The kingdom of the child
The kingdom of the child. Legend of the Last Carolingians is a story by Gertrud von le Fort , written in 1933 and published in 1934 by Langen Müller Verlag in Munich.
Germany at the end of the 9th century: Above all the bitter struggle against the external enemies of the empire , for years King Arnulf found no time at all for Queen Oda, who was waiting for him in Regensburg .
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The Conradines agree that instead of Charlemagne , his nephew Arnulf should become king. Empress Judith was to blame for the weakness of the empire . She had persuaded Emperor Ludwig to divide the empire because of her son . So the Konradiner send messengers to Arnulf. On the way, the riders meet the ancient Glismouda in the Forchheim forest. It is said that the Saxon woman has just come from Untersberg . She still knew Charlemagne . Glismouda prophesies bad times for the riders. Fights against the enemies of the empire were imminent.
Arnulf pushes Karl the Fat from the throne. During the dethronement on the Palatinate Tribur , the Majestas Domini falls over. Despite the bad omen, the Konradiner have nothing to do in a hurry than to ask the ubiquitous Glismouda for a suitable saying for the happy occasion. Glismouda sees a child ascend to the throne. Arnulf doesn't want to hear the prophecy. The Konradines do not understand the oracle despite the following explanation. You have more important things to do. The new king needs a wife. The Konradiner think of their base Uta. Arnulf agrees. The Konradines determine by drawing lots who of the chosen ones has to bring the good news. Konrad von Weilburg meets Uta at Lahnstein , where the Lahn meets the Rhine.
The coronation of the royal couple in Aachen is interrupted. The enemies of the empire have crossed both the eastern and western borders. Arnulf hurries out of the church with a bare sword. The crown and scepter have not yet been presented to him. The bishops carry on unimpressed; crown Uta queen. Now the Konradiner want a royal child. The king has no time for that. He fights one battle after the other. The Luitpoldinger want to know why the Conradiners' wish is not fulfilled. One explanation would be that Arnulf is afraid that Glismouda's verdict could come true. The royal couple resides in Regensburg. When Uta finally gives birth to a son , the people are happy - only the king is not. Arnulf has other worries. The Huns invade Moravia . After Arnulf has been partially paralyzed by the blow, all want to become great guardians of the child. Only Zwentibold not. The illegitimate son of Arnulf wants to go straight to power. Doubts arise in the kingdom. Is Arnulf actually the child's father? The people think that Great Karl is looking out of the eyes of the child . The terminally ill king pulls himself up, legitimizes the child and thus raises the fallen Majestas Domini again. After the storm of the Huns , Queen Uta buried her dead child in St. Emmeram . That Konrad, who once brought Uta the good news of her upcoming wedding on Lahnstein, becomes the new king in the child's kingdom.
The death of the emperor
Karl the Fat spends the last few years after his disempowerment on a bar in a Meierhof in Neudingen . The winter in January 888 is very hard. The blow hits the emperor in the open air. He falls headlong into an icy stream.
Quote
- "It is always only the weak who despise the weak."
reception
- With a view to Germany, a case of salvation history will be played out.
literature
- source
- The kingdom of the child. Legend of the last Carolingians. P. 5–61 in Gertrud von le Fort: The kingdom of the child. The little birds from Theres. Two legends. Insel-Bücherei No. 111. 73 pages. Insel-Verlag Wiesbaden 1952 (21st to 36th thousand)
- First edition
- Gertrud von le Fort: The kingdom of the child. Legend of the last Carolingians. The small library 027. 55 pages. Albert Langen - Georg Müller, Munich 1934.
- Secondary literature
- Nicholas J. Meyerhofer: Gertrud von le Fort . Morgenbuch Verlag Berlin 1993. Heads of the 20th Century, Volume 119. ISBN 3-371-00376-0
- Gero von Wilpert : Lexicon of world literature. German Authors A - Z . S. 382, left column, 1. Zvo Stuttgart 2004. ISBN 3-520-83704-8