clergy

heres heredis (m.): heir

ei i.e ecclesiae

rursum: again

disponsalium, betrothal gift, bride gift

malesuadus: ill-advising

dehinc: hereafter

pariter: together

in amore lupanario: with the love of a whore (lupinaria)

exosus: hating very much, being hated very much

insidias tendo: to lay out an ambush

germanus (m.): brother

epulo: to eat

ebrietas, -atis (f.): drunkenness

madeo madui:  to be wet, to overflow

stratum: bed

moechus: fornicator, adulter

accensis igne paleis:  having kindled chaff (palea) with fire

libro: to swing

ita ut descendens per oculos gladius cervical capitis amputare: that the sword coming down through te eyes cut the pillow of the head (But it could be that Gregory meant calvaria  `skull’  instead of cervical  `pillow’.)

ictus, ictus (m.): strike, blow

expergefacio: to arouse, awaken

voluto: to turn

succurro succurri succursum: to run to help

perpetrato scelere: the crime (scelus sceleris, n.) being committed

lectus: bed

Quo repugnante: though he (Lupus) resisted

plaga: blow

lacero: to mutilate, lacerate

saucio: to wound

semivivus: half alive

familia: not `family’  but household, including servants

mane facto:  morning having come

nanctus (nanciscor) has here a passive meaning  `Lupus being found’

exalo (= exhalo): to breathe out, exhale

lugendi sumpsit spatium: took time for mourning (lugeo)

Translation by Earnest Brehaut (1916)

Lupus, a citizen of Tours, having lost wife and children, desired to enter the clergy but was prevented by his brother Ambrose who was afraid that he would leave his property to the church of God if he were joined to it. Ambrose, persuading him to his harm, provided him with another wife and appointed the day to meet to give the betrothal gifts. Then they went together to the town of Chinon where they had a dwelling. But Ambrose's wife being an adulteress and loving another with the love of a lewd woman and hating her husband, made a plot for him. And when these brothers had feasted together and had drunk wine in the night until they were intoxicated, they lay down on the same bed. When the adulterer came in the night when all were sleeping heavily because of the wine and setting fire to the straw in order to see what he was doing, he drew his sword and struck Ambrose on the head so that the sword went in at his eyes and cut the pillow in two beneath his head. Lupus was aroused by the blow and finding himself wallowing in blood, he called in a loud voice saying: "Alas, Alas! Help; my brother is killed." But the adulterer who had committed the deed and was now going off, heard this and returned to the bed and attacked Lupus. Although he resisted he was wounded many times, and overwhelmed and given a mortal stroke and left half dead. But no one of the household knew of it. In the morning all were amazed at such a crime. Lupus however was found to be still alive and after telling the story as it occurred, he died. But the harlot did not take a long time to mourn. In a few days she joined her adulterer and departed.

Gregory of Tours 2.29: Clotilda tries to convert Clovis to Christianity,

Mediaeval historians wrote their narratives form the perspective of a linear evolving time with the creation as its beginning and the return of Jesus or the apocalypse as its end in the future. Within this time nothing was contingent, but part of Gods’ plan.  We can laugh at such prepositions, but even the father of modern historiography, the German historian Leopold van Ranke (21 December 1795 – 23 May 1886), was still influenced by such thoughts, be it from a liberal-Christian point of view.

As for the concept of time as a prerequisite for writing history: in Hinduism with its idea of cyclical time in which everything what has happened before and will happen again, the genre of historiography never came into existence. Historical events were mythicized in their epics and in the Puranas. Buddhism has the same view of time, but they have the Buddha as a point of historical reference, so there some historical writing developed.

So far my speculation and lets now go back to mediaeval history. When the Frankish king Clovis I (466-511) converted to Christianity in 396, this was not seen as a conversion which would gain political advantages but as the result of his wife Clotilda’s efforts to converse him. The death of their firstborn son after his baptism was taken as starting point for this process. In the hands of a first-rate narrator as Gregory of Tours we are well assured of getting a dramatic story.

