The Penitential State: Authority and Atonement in the Age of Louis the Pious, 814–840
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Illustrated, 4/16/2009
EAN 9780521881524, ISBN10: 0521881528
Hardcover, 340 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
In 833 emperor Louis the Pious, Charlemagne's son, submitted to a public penance in the wake of a rebellion by his three elder sons. This penance amounted to a deposition, for Louis was to atone for his sins for the rest of his life. However, only half a year later, he was back on the throne again. In this evaluation of Louis' reign, Mayke de Jong argues that his penance was the outcome of a political discourse and practice in which the accountability of the Frankish ruler to God played an increasingly central role. However heated their debates, this was a moral high ground Louis shared with churchmen and secular magnates. Through a profound re-reading of texts by contemporary authors who reflected on legitimate authority in times of crisis, this book reveals a world in which political crime was defined as sin, and royal authority was enhanced by atonement.
Introduction
the penitential state
1. Louis the Pious (778–840)
2. Ninth-century narratives
3. Admonitio, correptio, increpatio
4. The wages of sin (828–829)
5. Purity and danger (830–831)
6. Scandal and satisfaction (832–834)
Epilogue
the penitential state after Louis the Pious.