Richerus orRicher of Reims (fl. 10th century) was a monk of Saint-Remi, just outsideReims, and a historian, an important source for the contemporarykingdom of France.
He was a son of Rodulf, a trusted councillor and captain ofLouis IV of France (r. 936–954). He studied at Reims underGerbert, afterwardsPope Silvester II, who taught him mathematics, history, letters and eloquence. He was also well versed in the medical science of his time, and in 991 travelled toChartres to consult the medical manuscripts there. He was still living in 998, but there is no mention of him after that date.[1]
| Historia | |
|---|---|
| "The History" | |
| Full title | Historia congressus Gallorum |
| Also known as | "History of the conflicts of the Gauls" |
| Author(s) | Richer of Reims |
| Dedicated to | Gerbert d'Aurillac, Archbishop of Reims |
| Language | medieval Latin |
| Date | c. 995/6 |
| Manuscript(s) | Bamberg State Library, Msc.Hist.5 (Richer's autograph) |
| Genre | history |
| Subject | West-Frankish kingdom |
| Period covered | AD 888—995,Charles the Fat toHugh Capet |
| Sources | include annals byFlodoard and a history of the church of Reims |
In the 19th century, it was thought by both French and German scholars that Richerus was an ardent supporter of theCarolingians and French supremacy, as opposed to theOttonians, but this view has since been tempered somewhat. Whatever one makes of Richer's political biases, inaccuracies and his taste for stylistic embellishment, hisHistoriae has a unique value as giving us the only tolerably full account by a contemporary of the memorable revolution of 987, which placed theCapets on the throne ofFrance.[1]
TheHistoriae, in four books, spans the period from 888 to 995. It begins withCharles the Fat andEudes, and goes down to the year 995. For the first two books, Richerus made extensive use of the annals and church history written byFlodoard (d. 966). From 969 onwards Richerus had no earlier history before him, and his work is the chief source for the period.[1]
The history survives in a single manuscript (Bamberg State Library, Msc.Hist.5), discovered in the early part of the nineteenth century. It was the author'sautograph and showed signs of continuous revision,[2] probably until his death.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Richerus".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 305.
