Annales Mettenses priores

As Metz Annals, Annales actually Mettenses ( -priority ), a penned in Latin anonymous Frankish historical work from the early 9th century is called.

The work is often Annales Mettenses -priority ( older or earlier annals of Metz ), since even later editing and continued possession of the Annals, which is now called the Annales Mettenses posterior. The Annals of Metz were designated in 1641 by its first editor, André Duchesne, as Annales Francorum Mettenses. Until the 19th century was understood as the Annales Annales Mettenses Mettenses posterior. Only the discovery of a product originating in the 12th century manuscript in the Cathedral Library of Durham in 1895 by Karl Ludwig Hampe proved the former existence of an independent plant, as the Annales Mettenses -priority today is known to distinguish it from the subsequent processing and to which the following statements relate.

Duchesne assumed that the annals were created in Metz, because the manuscript available to it was from this town and was particularly praised in the work of Arnulf of Metz. The work was written at a different location but more recent research believes, perhaps in the Abbey Chelles ( Hartmut Hoffmann). Maybe Gisela, sister of Charles the Great, and has stimulated Abbess at the local monastery, the drafting of the Annals, which probably took place in the year 806. However, Saint- Denis has been considered as a possible origin ( as Irene Hasselbach ) in research. Possibly was the anonymous author himself a woman, although this has been questioned in recent times.

In the annals of Metz Merovingian and Carolingian times events are portrayed. The annals begin in 678 and end 805 There can still be later additions to the year 830/831, but not derived from the same author and follow to 829, the accounts of the annals; which will then be followed by a final addition to the year 830.

The annals offer a compilation of older sources (including the continuation of Fredegar Chronicle and the annals ), but apparently also include material from now lost works; the description of the years 803-805 is an apparently self-employed. The author of the Annals of Metz often took whole passages from his templates, but did not always strictly a representation of the annalistic scheme. The presentation is sometimes quite detailed, but not always reliable, especially because of the unmistakable pro- Carolingian trend. Stylistically, in the annals influences of the so-called ' Carolingian Renaissance ' fixable, which affects about certain allusions to ancient authors. In this sense, the representation of the Liber Historiae Francorum far exceeded and is also detailed, as for example with regard to the battle of Tertry.

The annals provide in principle a Carolingian family history Represents the goal of the author was apparently the glorification of the Carolingian house, the rise in the Merovingian kingdom to regnorum divisions, which should be justified by the works well as generally the rule of the Carolingians. The Carolingian kings appear in the annals as the fulfiller of a divine plan and the rise of the Carolingians to the king's power and eventually the empire thus as a logical development. Since the power of the Carolingian seemed to be strengthened in this period can be found in the work of quite a lot of information about their opponents from an earlier period, which has now apparently regarded as unproblematic.

Editions and translations

• Bernhard von Simson (ed.): Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi 10: Annales Mettenses -priority. Hannover 1905 ( Monumenta Historica Germaniae, digitized ).
• Paul Fouracre, Richard A. Gerberding (eds.): Late Merovingian France: history and hagiography, 640-720. Manchester 1996, pp. 350ff. [ engl. Partial translation ]