The head of the world
The Head of the World is a historical novel by Rebecca Gablé , published in 2013. It won the LovelyBooks Readers Award in 2013 in the Historical Novel category .
content
First part 929 The plot of the novel begins in January 929 with the siege of Brandenburg , the ancestral seat of the Heveller princes , on the Havel by King Heinrich I. His sons Otto and Thankmar are also present. When the Brandenburg falls, Prince Vaclavic's last remaining children, Tugomir , who is two years older than Heinrich's son Otto, and Dragomira (fourteen years old), are taken hostage. As a pledge that her father keeps peace. On the way to Magdeburg, Tugomir is forced to watch as the soldiers of his future mortal enemy Gero wipe out the Daleminzer Slavic people. Only the children are left alive so that they can later work as slaves. On the Brandenburg, Tugomir, formerly a priest in the temple of the Slavic god of war Jarovit, builds up an existence as a healer, while one of the Daleminz children, a boy named Semela, no longer leaves his side. Prince Otto, who won victory on the Brandenburg river, secures his spoils of war by letting Dragomira sweeten the long winter nights, which his mother, Queen Mathildis, who Dragomira detests, deeply disapproves of. Shortly after Otto learns that Dragomira is expecting a child, she sends her to the Möllenbeck Kanonissenstift. Otto, sadly at first, forgets Dragomira more and more when the princesses Editha and Egvina von Wessex , one of whom is to become his fiancée, arrive in Magdeburg. Because the young prince instantly falls in love with the older Editha (King Heinrich announces her engagement at the court day in Quedlinburg , as does Otto's successor as King of Eastern Franconia ), while the fifteen-year-old Egvina turns to Otto's older half-brother Thankmar. At the same time, Tugomir is almost killed by Gero because Prince Vaclavic has openly opposed King Henry. Thankmar can prevent that just in time. When the Slavs' uprising failed a little later, Tugomir's father took his own life and left the throne of the Heveller prince to his eight-year-old grandson, Tugomir initially wanted to return to Brandenburg to save his nephew from falling victim to the ambitions of his advisors, but then he learns of the birth of little Wilhelm , his second nephew, who, half Slavic, half Saxon prince, is supposed to grow up at his grandfather's court. In Tugomir's care. Since he was able to save Otto's life shortly before with his healing coasts, and the future King of the Saxons trusts him.
Second part 935–938 A young priest named Widukind, a nephew of Queen Mathildis, arrives at the Möllenbeck Kanonissenstift as spiritual supporter for the canonesses. The first he meets is Dragomira, who has now turned to the Christian faith and illustrates books. The two fall in love and secretly arrange meetings that never go beyond kissing, but their little affair is extremely dangerous for both of them. But not only Dragomira, but also Tugomir is not allowed to follow his heart openly. In the meantime he has become the king's personal physician, his services as a healer are in demand, and so he is brought to the bedside of the very young Alveradis, Gero's daughter. Tugomir falls in love, but stays at a distance so as not to expose himself or Alveradis to Gero's anger. When King Heinrich finally dies in 936, Otto, now the father of three children, is crowned king in Aachen . But when he curtailed the rights of his counts, there was a revolt, which his own brother Henning and his mother, who would much rather see the younger son as king, also join. The uprising can be put down and Henning will be rehabilitated.
Six years later, Tugomir is Prince Otto's personal physician and teacher to his sons. Apparently he is held in high regard, but is still a prisoner - also a prisoner between two so different cultures. Since he has fallen in love with Alveradis, the daughter of his archenemy Gero, everything becomes even more complicated. King Heinrich dies in July 936. Otto was anointed king in Aachen at the age of 24 , but the coronation banquet was hardly over when forces set in motion that wanted to overthrow him. The dukes want to use the king's youth and alleged weakness to develop their own power, and the Slavs across the Elbe are rising again. Otto shows leadership, but he also makes mistakes: Tugomir's mortal enemy Gero, of all people, who detests all Slavs, is appointed margrave east of the Elbe and is supposed to conquer and pacify the Slavic territories. And the king drives his older brother Thankmar into the arms of the rebellious dukes. Thankmar falls on the Eresburg .
As soon as one brother's revolt is over, his own mother Mathilde intrigues against King Otto in order to bring her younger son Heinrich to the throne. Heinrich not only allied himself with the rebellious dukes, but also with the king of western France . At the same time, Count Gero murders thirty Slavic princes whom he has maliciously invited to a banquet, and the Slavic tribes rise. Otto sees himself threatened in the west as in the east and asks Tugomir to return home and pacify the Slavs. Tugomir feels little inclination to represent Otto's policy with his compatriots and only agrees on the condition that Alveradis becomes his wife.
Tugomir returned to Havelland ten years after his capture and was recognized by the Hevellians as a prince. But many suspect him because he turned to the Christian faith and married a German. Meanwhile, Otto's situation is also worsening. More and more nobles and also bishops fall away from him. His situation seems hopeless until 939 two of the renegade dukes lose their lives at the Battle of Andernach . This “judgment of God” brings back the urgently needed support for Otto. He relaxed the situation in the west of his empire through a clever marriage policy. In the occupied Slavic territories in the east he restricted Gero's powers by founding a diocese in Brandenburg and letting Tugomir choose the bishop. When Gero's reign of terror ends, the East can also be pacified.
