Codex Epistolaris Carolinus
Letters from the popes to the Frankish rulers, 739-791
Richard Price author Rosamond McKitterick author Dorine van Espelo author Richard Matthew Pollard author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Liverpool University Press
Published:1st May '21
Should be back in stock very soon
The Codex epistolaris Carolinus preserves ninety-nine letters, dated between 739 and 791 and sent by the popes to the Frankish king Charlemagne and his predecessors. The compilation was commissioned by Charlemagne in 791, but the sole surviving medieval manuscript of the letters was made at Cologne in the later ninth century and is now in Vienna (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Cod. 449). The headings or lemmata provided for each letter by the Frankish compilers in 791 and faithfully preserved in the codex, add a distinctive Frankish commentary on events in Rome and Italy in the second half of the eighth century. This book not only provides the first full English translation of the letters and lemmata in the Codex epistolaris Carolinus but also re-creates the original Carolingian order of presentation of the letters according to the manuscript. A substantial introduction discusses the historical significance of the collection, the compilation and contexts of the Vienna manuscript, especially the significance of the lemmata, the peculiarities of the Latin of the papal letters and the biblical citations, and the historical context of the letters themselves. The lemmata and letter translations are augmented with introductions to each letter and a comprehensive historical commentary and glossary.
'This volume will be welcomed equally by established scholars and should ensure that this valuable resource appears even more in future research.'
Geoffrey D. Dunn, Journal of the Australian Early Medieval Association
‘The volume under review presents excellent translations accompanied by helpful notes, a substantial introduction… and an Index that is full enough to be really valuable. Given its core text and all these resources and tools, this book will be immensely useful for years to come.’
Thomas F. X. Noble, The Medieval Review
‘Simply to have these translated letters collected into one volume will allow, even propel, deeper engagement of these letters as vital witnesses to the complexities of the Italian and Frankish realities of the eighth century. It will further invigorate, the already flourishing world of Carolingian studies and will no doubt stand the test of time as the first port of call for the translated text... this work will be invaluable for students, teachers and researchers.’ Christopher Heath, Al-Masāq
‘Rosamond McKitterick has spent most of her illustrious career building our knowledge of the Carolingian Empire, its sophisticated textual culture, and its relationship with Rome… this volume makes an important body of textual evidence much more accessible and will appeal to anyone interested in medieval scribal cultures and Latin literature, as well the more general history of eighth-century Europe. The authors are to be congratulated on their superb contribution to the study of the early Carolingian period, its key players, and its epistolary legacy.’ Bronwen Neil, Early Medieval Europe
ISBN: 9781800348714
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
546 pages