Formula collection of Markulf

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The formula collection of Markulf or the Marculfi formulas is an important collection of royal and private documents, which provides information and instructions about the law and administration of the late Merovingian period , especially about common law . They were written by Markulf, who introduces himself in the prologue as a 70-year-old monk.

From the manuscript Voss. Lat. O. 86, Leiden University Library

Time of origin

Markulf writes in the prologue that he dedicated the work to a Bishop Landerich. The identification of this bishop is controversial in research to this day, as both Bishop Landerich of Paris (approx. 650–656) and Bishop Landerich of Meaux (late 7th / early 8th century) come into question. In one of the surviving manuscripts, the name Landerich is exchanged for a - previously unidentified - Aeglidulf.

So there are only substantive clues for dating. These are allusions to the political situation between the years 630 and 640 and some linguistic peculiarities that point to the period after 688. The first verifiable use of the formula collection did not take place before the 720s ( see reception ). More recent studies of the texts by Alf Uddholm and Ingrid Heidrich ( see literature list ) therefore consistently speak of a time when the formula collection was created towards the end of the 7th century.

content

In the linguistic usage of the early medieval canons and the papal curia as well as the contemporary legal practice one understands under "formula" (lat. Forma ) a wording for similar cases, in which only names, dates and places have to be inserted, thus a preliminary form of the Form . Sample texts (Latin: formula ) for letters and certificates are also included. Formulas perceived as exemplary were collected for use in the office and summarized - sorted or disordered: In this case one speaks of a "formula collection" (Latin formularium ).

Markulf himself writes that he wrote his work for teaching purposes ( ad exercenda initia puerorum ). What is remarkable about his collection of formulas is the very systematic execution, which is characterized by the clearly structured classification using indices , the general deletion of names and the abbreviation of common formulas. Markulf also had a broad legal horizon.

His collection is divided into two parts: Part 1 deals with 40 royal documents (lat. Cartae regales ) and part 2 consists of 52 private documents (lat. Cartae pagenses ). Some manuscripts also have additional texts from the end of the Merovingian period. The collection was revised and supplemented during the time of Charlemagne .

Markulf's collection is a valuable addition to the few royal documents that have survived from the Merovingian period. The author himself had such a good knowledge of the legal situation at the time that it can be assumed that he was in the service of a royal chancellery before entering a monastery.

The private documents collected in the second part of his book are an important source for Franconian customary law.

reception

The formula collection of Markulf was used in Franconia (especially in the West Franconian and Sal Franconian areas), as well as in Burgundy and Alemannia (for example on the Reichenau ).

The first safe use of the Marculfi formulas was believed to be discovered until a few years ago in a document from Theuderic IV for the Saint-Bertin monastery on November 10, 721. Since Theo Kölzer reissued the Merovingian royal documents as part of the MGH in 2001, however, it has been known that this document is forged - just like a Childerich III document . for Stablo-Malmedy of 743/747, which also seemed to use the Marculfi formulas. From this it can be concluded that the Merovingian royal chancellery was apparently manned by trained staff up to the end of the 751 dynasty, who did not need such a formula collection - in contrast to the chancellery of the Arnulfingian housekeepers : because the first safe use of the Marculfi formulas, which Can be proven there is a certificate from Karl Martell for the monastery of Saint-Denis dated September 17, 741. It is also possible that a letter of protection from Karl Martell for Boniface from around 723 to Markulf.

Markulf's formula collection influenced various other formula collections, such as the Formulae Salicae Bignonianae , Formulae Salicae Merkelianae and Formulae Salicae Lindenbrogianae from the Salic area . The Markulf collection also uses a formula collection from the middle of the 8th century from Tours and the formula collection from Flavigny in Burgundy. The formula collections from Sens, which belong to the early days of Charlemagne and the time of Louis the Pious , also indicate that the Markulf collection was used.

Manuscripts

An original from Markulf's time no longer exists; 7 copies from the 9th and 10th centuries have survived . You are in

literature

Text output

  • Alf Uddholm: Formulas Marculfi libri duo , Lund 1962 (with French translation of the texts). review
  • Karl Zeumer: Formulas Merowingici et Karolini aevi , (= Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Leges; Formulas; 1), Hannover 1963 (= reprint of the Hannover 1886 edition). DFG , dMGH

Lexicons

Secondary literature

  • Franz Beyerle: The formula book of the West Franconian monk Markulf and Dagobert's certificate for Rebais a. 635 , in: German Archives for Research into the Middle Ages 9, 1952, pages 43–58
  • Franz Beyerle: Merkulf's formula school book , in: From constitutional and regional history; Festschrift for Theodor Mayer's 70th birthday . Given by his friends and students, Volume 2, Lindau, Konstanz 1955, pages 365-389
  • Eugen Ewig : Markulf's form "De privilegio" and the Merovingian bishop's privileges , in: Hubert Mordek (ed.), From archives and libraries. Festschrift for Raimund Kottje on his 65th birthday, (= Freiburg contributions to medieval history. Studies and texts; Volume 3), Frankfurt / Main 1992, pages 51–69
  • Ingrid Heidrich : Titulature and documents of the Arnulfingischen Hausmeier , in: Archive for diplomatics, written history, seal and coat of arms, Volume 11/12, 1965/66
  • Bruno Krusch : Origin and text of Markulf's collection of formulas , in: Nachrichten der Göttinger Gelehrten Gesellschaft, Phil.-Hist. Class (1916), pages 231-274
  • Wilhelm Levison : On Marculfs form book , in: Neues Archiv 50, 1935, page 616–619
  • Heinrich Sproemberg : Marculf and the Franconian Reich Chancellery , in: Neues Archiv 47, 1928, pages 77-142
  • Alf Uddholm: Formulas Marculfi. Etudes sur la langue et le style , Uppsala 1954
  • Alf Uddholm: Les traits dialectaux de la langue des actes mérovingiens et le formulaire de Marculf , in: Archivum latinitatis medii aevi 25, 1955, pages 47-69
  • Alf Uddholm: Le texte des Formulas Marculfi , in: Eranos. Acta philologica Suecana a Vilelmo Lundström condita 55, 1957, pages 38-59
  • Heinz Zatschek: The use of the Marculfi formulas and other collections of forms in private documents from the 8th to 10th centuries , in: Mitteilungen des Institut für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung 42, 1927, pp. 165–267
  • Karl Zeumer : About the older Franconian formulas , in: Neues Archiv 6, 1881, page 9–115
  • Karl Zeumer: On the origin of the Markulf formulas. An answer to G. Caro , in: Neues Archiv 30, 1905, pages 716–719

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