The Penitential State
Authority and Atonement in the Age of Louis the Pious, 814–840

An evaluation of Emperor Louis the Pious' reign which examines Louis' public penance of 833.

Mayke de Jong (Author)

9780521881524, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 April 2009

340 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.4 cm, 0.68 kg

'Both in the new avenues which it renders accessible and the clarity of the approach taken towards rhetoric, ritual and practice, de Jong's study deserves to be influential and widely read. A truly considered statement, her book is both the essential guide to Louis's troubles and a model exploration of early medieval ritual and political culture.' David Pratt, Early Medieval Europe

In 833 emperor Louis the Pious, Charlemagne's son, submitted to a public penance in the wake of a rebellion by his three elder sons. This penance amounted to a deposition, for Louis was to atone for his sins for the rest of his life. However, only half a year later, he was back on the throne again. In this evaluation of Louis' reign, Mayke de Jong argues that his penance was the outcome of a political discourse and practice in which the accountability of the Frankish ruler to God played an increasingly central role. However heated their debates, this was a moral high ground Louis shared with churchmen and secular magnates. Through a profound re-reading of texts by contemporary authors who reflected on legitimate authority in times of crisis, this book reveals a world in which political crime was defined as sin, and royal authority was enhanced by atonement.

Introduction: the penitential state
1. Louis the Pious (778–840)
2. Ninth-century narratives
3. Admonitio, correptio, increpatio
4. The wages of sin (828–829)
5. Purity and danger (830–831)
6. Scandal and satisfaction (832–834)
Epilogue: the penitential state after Louis the Pious.

Subject Areas: Church history [HRCC2], Medieval history [HBLC1], Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], European history [HBJD]