HISTORIOGRAPHY IN THE MIDDLE AGES - Julian Emperor

ETHNIC AND NATIONAL HISTORY CA. 500‒1000 85persecution of Catholics in North Africa, of which Gregory gives apartisan account (II,2), or the trial of Bishop Praetextatus of Rouenfor conspiring against King Chilperic (V,18). In particular, Gregorykeeps track of everything concerning the churches of Tours, Clermont,and Poitiers. There is a steady stream of hagiographic episodes, miracles,and portents, as well as coverage of the more notorious crimes,scandals, and episodes of violence in the Frankish realms (e.g., VII,47;IX,19, 27, 35).Appendix 3: Outline of Paul the Deacon’s Historia LangobardorumThough Paul foregrounds the Italian territory as focus of his narrative,the HL begins outside Italy, with the largely legendary historyof the Lombards in Northern and Eastern Europe before their crossingof the Alps. Book I, which has been characterized as an “ethnicprologue” to the HL (Goffart 1988, 379) describes the exodus of onethird of the Winnili from the overpopulated northern island ofScandinavia, their adoption of the name Langobards, or Lombards,in the course of their early migrations on the continent of Europeon the occasion of a battle with the Vandals, their victorious warwith the Heruli, settlement in Pannonia, and equally victorious warwith the neighboring Gepids. The book ends with the youthful gestaof Alboin, destined to lead his people into Italy, and with accountsof St. Benedict’s foundation of Monte Cassino and of the military,cultural, and juridical achievements of Justinian.Book II brings the Lombards into the larger world of imperialpolitics: Narses, humiliated by Justin II and his empress after winningItaly back from the Goths, takes revenge by inviting these newcomers,former allies of his in the Gothic war, into the reconqueredland. Alboin, now their king, surveys the new country Moses-likefrom the top of a mountain and on the spot creates the Lombardduchy of Friuli to protect the northeastern marches of his realm.There is, even at this early point, some account of the affairs of theFranks, whose vicinity, Paul knew, would prove fateful to his people.But Book II is primarily taken up by a survey of the Italian territory,presented as a list of seventeen provinces and their cities, asymbolic inventory of the country with all its regions and landscapes.The book ends with a highly novelistic narrative of the murder ofAlboin, instigated by his wife the Gepid princess Rosimund. The