Annales mosellani
Encyclopedia
The Annales mosellani or mosellenses (AM) or Moselle Annals are a set of minor Reichsannalen
(annals
of the Carolingian Empire
) covering the years 703 to 798. Its entries are brief and unliterary, but broad in scope and generally accurate. They have only partially been translated into English.
J. M. Lappenberg
discovered the Annales in a manuscript of the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg
, and produced the editio princeps (first edition) in 1869 for the Monumenta Germaniae Historica
. His analysis placed their composition in the monasteries of the upper Moselle
basin (like Metz
and Gorze
), to which they constantly refer and after which he named them. Later, Wilhelm von Giesebrecht
suggested they were written by the Hiberno-Scottish monastic community established by Pepin of Heristal at Saint Martin's in Cologne
. A marginal reference to the Domesday Book
(1086) on folio 81 seals the era of composition of the manuscript, which preserves the only known copy of the annals, to the late eleventh or early twelfth century in northern France.
Textually, the years up to and including 785 are identical in the Annales mosellani, the Annales laureshamenses
(which also begins in 703), and the Fragmentum chesnii
(which only begins in 768). The first half of the entry for 786 is identical in the Annales laureshamenses and the Fragmentum but is missing from the Annales mosellani, which lack any entry for that year. Consequently, all subsequent entries are mis-dated by a year (e.g., events that occurred in 798 are dated to 797, the year the Annales presumes to end). Probably all three annalistic compilations derive from a single exemplar created at the Abbey of Lorsch in 785, though the Annales laureshamenses and the Fragmentum may have been copied from an intermediate version containing a brief extension to 786. On the other hand, Heinrich Fichtenau
believed the Annales mosellani depended on the Annales laureshamenses.
The Annales mosellani are not restricted in their coverage to the Carolingian Empire. Under the year 713 there is a reference to mors Alflidae et Halidulfi regis, the deaths of Ælflæd
, Abbess of Whitby, and Aldwulf, King of East Anglia. This notice is also contained in the Annales laureshamenses, Annales alemannici, Annales nazariani, and Annales guelferbytani
, and these are the only sources for the date of Aldwulf's death. It is possible that the abbey of Whitby had disseminated news of their deaths, and that Aldwulf's mother, Hereswith, living her retirement in the Abbey of Chelles, received the news in Francia.
Reichsannalen
The Reichsannalen are a class of annals composed anonymously in the Carolingian Empire throughout the 9th century. They first appeared under Pepin the Short in 741 and became ubiquitous at monasteries throughout the empire in the following decades...
(annals
Annals
Annals are a concise form of historical representation which record events chronologically, year by year. The Oxford English Dictionary defines annals as "a narrative of events written year by year"...
of the Carolingian Empire
Carolingian Empire
Carolingian Empire is a historiographical term which has been used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty in the Early Middle Ages. This dynasty is seen as the founders of France and Germany, and its beginning date is based on the crowning of Charlemagne, or Charles the...
) covering the years 703 to 798. Its entries are brief and unliterary, but broad in scope and generally accurate. They have only partially been translated into English.
J. M. Lappenberg
Johann Martin Lappenberg
Johann Martin Lappenberg , was a German historian.-Biography:He was born at Hamburg, where his father, Valentin Anton Lappenberg , held an official position. He attended the Johanneum and the Akademisches Gymnasium of Hamburg. Like his father he studied medicine, but afterwards history, at the...
discovered the Annales in a manuscript of the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, and produced the editio princeps (first edition) in 1869 for the Monumenta Germaniae Historica
Monumenta Germaniae Historica
The Monumenta Germaniae Historica is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published sources for the study of German history from the end of the Roman Empire to 1500.The society sponsoring the series was established by the Prussian reformer Heinrich Friedrich Karl Freiherr vom...
. His analysis placed their composition in the monasteries of the upper Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
basin (like Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
and Gorze
Gorze Abbey
Gorze Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Gorze in the present arrondissement of Metz-Campagne, near Metz in Lorraine. It was prominent as the source of a monastic reform movement in the 930s.-History:...
), to which they constantly refer and after which he named them. Later, Wilhelm von Giesebrecht
Wilhelm von Giesebrecht
Friedrich Wilhelm von Giesebrecht was a German historian.-Biography:He was born in Berlin, the son of Karl Giesebrecht , and a nephew of the poet Ludwig Giesebrecht ....
suggested they were written by the Hiberno-Scottish monastic community established by Pepin of Heristal at Saint Martin's in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. A marginal reference to the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
(1086) on folio 81 seals the era of composition of the manuscript, which preserves the only known copy of the annals, to the late eleventh or early twelfth century in northern France.
Textually, the years up to and including 785 are identical in the Annales mosellani, the Annales laureshamenses
Annales laureshamenses
The Annales laureshamenses or Annals of Lorsch are a set of annals of the history of Francia covering the years from 703 to 803 with a brief prologue. They were perhaps begun as a continuation of the "Minor Chronicle" of Bede, contained in his De temporibus...
(which also begins in 703), and the Fragmentum chesnii
Fragmentum chesnii
The Fragmentum ' chesnii or chesnianum, sometimes called the Annales Laureshamenses antiquiores, is a brief set of Reichsannalen describing the history of Francia during the years 768 to 790...
(which only begins in 768). The first half of the entry for 786 is identical in the Annales laureshamenses and the Fragmentum but is missing from the Annales mosellani, which lack any entry for that year. Consequently, all subsequent entries are mis-dated by a year (e.g., events that occurred in 798 are dated to 797, the year the Annales presumes to end). Probably all three annalistic compilations derive from a single exemplar created at the Abbey of Lorsch in 785, though the Annales laureshamenses and the Fragmentum may have been copied from an intermediate version containing a brief extension to 786. On the other hand, Heinrich Fichtenau
Heinrich Fichtenau
Heinrich von Fichtenau was an Austrian medievalist best known for his studies of medieval diplomatics, social and intellectual history. He spent his academic career at the University of Vienna and from 1962 to 1983 served as director of the Institut für österreichische Geschichtsforschung...
believed the Annales mosellani depended on the Annales laureshamenses.
The Annales mosellani are not restricted in their coverage to the Carolingian Empire. Under the year 713 there is a reference to mors Alflidae et Halidulfi regis, the deaths of Ælflæd
Ælfflæd of Whitby
Saint Ælfflæd was the daughter of King Oswiu of Northumbria and Eanflæd. She was abbess of Whitby Abbey from the death of her kinswoman Hilda in 680, first jointly with her mother, then alone.Most of Ælfflæd's life was spent as a nun...
, Abbess of Whitby, and Aldwulf, King of East Anglia. This notice is also contained in the Annales laureshamenses, Annales alemannici, Annales nazariani, and Annales guelferbytani
Annales guelferbytani
The Annales guelferbytani are a set of Latin annals covering the years 741–805 that were composed in Regensburg, the capital of the Duchy of Bavaria, in 812–13...
, and these are the only sources for the date of Aldwulf's death. It is possible that the abbey of Whitby had disseminated news of their deaths, and that Aldwulf's mother, Hereswith, living her retirement in the Abbey of Chelles, received the news in Francia.