The ''Liber memorialis'' of Remiremont is a

confraternity book A confraternity book (german: Verbrüderungsbuch, la, liber confraternitatum or ''confraternitatis''), also called a ''liber memorialis'' (memorial book) or ''liber vitae'' (book of life), is a medieval register of the names of people who had ente ...

from the convent of

Remiremont Remiremont (; german: Romberg or ) is a town and commune in the Vosges department, northeastern France, situated in southern Grand Est. The town has been an abbatial centre since the 7th century, is an economic crossroads of the Moselle and Mos ...

in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

. The unique manuscript is preserved in Rome, in the

Biblioteca Angelica The Biblioteca Angelica ( en, Angelica Library) is a public library located in Rome, Italy. In front of the ''Piazza Sant'Agostino'' square, adjacent to the church of Sant'Agostino, not far from Piazza Navona. The library holds about over 130,0 ...

, where it is shelved as Manoscritto 10. It is not known when it was taken to Rome. The importance of the manuscript was first recognised in the 1890s by Adalbert Ebner. Since then, it has been used by many historians as a source for early medieval practices of memory, as well as for the history of the monastery of Remiremont itself. A partial facsimile-edition was published by the Monumenta Germaniae Historica in 1970.

History of the ''Liber memorialis''

The manuscript was begun under the direction of Abbess Theuthild, who also wrote a number of surviving letters that have been translated by Michel Parisse. It is usually assumed that the manuscript was begun in 821, before being largely rewritten in the 860s. This dating is based on a reference in the manuscript to an 'Emperor Louis', who is normally understood to be

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

. For that reason, Eva Butz and Alfons Zettler have described the ''Liber Memorialis'' of Remiremont as "a major document of the ecclesiastical and political reforms of the Carolingian Empire under Louis the Pious".Eva Butz and Alfons Zettler, 'The Making of the Carolingian Libri Memoriales: exploring or constructing the past?, in Elma Brenner, Meredith Cohen and Mary Franklin-Brown, ''Memory and Commemoration in Medieval Culture'' (London, 2013), pp. 79-92, at p. 83 However, Michèle Gaillard has suggested that the 'Emperor Louis' could in fact be Louis II of Italy, in which case the manuscript's original creation might be slightly later in date. The manuscript initially contained liturgy for the mass, a list of rulers, and a list of benefactors. However, from the 860s, new pages started to be added, to include new groups of names. These included kings such as

Lothar II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was the king of Lotharingia from 855 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga (died 875), daughter of Boso the Elder. Reign For political ...

, who seems to have visited the monastery in the company of

Waldrada Waldrada (also Vuldetrada) (531572), wife (firstly) of Theudebald, King of Austrasia (ruled 548–555), reputed mistress (secondly) of Chlothar I, King of the Franks (ruled until 561), was the daughter of Wacho, King of the Lombards (ruled ''ca''. ...

and other members of his family in late 861. In total, the manuscript lists around 11,500 names. These names were written by over 150 different scribes, including many women.E. Hlawitschka, K. Schmid, G. Tellenbach, ''Liber memorialis von Remiremont'', MGH Libr. Mem., 1970, p. xxv

History of the ''Liber memorialis''

References

Further reading