HISTORIOGRAPHY IN THE MIDDLE AGES - Julian Emperor

62 JOAQUÍN MARTÍNEZ PIZARROsense of the word, but a juxtaposition of literary forms”. 61 From agreat variety of genres and rhetorical configurations, two are of particularhistorical and literary interest. Books II and III contain novelisticbiographies of Theoderic the Goth (II,57–59), Justinian (II,62),and Clovis I (III,11–27). The selection in itself throws light onFredegar’s understanding of world history and its protagonists. Thenarratives, filled with prophetic dreams, loyal friends, military andpolitical stratagems, bridal quests and marriages, constitute an importantlink between the Hellenistic romances of late antiquity and themedieval roman. Ian Wood has pointed out that they are all in somesense “buddy” stories, tales about rulers and loyal counselors. 62 It islikely that much in these tales goes back to Fredegar himself, as theirnovelistic themes are also present in Book IV. 63 There, in addition,Fredegar’s concern with the dynamics between kings and their advisorsis expressed by another literary device, a series of notationes orbrief sketches of the various mayors of the palace: Warnachar (IV,18);Genialis (IV,21); Protadius (IV,27); Claudius (IV,28); Aega (IV,80);Erchinoald (IV,84); Flaochad (IV,89). Traced by means of these shortand formulaic notes, the increasing power of their office is singledout as one of the essential transformations from the late Merovingianperiod to the Carolingian.B. The Liber historiae FrancorumThis short work, also known as Gesta Francorum, covers the entire historyof the Franks from legendary Trojan origins to the sixth yearof Theuderic IV (727) in fifty-three chapters. Extremely popular inits time, it survives in numerous manuscripts and in two redactions:A, dated 727; and B, a longer version based on A and composedno later than 737. 64 The anonymous author was a Neustrian withlittle interest in the doings of Austrasians and Burgundians and practicallynone for whatever happened outside the Frankish kingdoms.61Scheibelreiter (1984), 269.62Wood (1994b), 362–63.63An especially striking similarity is the use of animal fables by royal advisorsto convey political messages; cf. Theoderic and Ptolomaeus II,57; King Theudericand Bishop Leudegasius of Mainz IV,38.64Liber historiae Francorum, ed. B. Krusch, MGH, SSRM II (Hanover, 1888; repr.1956).