Customer Reviews

Liber Historiae Francorum

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Winning the right call himself first, Bernard S. Bachrach enables us to view one of the few original Latin narrative histories, LHF, scribed during Merovingian Gaul translated into English by Bachrach himself.

Inviting us to view his translation in the context of understanding the late seventh century man who wrote it, Bachrach gives a nod to the creative restraints and censorship such a literate person may have had to succumb.

In Latin, sapiens means "a wise man". Given the author of this story is unknown, for the purpose of this review I will call him Sapiens.

"Let us set out the beginnings of the Kings" Sapiens opens as he relates the origins of the Frankish tribes. Beginning the history, as told in the old oral tradition, he relates how the few Trojans who survived the Greek invasions fled north to Sicambria and their established their new home. Eventually, he relates, they win a reputation among the Romans as the "Franks" which meant "Fierce".

Assigning word fame to each King, Sapiens pauses at Merovech, the founding namesake of the famed Merovingian King line of the Franks. Describing the saga when Merovech allies with the Romans and fellow Germanic tribes, he proudly tells the tale of this fierce Frank who set Attila and his Huns on their heals in defeat.

Ancient Gossip, intrigue, and romance are related by Sapiens, many which are corroborated in other texts of the time period. We hear of the womanizing behaviors of one King Childeric and his eventual love affair with the neighboring Thuringian Queen Basina whom becomes his wife and bears the next brace of Kings. We hear of the dance between King Clovis and Queen Clothilde as she eventually persuades him to abandon his Pagan Gods for Christianity. Even though baptism is purported to have resulted in the death two infant Merovingian offspring, 3000 of his warlords are consecrated along with him. Sapiens quotes the concentrating bishop as he entreats Clovis to: ". . .adore what you have burned, burn what you a have adored. . .".
We get a peek into the actual taming of the tribes' psyche when one trusted roman counselor convinces King Clovis to ask for tribute ". . .instead of laying waste to the fields, despoiling the meadows, cutting the vines. . ."
In Clovis' epitaph, Sapiens professes "He killed a great many kings and a great number of his relatives."

A subsequent emergent Merovingian King Clothar is documented seeking savage retribution when Sapiens reports he `. . .went through all of Thuringia and depopulated it. . .' We can only surmise slaughter and mayhem.

In the next brace of Kings Sapiens surfaces the infamous Merovingian blood feud between Queens Brunhilda and Fredegunda depicting numerous murders and tortures committed at their command. One titillating fact surfaces, not known in other texts, when Fredeguda's husband, King Chilperic, catches her unawares, and discovers her love affair with a certain Duke. Sapiens pulls no punches and professes actual quotes of the Lady's words when she instigates the immediate murder of her husband before he can seek retribution, somehow laying blame on her sworn enemy, Queen Brunhilda. Also shocking is Sapiens' statement, if as fact, that Queen Brunhilda murders her own son-King and grandsons, after a family dispute.

Among generations of these kings a surreal norm is unearthed by Sapiens: murders of King after King with scramasax; Kings taking their wives sisters in their beds; Saint's relics producing magical vengeance or benevolence upon of Kings depending on the happenstance; wives, sisters, mothers and consorts enjoying amazing influence and counsellorship with their Merovingian lords; Patricide, torture, assassination, tonsure. . . .

Adventure, romance, intrigue, and bloodshed show the best and worst of our Caucasian ancestors through Sapiens' somewhat censored tale.

We must award Sapiens a 5+ Star review for an amazing first hand saga that survives and is still read 1300+ years after the demise of its author. I can't help but wonder what he and other fellow scribes might have dared set to word-fame, but was then erased and retribution paid for in blood. . . .