Otto's royal power now seems inviolable, but his younger brother Heinrich has still not buried hope for the crown. Otto is supposed to be murdered at the court festival in Quedlinburg on Easter 941. Tugomir was able to thwart the attack at the last moment, and the alliance of reason between the king and prince, which was previously characterized by suspicion and misunderstanding, became a friendship on an equal footing.
people
Slavs
- Tugomir *, Prince of the Hevellers
- Bolilut, Tugomir's older brother
- Dragomira *, Tugomir's younger sister
- Wilhelm *, Dragomiras and Prince Otto's son, Archbishop of Mainz
- Vaclavic *, Tugomir's father, Prince of the Hevellers
- Dragomir *, son of Bolilut, Tugomir's nephew
- Semela, a Daleminian slave boy
- Mirnia, Dragomira's Daleminian slave
- Wenceslaus *, Tugomir's cousin, prince of Bohemia and martyr
- Boleslaw *, Wenceslas brother, also Prince of Bohemia and absolutely not a martyr
- Tuglo, high priest of Triglav
- Slavomir, Tugomir's uncle and priest of Jarovite
- Godemir, high priest of Jarovite
- Falibor, an old warrior
- Ratibor, prince of the Obodrites
- Draschko, priest of Radegost
German
- Heinrich I *, King of the German Empire, then still called "East Franconian", and Duke of Saxony
- Mathildis *, King Henry's wife, Queen
- Thankmar *, King Heinrich's eldest son from his first marriage
- Otto I *, King Heinrich's favorite son and successor
- Heinrich *, called Henning, Otto's brother, Queen Mathildis' favorite son
- Brun *, the youngest brother, Chancellor and Archbishop of Cologne
- Gerberga *, the elder princess, Duchess of Lorraine, later Queen of the West Franconian Empire
- Hadwig *, the younger princess, Duchess of France
- Editha * from Wessex, Otto's wife
- Liudolf *, Otto and Editha's son
- Liudgard *, Otto and Editha's daughter
- Judith * of Bavaria, Prince Henning's wife
- Egvina * from Wessex, Editha's sister
- Thietmar *, margrave, King Heinrich's friend and advisor
- Siegfried *, Thietmar's older son
- Gero *, Thietmar's younger son, conqueror of the Slavs, Count of the Ostmark
- Alveradis *, Gero's daughter
- Asik, Siegfried and Gero's cousin
- Udo, a loyal soldier
- Hermann Billung *, Count of the Billung Mark
- Wichmann *, Herrmann Billung's brother
- Eberhard *, Duke of Franconia
- Arnulf *, Duke of Bavaria
- Hermann *, Duke of Swabia
- Giselbert *, Duke of Lorraine
- Friedrich *, Archbishop of Mainz
- Widukind von Herford, Queen Mathildis' nephew, Bishop of Brandenburg
- Brother Waldered, an open-minded monk
- Hardwin, son of the Count in Liesgau, commander of the royal armored riders
- Count Manfried von Minden, a warrior
- Konrad von Minden, Count Manfried's son
- Poppo *, King Heinrich and King Otto's Chancellor
- Hadald *, King Otto's chamberlain
- Hildger, son of Count Odefried im Nethegau, Prince Henning's loyal follower,
- Wiprecht, Count in Balsamgau, Prince Henning's loyal follower,
- Volkmar, son of Count Friedrich in Harzgau, Prince Henning's loyal follower,
background
After seven historical novels and a non-fiction book about the English Middle Ages, Rebecca Gablé turns to German history for the first time with Das Haupt der Welt . Since their beginning is often tied to Otto the Great, the author chose him and his biography as the subject because she wanted to begin with her new topic, German history. In contrast to her earlier works, this time she decided against a fictional main character, because Tugomir, the prince of the Hevellers, actually existed, even if only a few details of his biography are documented in the sources.
Notes on people and content
In contrast to Rebecca Gablé's other historical novels, a historical person plays the main role here. In the epilogue to "Das Haupt der Welt" she writes that Tugomir was excellently suited for the role "because he came to the German (or East Franconian [...]) world as an outsider, and it is always good from an outsider's perspective tell to describe historical worlds ". In fact, this novel is rather history-heavy, and the fiction helps out where history doesn't get any further, which is unusual for Rebecca Gablé, who became known through Waringham and Helmsby. The separation of the characters into "Slavs" and "Germans" is also conspicuous, but reflects the character of the actions, as this novel is mainly about the contrast between these two peoples.
Reviews
- With this novel, Christmas can be hibernated very, very well. says Detlef Knut at The Huffington Post
- you always dive deep into the worlds that she created, and by the way, you get a good dose of historical education. says Christiane Irrgang at ndr.de
expenditure
Das Haupt der Welt , hardcover, Bastei Lübbe Verlag, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3431038835
Das Haupt der Welt , Audiobook CD (abbreviated), read by Detlef Bierstedt , Lübbe Audio, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3785748558
Das Haupt der Welt , audiobook download (unabridged), read by Detlef Bierstedt , Lübbe Audio, Cologne 2013
Das Haupt der Welt , e-book, Bastei Entertainment, Cologne 2013
Das Haupt der Welt , paperback, Bastei Lübbe Verlag, Cologne 2015, ISBN 978-3404172009
Web links
- Confusion of the heart at histo-couch.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Interview with Rebecca Gablé in Büchermenschen No. 5, 2013, pp. 6–7
- ↑ "postscript" in Rebecca Gablé: The head of the World Cologne, 2013, pp 855-856
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Sex and Violence in the Middle Ages ( Memento from October 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) ndr.de