Top of page

Book/Printed Material History of the Franks. Historia Francorum

About this Item

Title

  • History of the Franks.

Other Title

  • Historia Francorum

Summary

  • Saint Gregory of Tours was born in 538 in what is now Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne region of central France. A Gallo-Roman who spoke Latin as his native language, he was ordained as a deacon in 563 and was bishop of Tours from 573 until his death in 594. Gregory's Historia Francorum (History of the Franks) is a major source for the history of France under the Merovingians (ruled from the late fifth century to 750). The work is in ten books. Book one begins with the Creation and ends with the death of Saint Martin of Tours in 397. Books two, three, and four cover events in France from 397 to the death in late 575 of the Merovingian king Sigibert (or Sigebert) I. The remaining five books, ending in 591 during the reign of King Guntram (also seen as Gontran, reigned 561-92), recount events that Gregory witnessed or of which he had personal knowledge. This manuscript, Latin 17654 in the collections of the National Library of France and known by the designation B4, is one of the important early manuscripts of the Historia Francorum, along with the library's B5 and B2 in the Royal Library in Brussels, Belgium. The manuscript is missing the last four chapters of Book 10 and parts of some chapters in books 1-6. It is written in a Merovingian uncial. Some initials are adorned with geometric designs, plants and/or zoomorphic representations of fish, birds, or snakes, drawn with a pencil, and enhanced with yellow, red, orange, and green. Titles, incipits and explicits in capitals alternately are colored in yellow, red, orange, and green; titles in uncials are in orange-red ink. Appearances of the letter Q (for Quaternio), introducing the signatures of the notebooks in the margin, are enhanced with circles in a manner similar to the decorated initials, and notebook numbers are adorned with pyramids of small ink strokes. Some strokes (e.g., the iconographic repertory of fish, birds, and the cross; the form of the initial I in folio 52 verso; and the ornamentation of the signatures of notebooks) evoke the style that was executed in the Abbey of Luxeuil, which spread widely in Merovingian Gaul.

Names

  • Gregory, Bishop of Tours, Saint, 538-594 Author.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [700 to 725]

Headings

  • -  France
  • -  560 to 594
  • -  Carolingians
  • -  Chronicles
  • -  Gregory, Bishop of Tours, Saint, 538-594
  • -  History
  • -  Kings and rulers
  • -  Merovingians

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 109 folios, parchment ; 23 x 15.5 centimeter text on sheets of 29.5 x 22 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of France.
  • -  Content in Latin.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Merovingian Manuscript Collection

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021668232

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Gregory, Bishop Of Tours, Saint, 538-594 Author. History of the Franks. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 700 to 725, 0700] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668232/.

APA citation style:

Gregory, B. O. T. (0700) History of the Franks. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 700 to 725] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668232/.

MLA citation style:

Gregory, Bishop Of Tours, Saint, 538-594 Author. History of the Franks. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 700 to 725, 0700] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668232/>.