Flodoard of Reims - the first historian of Normandy? The experience of source study analysis

The experience of source study analysis.In the Xth century the succession of Reims school of historiography continued. Just after archbishop Hincmar of Reims, the key person inthe late Carolingian historiography, there appeared two new clergymen of that eparchy - Flodoard and Richerus, whose works are stilldemanded for reconstruction of political events in France of that period. Both of them appealing to the contemporary events could not holdback the facts dealing with the role of the «Normans» in the political life of that time. Furthermore, they had to take the already existingDuchy of Normandy which appeared on the lower reaches of the river Seine in the beginning of the Xth century, into account. That is whytheir perception of the «Normans» had not already been only of the stereotype kind formed during the previous epoch, which still could bemet in their works, but had to adapt gradually toward the fact that the «Normans» and their leaders had turned into the integral part of the lateCarolingian society and its political elite. The fundamental works of Flodoard - «The annals» and «The History of Reims church» - representa certain borderline in the process of historical interpretation of the place and the role of the «Normans» for the European history. Thishistorian of Reims, whether he wanted it or not, appeared to be a pioneer in the process of formation of the future Norman version in thefuture official history of Normandy. Moulding the image of Rollo Flodoard imparted him a schematic temper. But despite of this simplicitythe most important couldn easily be seen. For Flodoard as the Carolingian author and the events contemporary, the first Norman «duke» wasnot the embodiment of evil anymore, the evil that was destroying the kingdom. William Longsword the son and the heir of Rollo, came evencloser to the image of the veritable Christian duke especially after his assassination arranged by his rival Arnulf the count of Flanders.Richard, the third duke of Normandy softened the image of the «Norman» as the enemy of the Carolingian society even more. All the badqualities of the «Normans» from the pages of the Carolingian annals started to vanish during the epoch of Flodoard. The «Norman» as theenemy or the ally of a certain political clan dealing with the power or property redivision within the Western Frankish Kingdom replaced theformer image of the «Norman» as the enemy of the whole country. And there is one more distinction of Flodoards works from previoushistorical tradition. When the authors of the IXth and the beginning of the X century considered the homeland of the «Normans» to beoutside of the Frankish Kingdom, Flodoard defined the lower reaches of the river Seine as the «Normans territory» (terram Nordmannorum).This territory was not the Frankish counties or pags anymore, but it was the territory populated by the «Normans» (Nordmannorum gens). Asa peculiar confirmation of that is the destiny of the remained manuscripts containing the texts of Flodoards works. So it was common formanuscripts A and B that appeared in the Xth and the beginning of the XIth centuries to write Nortmannos or Nordmannos according to thetraditions of the Carolingian annals, but starting with the middle of the XIth century in manuscripts C and E connected with Fecamp andMont Saint-Michel, the greatest and the most powerful abbeys of Normandy, this writing changed into most common Normandnis. Theethnonym was replaced by the toponym and in fact Flodoard turned out into the first historiographer of the Norman dukes.

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