Charlemagne and Louis the Pious

Carolingian historical texts have long stood at the base of our modern knowledge about the eighth and ninth centuries. The ninth century gave birth to a new revival of secular biography, which has come to be recognized as one of the brightest bands in the spectrum of Carolingian historical writing. This collection brings together, for the first time in one volume, the five royal/imperial biographies written during the Carolingian period. Thomas F. X. Nobles new English translations of these five important textsEinhards Life of Emperor Charles, Notkers Deeds of Charles the Great, Ermoldus Nigelluss Poem in Honor of Louis, Thegans Deeds of Emperor Louis, and the Life of Louis by the Astronomerare each accompanied by a short introduction and a note on Essential Reading. Offering details on matters of style, sources used by the author, and the influence, if any, exerted by the text, Noble provides a context for each translation without compromising the authors intended voice. By reuniting these five essential medieval texts in an English translation, this volume makes these voices accessible to scholars and non-experts alike throughout the Anglophone world.