Nithard

Nithard (* around 795; † 845 ) was a Franconian historian. His Historiae represent an important source for the Franconian Empire in the early 9th century.

life and work

Nithard was the illegitimate son of Angilbert and Bertha , a daughter of Charlemagne . Little is known about his life. He took an active part in the fratricidal struggles of the Carolingians and was a supporter of Charlemagne . He fell fighting the Normans .

On behalf of Charles the Bald, he wrote a Latin historical work, which is usually referred to as Historiae ("Histories") or as Historiarum Libri IV ("4 books of stories"). In it Nithard described the time from the death of Charlemagne (814) to the year 843. The focus of the presentation is on contemporary history; while the first book covers the period up to 840, books two to four are devoted to the three years up to 843. The main theme of the Historiae is the Carolingian fratricidal struggles for which Nithard's work is one of the most important sources . Although Nithard - one of the few early medieval historians who was not a clergyman but a layperson - sided with Charles the Bald, the Historiae contain very valuable material. This is how Nithard passed on the content of the Strasbourg oaths ; Apart from that, too, his work offers very important information, some of which has not been passed down anywhere else. However, a pessimistic attitude is recognizable due to the decline of the Carolingian Empire recognized by Nithard. He repeatedly expresses his dissatisfaction with the situation in the empire and therefore looks very sadly back to the time of Charlemagne.

Partly there are similarities between Nithard and the work of the so-called Astronomus . Whether this is dependent on Nithard or vice versa, or both followed a common source, is controversial in research.

The Historiae are only in one manuscript from the 10./11. Century handed down (Paris, BN lat. 9768).

expenditure

Reinhold Rau (Hrsg.): Sources for the Carolingian Empire history. 1st part: The Reichsannals. Einhard, Life of Charlemagne. Two "lives" of Ludwig. Nithard, stories . Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1955, p. 383ff.

literature

Bernard S. Bachrach, David S. Bachrach: Nithard as a Military Historian of the Carolingian Empire, c 833–843. In: Francia , Vol. 44 (2017), pp. 29-55.
Franz Brunhölzl : History of the Latin Literature of the Middle Ages. Vol. 1: From Cassiodorus to the end of the Carolingian renewal. Fink, Munich 1975, pp. 399-402.
Hans-Werner Goetz : Nithard . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 6, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1993, ISBN 3-7608-8906-9 , column 1201. (with further literature)
Janet L. Nelson : Public Histories and Private History in the Work of Nithard. In: Speculum , 60 : 251-293 (1985).
Hubertus Seibert : Nithard. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 19, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-428-00200-8 , p. 291 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Nithardus in the repertory "Historical Sources of the German Middle Ages"

Literature by and about Nithard in the catalog of the German National Library

Historiarum Libri in a digitized version

Remarks

↑ See, for example, Nithard, Historiae IV 7.
↑ Ernst Tremp, however, argued in the critical Astronomus edition that Nithard was more likely to use the work of Astronomus or a common source was available: Ernst Tremp (ed.): Thegan, Die Taten Kaiser Ludwigs (Gesta Hludowici imperatoris). Astronomus, Das Leben Kaiser Ludwigs (Vita Hludowici imperatoris) . Hanover 1995, p. 86ff.

personal data
SURNAME	Nithard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Nithardus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Franconian historian
DATE OF BIRTH	8th century or 9th century
DATE OF DEATH	845

[1] See, for example, Nithard, Historiae IV 7.

[2] Ernst Tremp, however, argued in the critical Astronomus edition that Nithard was more likely to use the work of Astronomus or a common source was available: Ernst Tremp (ed.): Thegan, Die Taten Kaiser Ludwigs (Gesta Hludowici imperatoris). Astronomus, Das Leben Kaiser Ludwigs (Vita Hludowici imperatoris) . Hanover 1995, p. 86ff.