Written as the Lombard kingdom was on the cusp of downfall at the hands of the Carolingian empire, the works of Paul the Deacon (c. 720-799) are vital to understanding the history of Italy and Western Europe in the Middle Ages. But until now, scholars have tended to neglect the narrative structure of his texts, which reflect in important ways his personal responses to the events of his time. This study presents fresh interpretations of Paul's 'Historia Romana', 'Vita Sancti Gregorii Magni', 'Gesta Episcopum Mettensium', and 'Historia Langobardorum' by focusing on him as an individual and on his strategies of argumentation, ultimately advancing a new conception of Paul as a dynamic author whose development of multiple lines of thought deserves closer examination.
Author(s): Christopher Heath
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
Year: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 288
Acknowledgements 11
List of Abbreviations 13
Introduction 15
1. 'Vir valde Peritus': Paul the Deacon and his Contexts 19
The Downfall 19
The Life of Paul the Deacon 24
The Space of Communication in the Works of Paul the Deacon 33
2. The Early Narratives 39
'Ita Romanorum apud Romam imperium... cum hoc Augustulo periit' (Thus the Roman Empire at Rome... with this Augustulus perished): The 'Historia Romana' 39
Beatissimus Pontifex: The 'Vita Sancti Gregorii Magni' 66
'Sancta et Venerabilis Mettensium Urbis': The 'Gesta Episcopum Mettensium' 86
3. The 'Historia Langobardorum': The Structure of Paul's World 109
The Transmission and Textual Histories of the 'Historia Langobardorum' 111
The Structure of the 'Historia Langobardorum' 116
Paul's Use of Sources 127
4. The 'Historia Langobardorum': The Six Books in Detail 131
Book I 'The Men of Old Tell a Silly Story': Legends and Amazons 131
Book II 'The World Brought Back to its Ancient Silence': Narses and Alboin 154
Book III 'Authari is Wont to Strike Such a Blow': Lombards, Romans and Franks 171
Book IV 'Miserorum Rusticorum Sanguis': Agilulf and Theodolinda 191
Book V 'Rebellio et Iniquitatis': 'Old' and 'New' Lombard Kingship 210
Book VI 'Nutritor Gentis': The Ascendancy of Liutprand and Lombard Kingship 230
5 Conclusion 253
Bibliography 257
Index 282