The Latin is fraught with difficulties concerning spelling and syntax – at least from a Classical Latin point of view – but when such a text is approached as if word order is more important than inflection, it will become less difficult. From the point of the development of Romance languages as well as spoken Latin, Gregory of Tours is a highly valuable source. I have not listed every word, but only those which may cause some difficulties for those with a basic knowledge of Latin.

Gregorius Turonensis, Historia Francorum, 2.29. De primo eorum filio baptizato in albis defuncto.

Igitur ex Chrotchilde regina habuit filium primogenitum. Quem cum mulier baptismo consecrare vellit, praedicabat assiduae viro, dicens: 'Nihil sunt dii quos colitis, qui neque sibi neque aliis potuerunt subvenire. Sunt enim aut ex lapide aut ex ligno aut ex metallo aliquo sculpti. Nomina vero quae eis indedistis homines fuere, non dii, ut Saturnus, qui a filio ne a regno depelleretur, per fugam elapsus adseritur, ut ipse Iovis omnium stuprorum spurcissimus perpetratur, incestatur virorum, propinquarum derisor, qui nec ab ipsius sororis propriae potuit abstenere concubitum, ut ipsa ait: Iovisque et soror et coniux. Quid Mars Mercuriusque potuere? Qui potius sunt magicis artibus praediti, quam divini nominis potentiam habuere. Sed ille magis coli debit, qui caelum et terram, mare et omnia quae in eis sunt verbo ex non extantibus procreavit, qui solem lucere fecit et caelum stillis ornavit, qui aquas reptilibus, terras animantibus, aera volatilibus adimplivit, cuius nutu terrae frugibus, pomis arbores, uvis vineae decorantur, cuius manu genus humanum creatum est, cuius largitione ipsa illa creatura omnes homini suo, quem creavit, et obsequio et benefitio famulatur'. Sed cum haec regina dicerit, nullatinus ad credendum regis animus movebatur, sed dicebat: 'Deorum nostrorum iussione cuncta creantur ac prudeunt, Deus vero vester nihil posse manefestatur, et quod magis est, nec de deorum genere esse probatur'. Interea regina fidelis filium ad baptismum exhibet, adornare eclesiam velis praecipit atque curtinis, quo facilius vel hoc misterio provocaretur ad credendum, qui flecti praedicationem non poterat. Baptizatus autem puer, quem Ingomerem vocitaverunt, in ipsis, sicut regeneratus fuerat, albis obiit. Qua de causa commotus felle rex, non signiter increpabat regina, dicens: 'Si in nomine deorum meorum puer fuisset decatus, vixisset utique; nunc autem, quia in nomine Dei vestri baptizatus est, vivere omnino non potuit'. Ad haec regina: 'Deo', inquid, 'omnipotenti, creatori omnium, gratias ago, qui me non usquequaque iudicavit indigna, ut de utero meo genitum regno suo dignaretur adscire. Mihi autem dolore huius causae animus non attingitur, quia scio, in albis ab hoc mundo vocatus Dei obtutibus nutriendus'. Post hunc vero genuit alium filium, quem baptizatum Chlodomere vocavit; et hic cum egrotare coepisset, dicebat rex: 'Non potest aliud, nisi et de hoc sicut et de fratre eius contingat, ut baptizatus in nomine Christi vestri protinus moriatur'. Sed orante matre, Domino iubente convaluit.

in albis: dressed in white

habuit: Clovis

praedicabat: she tried to persuade (with the notion `to preach’ which is also praedico. Cf, praedicationem below)

assiduae = assidue: constantly

dicens: the following words are of course Gregory’s words and reflect Christian ideas about pagan gods. Christian authors were quick to take over the ideas of the Greek mythographer Euhemerus (end 4^th century BC.)

subvenio (+ dat.): to help

nomina homines fuere (= fuerunt): litt. the names are humans = are of humans

adseritur: is said

Iovis: nominative! (cf. English Jove.)

