lettersandliteraryworks

Letters and literary works

Sidonius Apollinaris

Poems

Date of writing: 456-68

Period covered: 440s-460s

Original text: MGH AA 8:173-264. Sidonius, Poems and Letters, ed. and tr. W.B. Anderson (Cambridge, MA/London, 1936).

Translation: As above (Loeb edition). Murray (excerpt).

On the web: MGH. Latin text of some of the poems is here.

For background on Sidonius (c. 430- c. 489) see Wikipedia or this 'fan' site. Sidonius was a very well-connected Gallo-Roman aristocrat. His father-in-law, Avitus, briefly became emperor. Sidonius enjoyed high office at Rome then became bishop of Clermont c. 470. In 474, he was exiled to Bordeaux by the Visigothic king, Euric, but was reinstated after about a year.

Twenty four of his poems have survived. The more valuable ones for political history are the panegyrics he delivered to the emperors Avitus (Rome, 1 Jan 456), Majorian (Lyons, 458) and Anthemius (Rome, 1 Jan 468). Others, such as a poem about his country house, are valuable for social history. As far as the Merovingians are concerned, the panegyrics to Avitus and Majorian contain important details.

Panegyric to Avitus. Sidonius describes Avitus's career, speaking of his links with the Goths and his role in organising the force that defeated Attila's invasion of Gaul. He speaks of a sudden irruption of barbarians early in the reign of Petronius Maximus (455). The Goths thought of capturing the empire; Saxon pirates raided the coasts of the English Channel; Franks overwhelmed the provinces of Germania I and Belgica II; Alemans crossed the Rhine to occupy the Roman bank. Maximus appointed Avitus Master of Both Services (magister utriusque militiae), whereupon the Alemans apologised, the Franks (Chatti) retreated to the Elbe, and the Saxons reduced their raiding. When the Vandals sacked Rome and Maximus was killed, Avitus persuaded the Visigoths not to take aggressive, opportunistic action, reminding the Visigothic king, Theoderic, of the close relationship he (Avitus) had had with Theoderic's father. The Visigoths said they would willingly serve the empire if Avitus were emperor, and when the Gallo-Romans heard this they raised Avitus as emperor in a ceremony near Arles, after which he went to Rome.

Panegyric to Majorian. Sidonius speaks of Majorian's early career as a soldier under Aëtius, when Majorian was active in northern Gaul--Sidonius reels off a list of rivers in central and northern Gaul. Majorian defended the town of Tours and a little later, with Aëtius also present, defeated 'Cloio the Frank' at the 'village of Helena' in the Artois. The occasion on which Majorian defended Tours may have been during the rising of the bacaudae in 448, and this must be roughly the date of the encounter with Cloio. Cloio is identified with Chlodio, the possible relative of Clovis's grandfather Merovech mentioned by Gregory of Tours. Various suggestions exist for the identity of Helena, the most popular being modern Hélesmes. A barbarian wedding was in progress here when the skirmish with Cloio took place. Sidonius describes the barbarians' appearance--hair pulled off their necks and drawn towards the front, pale grey-blue eyes, moustaches rather than beards, close-fitting clothes, exposing the knees and with a broad belt round the middle. The barbarians are said to fight by hurling axes--presumably a reference to the Franks' throwing axe, the francisca.

Frankish franciscas (throwing axes) in the Museum of Tournai

Sidonius Apollinaris

Letters

Date of writing: c. 455-485

Period covered: 450s-480s

Original text: MGH AA 8. Sidonius, Poems and Letters, ed. and tr. W.B. Anderson (Cambridge, MA/London, 1936).

Translation: O.M. Dalton, The Letters of Sidonius, 2 vols (Oxford, 1915). As above (Loeb edition). Murray (excerpt).

On the web: MGH. Latin text. Dalton's English text (scroll down for Sidonius Apollinaris).

Sidonius has left us about 150 letters in nine books. The letters were collected and edited for publication by Sidonius himself, so they are one step back from the raw source. They are characterised by an affected sort of wittiness and plays on words. Nevertheless, they are a fascinating and important source of social and often political history. Sidonius led an active and varied public life, in imperial politics and as a bishop, and knew a wide range of people. These included prominent barbarians, such as Arbogast the count of Trier and Riothamus, leader of a body of British troops settled in Armorica to counter the Visigoths. Sidonius visited and left flattering descriptions of the Visigothic courts of kings Theoderic and Euric.

Epistolae Austrasicae (Austrasian Letters)

Date of writing: c. 460-610

Period covered: c. 460-610

Original text: MGH Epistolae 3: Epistolae Merowingici et Karolini Aevi I, ed. B. Krusch. CCSL 117.

Translation: Murray (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 8). B. Dumézil, La reine Brunehaut (Paris, 2008), pp. 481-5 (French; nos. 26, 27, 29, 30, 44).

On the web: MGH. Partial Latin text. Partial Latin text with translations. Translation of Brunhild's letters (26, 27, 29, 30, 44).

To quote from Wikipedia: The "Austrasian Letters" is a collection of diplomatic and other correspondence from the late fifth to the early seventh centuries, compiled at the court of the Frankish kings of Austrasia in the seventh century. It appears that the collection was originally compiled as a primer to assist in the teaching of literature and in particular the complex Latin rhetoric of early medieval diplomatic correspondence.

A good half of the letters relate to diplomatic correspondence between the court of Childebert II and the Byzantine empire, in the 580s. About ten of these are versions of a form letter sent to various dignitaries in the Byzantine court, urging them to persuade the emperor to make good relations with the Franks. The earliest letter in the collection is one from Bishop Auspicius of Toul to Count Arbogast of Trier, dated around 460. Four others are from Remigius of Rheims, from the late fifth/early sixth century, two of them being addressed to Clovis I and among the most important letters in the collection.

The following table summarises the letters (-- indicates location of translation, where available):

Avitus of Vienne

Date of writing: 490s-510s

Period covered: 490s-510s

Original text: Alcimi Ecdici Aviti opera quae supersunt, ed. R. Peiper, MGH AA 6.2.

Translation: D. Shanzer and I. Wood eds., Avitus of Vienne: Letters and Selected Prose (Liverpool, 2002). Murray (Ep. 46).

On the web: MGH.

For background on Avitus (c. 470- 518) see Wikipedia. Avitus succeeded his father as bishop of Vienne in the early 490s and died probably 5 Feb 518 (Shanzer and Wood, p. 10). He left a collection of poems, sermons and letters that shed light on his time.