Abbo Cernuus
Encyclopedia
Abbo Cernuus Abbo Parisiensis, or Abbo of Saint-Germain was a Neustria
n Benedictine
monk and poet of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
in Paris
. He was born about the middle of the ninth century.
Abbo was present at the Siege of Paris
by the Vikings in 885–886. He was the only eyewitness who wrote a description of it, in Latin verse, with an account of subsequent events to 896, the so-called De bellis Parisiacæ urbis or Bella Parisiacæ Urbis (Wars of the City of Paris). Abbo also left some sermons for the instructions of clerics in Paris and Poitiers
(Patrologia Latina
, CXXII).
A detailed and political work, it has been underused by historians of the late Carolingians. It may have been written at the bequest or insistence of Odo of France, who appears as the hero and "future king" (rex futurus) in the poem. The poet views Odo through an 890s lens. He praises Odo as "the noblest" of the city of Paris, more so than Askericus
or Joscelin. Abbo also presents the Emperor Charles III in a positive light, whom he refers to as basileus Francorum. The poem stresses the magnitude and diversity of the united Frankish empire. Significantly, he places no blame on the emperor for the siege of Paris nor for the subsequent harrying of Burgundy
, which he actually considered to be appropriate for the Burgundians' refusal to aid the city. Abbo even warns the Neustrians not to use "the purple to keep warm", a reference to overreliance on imperial protection.
Abbo is a source for the collapse of Carolingian hegemony in 887–888. He regarded Odo as the legitimate successor of Charles the Fat in West Francia after Charles' death (888) and does not seem to have regarded the deposition of East Francia as binding on West Francia. Abbo also regards the empire as Frankish and he himself, though a Neustrian and Parisian, as Frankish as well. He does not present a united West Francia as a more basic political unit than the empire and is therefore seen by some historians as refuting the hypothesis that regional identities led to the breakup of the empire within Abbo's lifetime.
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
n Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk and poet of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, just beyond the outskirts of early medieval Paris, was the burial place of Merovingian kings of Neustria...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He was born about the middle of the ninth century.
Abbo was present at the Siege of Paris
Siege of Paris (885-886)
The Siege of Paris of 885 to 886 was a Viking siege of Paris, then capital of the kingdom of the West Franks. It was, in hindsight, the most important event of the reign of the Emperor Charles the Fat and a turning point in the fortunes of the Carolingian dynasty and the history of France.The...
by the Vikings in 885–886. He was the only eyewitness who wrote a description of it, in Latin verse, with an account of subsequent events to 896, the so-called De bellis Parisiacæ urbis or Bella Parisiacæ Urbis (Wars of the City of Paris). Abbo also left some sermons for the instructions of clerics in Paris and Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
(Patrologia Latina
Patrologia Latina
The Patrologia Latina is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques-Paul Migne between 1844 and 1855, with indices published between 1862 and 1865....
, CXXII).
De bellis Parisiacae urbis
The Wars of the City of Paris was written in the 890s between c. 890 and then later that decade with an extension up to 896. The purpose of the work was both scholarly and hortative, warning future generations of the Viking menace. Its literary style (sometimes called the "hermeneutic style") is typical of its period and place, though it is studded with "obscure Grecisms." It has usually received negative criticism from historians, or even been viewed as a contemporary parody of the hermeneutic style.A detailed and political work, it has been underused by historians of the late Carolingians. It may have been written at the bequest or insistence of Odo of France, who appears as the hero and "future king" (rex futurus) in the poem. The poet views Odo through an 890s lens. He praises Odo as "the noblest" of the city of Paris, more so than Askericus
Askericus
Askericus was the Bishop of Paris from 886 until his death. He replaced Bishop Joscelin when the latter died during the Siege of Paris on 16 April 886. He and Count Odo led the defences of the city after Joscelin's death....
or Joscelin. Abbo also presents the Emperor Charles III in a positive light, whom he refers to as basileus Francorum. The poem stresses the magnitude and diversity of the united Frankish empire. Significantly, he places no blame on the emperor for the siege of Paris nor for the subsequent harrying of Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy
Burgundy is a historic region in Western Europe that has existed as a political entity in a number of forms with very different boundaries. Two of these entities - the first around the 6th century, the second around the 11th century - have been called the Kingdom of Burgundy; a third was very...
, which he actually considered to be appropriate for the Burgundians' refusal to aid the city. Abbo even warns the Neustrians not to use "the purple to keep warm", a reference to overreliance on imperial protection.
Abbo is a source for the collapse of Carolingian hegemony in 887–888. He regarded Odo as the legitimate successor of Charles the Fat in West Francia after Charles' death (888) and does not seem to have regarded the deposition of East Francia as binding on West Francia. Abbo also regards the empire as Frankish and he himself, though a Neustrian and Parisian, as Frankish as well. He does not present a united West Francia as a more basic political unit than the empire and is therefore seen by some historians as refuting the hypothesis that regional identities led to the breakup of the empire within Abbo's lifetime.
Primary sources
- Abbo, Bella Parisiacae Urbis
- ed. and tr. Nirmal Dass, Viking Attacks on Paris: The "Bella Parisiacae Urbis" of Abbo of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Dallas Medieval Texts and TranslationsDallas Medieval Texts and TranslationsDallas Medieval Texts and Translations is a book series sponsored by the and published by , a publishing house based in Louvain, Belgium. Modeled upon the Loeb Classical Library, the Dallas series has the goal "to build a library of medieval Latin texts, with English translations, from the period...
7. Leuven: Peeters, 2007.http://www.udallas.edu/dmtt/vseven.cfm - ed. and tr. Anton Pauels, Abbo von Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Bella Parisiacae Urbis, Buch I. Frankfurt, 1984. With German translation.
- ed. Henri Waquet, Abbon. Le siège de Paris par les Normands. Poème du IXe siècle. Paris, 1942 (first edition), 1964 (second edition, with French translation). This edition omits the Third Book.
- ed. Paul von Winterfeld, Abbonis Bella Parisiacae Urbis. MGH Poetae Latini aevi Carolini IV. Berlin 1899. 72-122.
- ed. and tr. Nirmal Dass, Viking Attacks on Paris: The "Bella Parisiacae Urbis" of Abbo of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Dallas Medieval Texts and Translations
Secondary sources
- Adams, Anthony and Arthur George Rigg. "A verse translation of Abbo of St. Germain's Bella Parisiacae urbis." Journal of Medieval Latin, 14 (2004):1–68.
- MacLean, Simon. Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the end of the Carolingian Empire. Cambridge University Press: 2003.
Further reading
- Lendinara, Patrizia. "The Third Book of the Bella Parisiacae Urbis by Abbo of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and its Old English gloss." Anglo-Saxon England 15 (1986): 73-89.