stuprum: disgrace

spurcus: unclean

perpetratur = perpetrator (performer)

incestatur = incestator (one who commits incest)

abstenere = abstinere

concubitum: supinum

Iovisque et soror et coniux: Aenead 1,46-7 (Iovis is here of course genitive.)

praeditus (+ abl.): provided with

stillis = stellis

largitio, -onis (f.): generosity

creatura omnes = creatura omnis

obsequio et benefitio famulatur: serves with compliance and  benefit (beneficium)

nullatinus (adv., non-classical) : in no way

dicebat: also Gregory’s words

prudeunt = prodeunt: come forward

puerum ad baptismum exhibit:  offered her child for baptism

praecipio: to order

curtina: curtain

quo facilius vel hoc misterio provocaretur ad credendum, qui flecti praedicationem non poterat, by which he could be more easily or by that mystery could be persuaded to believe , who could not be  moved by doctrine/ preaching (per) praedicationem). It is indeed known that the magnificence of the liturgy, the gold and icons impressed non-Christian rulers and made them convert.

vocito: to name

regeneratus: baptism was considered a rebirth

commotus felle: moved by anger (litt. moved by bile)

signiter = segniter: sluggishly, slowly

increpo: to exclaim loudly against, rebuke

decatus = dicatus: consecrated

non usquequaque indigna = non usquequaque indignam: not completely unworthy

inquid = inquit

adscio (ascio): to receive

Dei obtutibus: before the eyes of God (obtutus –us)

egrotare = aegrotare: to become ill

protinus immediately

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clovis_I

Translation by Earnest Brehaut (1916):

He had a first-born son by queen Clotilda, and as his wife wished to consecrate him in baptism, she tried unceasingly to persuade her husband, saying: "The gods you worship are nothing, and they will be unable to help themselves or any one else. For they are graven out of stone or wood or some metal. And the names you have given them are names of men and not of gods, as Saturn, who is declared to have fled in fear of being banished from his kingdom by his son; as Jove himself, the foul perpetrator of all shameful crimes, committing incest with men, mocking at his kinswomen, not able to refrain from intercourse with his own sister as she herself says: Jovisque et soror et conjunx. What could Mars or Mercury do? They are endowed rather with the magic arts than with the power of the divine name. But he ought rather to be worshipped who created by his word heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is out of a state of nothingness, who made the sun shine, and adorned the heavens with stars, who filled the waters with creeping things, the earth with living things and the air with creatures that fly, at whose nod the earth is decked with growing crops, the trees with fruit, the vines with grapes, by whose hand mankind was created, by whose generosity all that creation serves and helps man whom he created as his own." But though the queen said this the spirit of the king was by no means moved to belief, and he said: "It was at the command of our gods that all things were created and came forth, and it is plain that your God has no power and, what is more, he is proven not to belong to the family of the gods." Meantime the faithful queen made her son ready for baptism; she gave command to adorn the church with hangings and curtains, in order that he who could not moved by persuasion might be urged to belief by this mystery. The boy, whom they named Ingomer, died after being baptized, still wearing the white garments in which he became regenerate. At this the king was violently angry, and reproached the queen harshly, saying: " If the boy had been dedicated in the name of my gods he would certainly have lived; but as it is, since he was baptized in the name of your God, he could not live at all." To this the queen said: "I give thanks to the omnipotent God, creator of all, who has judged me not wholly unworthy, that he should deign to take to his kingdom one born from my womb. My soul is not stricken with grief for his sake, because I know that, summoned from this world as he was in his baptismal garments, he will be fed by the vision of God."

After this she bore another son, whom she named Chlodomer at baptism; and when he fell sick, the king said: "It is impossible that anything else should happen to him than happened to his brother, namely, that being baptized in the name of your Christ, should die at once." But through the prayers of his mother, and the Lord's command, he became well.

 

Clovis and Clotilda (Antoine-Jean Gros, 1811)