Saint Gregory of Tours (0538–0594)

This is truly the most amazing book I've ever read.

Never before have I been so entirely unable to predict where a paragraph is going by the way it starts.

To give just one example. We start with a man walking in the woods, who is then attacked by a swarm of flies, which drives him insane, and turn out to have been sent by Satan. The man, now claiming to be Jesus, gathers a following and sends a group of naked dancers into the local cathedral to proclaim his coming.

Every page is filled with show more portents, violence, miracles, and bizarre happenings.

Yet among all this strangeness we see that some things have not changed since AD600. Gregory begins his chronicle with the statement, so relatable to us living through Covid-times: "A great many things keep happening, some of them good, some of them bad."

He laments the state of children these days, the decline of learning, and the feeling that the world is soon to end - all sentiments I'm sure have been spoken by every generation before and since.

It's hard to tell how much of this book is fact, how much fiction, and how much a genuine attempt to explain confounding events. Nevertheless it is a wild read from start to finish. show less

I first ran across Gregory of Tours years ago in an Early Medieval History course at the University of Houston (Go Haskins Society!). And out of all the medieval primary sources I have read, it remains a favorite.

One reason is that if it was not for Gregory's tome, we fans of barbarians would have to resort to the rather sketchy coda (or laws) and archaeological data of that era to ascertain what was going on. (Okay there were those dry church records too, but their not all that exciting.) show more Whereas with Gregory of Tours we get sort of an "Examiner" newspaper view of earthly events.

For example, about the Bishop Cautinus:

Once he had taken possession of his bishopric, Cautinus began to behave so badly that he was soon loathed by everybody. He began to drink heavily. He was often so completely fuddled with wine that it would take four men to carry him from the table.

For example, mother-daughter relations:

Rigunth, Chilperic's daughter, was always attacking her mother (Fredegund), and saying that she herself was the real mistress, whereas her mother ought to revert to her original rank of serving-woman. She would often insult her mother to her face, and they frequently exchanged slaps and punches. 'Why do you hate me so, daughter?' Fredegund asked her one day. 'You can take all your father's things which are still in my possession, and do what you like with them.' She led the way into a strong-room and opened a chest which was full of jewels and precious ornaments. ...

... Rigunth was stretching her arm into the chest to take out some more things, when her mother suddenly seized the lid and slammed it down on her neck. She leant on it with all her might and the edge of the chest pressed so hard against the girls' throat.... (well you'll have to go to page 521 to see how it turns out - lol.)

And with all this great human material, whats not to love. ;-]

Pam T for http://pageinhistory.blogspot.com/ show less

As a book, one of the most tedious I have ever read. Interesting only for the historical value, which paints a (presumably accurate) picture of a thoroughly unpleasant period. The life of the Franks appears to be nothing more than a catalogue of barbarity, leavened (if that is the word, which it isn't) by instances of people making their already brutal lives yet more unpleasant in the name of the church. On the whole, a good argument against time travel.
This particular edition also suffers show more from some highly erratic footnotes. The book is possibly of interest to theological scholars, or people who need a list of flimsy "miracles". show less

Gregory is our principal narrative source for the transition from the Roman Province of Gaul to the maddening but fascinating country of France. While he believed in miracles he was a close observer of all those things that might have killed him and his friends. He starts his history with a biography of Saint Martin and is stopped about 570 CE. The Lewis Thorpe translation is clear, and there are a number of useful notes. Do have a map of France handy, preferably one with multiple names for show more the older cities. show less