When Dudo of Saint-Quentin's 'Historia Normannorum' first appeared in or around 1015, written for the then Duke of Normandy, Richard II, Dudo created a text without precedent. By committing the lives and deeds of Richard II's ancestors to written memory for the first time since the foundation of Normandy under the Viking Rollo in 911, Dudo provided the Norman court at Rouen with both an official dynastic historiography and a treasured record of their collective past. The 'Historia Normannorum' was conceived, from the outset, as an idiosyncratic text which purported to be both staunchly traditional and remarkably innovative.
By means of a pioneering transdisciplinary combination of Historical Studies, Manuscript Studies, Literary Theory and Cultural Memory Studies, this book explores medieval historiography through a unique and highly innovative lens. The analysis showcases the 'Historia Normannorum's' status as one of the most formative historical narratives of the Middle Ages, one which may even provide the earliest surviving example of an illustrated chronicle from the entire Latin West.
Author(s): Benjamin Pohl
Series: Writing History in the Middle Ages, 1
Publisher: York Medieval Press
Year: 2015
Language: English
Commentary: Disclaimer: Some images in the printed version of this book are not available for inclusion in the eBook.
Pages: 326
List of Illustrations vi
Acknowledgements viii
List of Abbreviations and Manuscript Sigla x
Introduction 1
Appendix: Sigla and General Description of the
Manuscripts 18
Chapter 1. The Manuscripts 34
Chapter 2. Tradition 109
Chapter 3. Innovation 156
Chapter 4. Memory 224
Conclusion 252
Appendix 1. Summary Table of Manuscripts in Alphabetical Order 262
Appendix 2. Summary Table of Manuscripts in Chronological Order 263
Appendix 3. Explanatory Rubrics in Manuscripts R, Cc, Lr and A 264
Appendix 4. Poems A–D According to HN, ed. Lair 268
Appendix 5. Synopsis of Poems A–D in Manuscripts R, Cc, Lr, A,
Be and Ln 270
Bibliography 273
Index 307
