Hincmar of Rheims

Archbishop Hincmar of Rheims (d. 882) is a crucial figure for all those interested in early medieval European history in general and Carolingian history in particular. For forty years he was an advisor to kings and religious controversialist; his works are a key source for the political religious and social history of the later ninth century covering topics from papal politics to the abduction of women and the role of parish priests. . For the first time since Jean Devisse’s biography of Hincmar in the 1970s this book offers a three-dimensional examination of a figure whose actions and writings in different fields are often studied in isolation. It brings together the latest international research across the spectrum of his varied activities as history-writer estate administrator hagiographer canonist pastorally engaged bishop and politically minded royal advisor. The introduction also provides the first substantial English-language survey of Hincmar’s whole career.