Gregory of Tours

Gregory of Tours (c. 538 - November 17, 594?) was a Gallo-Roman historian and bishop of Tours, which made him the leading prelate of Gaul. He wrote in a clumsy, ungrammatical and barbarized late Latin attempt at a literary style, which is nevertheless full of vitality and of many Frankish and Germanic terms. When inspiration fails, he is quick to fall back on the linguistic formulae of doctrine. He is the main contemporary source for Merovingian history. His most notable work was his Decem Libri Historiarum or Ten Books of History, better known as the Historia Francorum ("History of the Franks"), a title given to it by later chroniclers, but he is also known for his credulous accounts of the miracles of saints, especially four books of the miracles of Martin of Tours. St Martin's tomb was a major draw in the 6th century, and Gregory's writings had the practical aspect of promoting this highly organized cultus. Gregory has been canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic church. Gregory shares the Gaulish appetite for miraculous events--the more incredible, the more thrilling.

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Gregory of Tours
• Excerpts from Historia Francorum with Ernest Brehaut's critical analysis of Gregory in the context of his time This Fordham University website warns Many of Brehaut's opinions and prejudices would not be upheld by modern historians. A purely secular historian might find Brehaut more illuminating, and his analysis of the undoubted superstition of the times credible.
• Brehaut's complete, unexpurgated introduction