Translated from the Dutch by Tanis M. Guest.
Original Dutch edition, 'Kerk, huwelijk en politieke macht: de zaak Lotharius II (855-869)', Amsterdam, 1997. Translated and revised for this first English-language edition.
'The Divorce of Lothar II' illuminates the origin and development of Western notions of marriage and divorce and the separation of church and state in the context of a notorious royal divorce in late Carolingian Europe. In 857, Lothar II, king of Lotharingia, decided to divorce Theutberga — either because she had allegedly engaged in an incestuous liaison with her brother or simply because Lothar had wished to marry his concubine Waldrada. Karl Heidecker’s dramatic and engaging narrative untangles the chaos that resulted: two popes, a host of often quarreling bishops, and Lothar's conniving uncles soon became involved in an epic struggle that did not end even with the death of Lothar. The extraordinary series of events sheds light on the fact that the laws on marriage and divorce were still uncertain. The Church itself was hardly unified in its approach, and its efforts to formulate and impose rules repeatedly foundered against the political machinations characteristic of the Carolingian world.
In 'The Divorce of Lothar II', Heidecker not only discusses the legal aspects of the case but also pays much attention to the often heavy-handed ways in which the players of the story achieved their goals. This ninth-century scandal becomes a study of family dynamics, changing values, and the tenuous relationships between kings, nobles, and bishops around the topic of royal marriage. Though the drama ended with no clear resolution of the Church’s position, Lothar's quest is revealed as an early chapter in the emergence of the belief that marriage rests on the personal will of the partners, is monogamous, and should not be dissolved.
Author(s): Karl Heidecker
Series: Conjunctions of Religion and Power in the Medieval Past
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Year: 2010
Language: English
Pages: 240
City: Ithaca
Preface vii
Abbreviations ix
Introduction 1
I. Preparing the Drama
I.1. Canonical Weapons: The Church’s Regulations on Marriage from the Eighth to the Mid-Ninth Century 11
I.2. A Cause Célèbre: The Divorce Case in the Sources 36
II. A Marital Drama in Six Acts
Act I. Lothar Ascends the Throne and Marries Theutberga, 855-857 51
The Accession: The Political Power of the King and Nobles 52
Lothar's Marriage to Theutberga: Marriage as an Alliance between Noble Families 59
Act II. An Unsuccessful Attempt at Divorce, 857-859 63
The First Attempt at Divorce 65
Ermengarde's Family: The Marriage Alliance Continued in the Children 69
Act III. A Second Attempt at Divorce and the Involvement of Hincmar of Reims, 859-860 73
The Legal Status of Marriage 77
The Powers of the Bishops 86
Hincmar's Rules in Their Political Context 92
Act IV. Lothar's Allies and His Marriage to Waldrada, 860-862 100
The Legal Status of Marriage: The Arguments of Lothar's Bishops 105
The Powers of the Bishops 128
Lothar's Bishops in Their Political Context 130
Alliances and Family Ties 135
Act V. Pope Nicholas Intervenes and Theutberga Is Reinstated, 863-867 149
Pope Nicholas and the Legal Status of Marriage 152
The Powers of the Pope 159
The Success of Nicholas's Claims to Power 164
Act VI. A New Pope and Lothar's Last Battle, 867-869 175
Pope Adrian's Rules for Marriage and His Claims to Power 176
Political Power and the Preservation of Lothar's Realm 179
Epilogue. Lothar's Reputation and His Descendants 182
Appendix 1. Map of Carolingian Europe in the Ninth Century 189
Appendix 2. Genealogies 193
1. The Carolingians
2. The Bosonids
3. The Descendants of Gerard, Count of Paris, and Beggo
4. The Etichonids
5. The Carolingians and Their Relatives, Present at the Treaty of Coblenz (860)
6. The Welfs
Appendix 3. Reigns of the Carolingian Kings 201
Selected Bibliography 203
Index 223
