Josef Semmler. Der Dynastiewechsel von 751 und die fränkische Königssalbung. Düsseldorf: Droste Verlag, 2003. 179 S. EUR 16.90 (broschiert), ISBN 978-3-7700-0845-2.
Reviewed by Julie A. Hofmann (History Department, Highline Community College)
Published on H-German (March, 2006)
In this book, Josef Semmler offers an extremely detailed, complex and sometimes problematic reevaluation of the importance of the ceremonies and rituals surrounding the accession of Pippin the Short to the Frankish throne. This relatively short monograph is the result of conversations arising from a conference held in Düsseldorf in 2000 called "Mittelalterliche Geschichtsdarstellungen und ihre kritische Aufarbeitung." As a consequence, it often reads as a collection of conference papers, rather than as a coherent whole. Nevertheless, in each of the four sections Semmler revisits past scholarship and presents some new conclusions as to the actual events surrounding Pippin's accession.
In the first section, "Die Erhebung Pippins," Semmler convincingly argues that the generally held theory that Pippin was anointed as part of a coronation ceremony in 751 rests on shaky ground. Through an exhaustive review of the extant sources, Semmler shows that there is neither a contemporary account nor a reliable later account that demonstrates that unction was performed as part of the 751 ceremony (p. 46). Instead, Semmler claims that this was part of a later ceremony, most likely performed in 754, which incorporated aspects of confirmation in the Church. As such, it may have set a precedent for future papal involvement in the elevation of kings, and seems to have been cited by Gregory VII in his dealings with Emperor Henry IV. Muddying those waters, however, is the fact that similar confirmation ceremonies were performed in cases that clearly had nothing to do with royal elevation or consecration, as in the case of Tassilo's accession as duke of Bavaria (pp. 55-56). Nevertheless, Semmler leaves us with the impression that this confirmation ceremony, replete with the anointing of the king and the royal family, set the stage for future Carolingian ceremonies and eventually for the rites of royal consecration used throughout Europe up to the twentieth century. At this point, Semmler also introduces the idea of papal involvement in the elevation of the Carolingians as part of an attempt to spread the use of Roman rite and eventually replace the Gallican rite, a topic to which he later returns.
From this introduction to the main problem, Semmler next turns to the "Mutmaßliche Königswähler von 751." For those already familiar with the basics of late Merovingian and early Carolingian prosopography, the chapter is a helpful review of some of the more important figures surrounding Pippin and his family. By examining the names of the leading men and magnates most commonly found on witness lists of charters, land transactions and so on for the period immediately surrounding Pippin's elevation, Semmler points to those magnates who seem to have profited under Pippin and who may therefore have been participants in the consilio et consensu omnium Francorum. Although the chapter is filled with useful information on the magnates who surrounded Pippin, its most important contribution is Semmler's assertion that the general assumption that the Carolingians received their greatest support from magnates based in the Middle Rhine region may not be true; instead, the disproportionate number of documentary sources for the area may have skewed our perspective (p. 86). Unfortunately, as no specific documents relating to the election survive, Semmler can do little but suggest those who may have taken part. Moreover, as interesting as the chapter is, it is very much a stand-alone essay, and interrupts the flow of the rest of the book.
Chapter 3, "Der geistige Hintergrund: Liturgie und Kirchenrecht," returns us to the theme of the consecration/coronation ritual and its possible background in the Frankish church. Here, Semmler traces as closely as possible the movement of the cantus Romanus to Francia and the connection of increased use of Roman liturgy to the rise of the Carolingians, suggesting that Pippin's confirmation gave the pope the opportunity to introduce the cantus Romanus in a more official manner. Semmler also examines various eighth century collections of liturgy and canon law, resulting in the proposal of a "pre-Carolingian Renaissance" of liturgical scholarship.
Moving forward in time, the book concludes with a discussion of "Die fränkische Königssalbung im 9. Jahrhundert" that contextualizes much of the author's thesis. Here, Semmler follows the use of unction, first as part of a postbaptismal confirmation, later increasingly as part of a formal coronation. He thus traces the gradual evolution of the ceremony eventually regularized by Hincmar in 869, a rite that Semmler claims became the foundation for future royal coronations throughout western Europe until 1953.
Although each chapter of Semmler's work is replete with useful detail, the book is not entirely cohesive. Its overarching themes are implicit rather than explicit; despite the wealth of bibliographic detail, the book addresses a fairly narrow audience already familiar with the scholarship surrounding the fundamental questions Semmler seeks to answer. That these questions are important is clear from the discussion in the notes, which are extensive. A non-specialist might nevertheless find the implicit connections between the essays opaque. For those with a deeper understanding of the subject, however, Semmler provides a new look at old questions and some answers to them that may re-open existing scholarship to new research.
As a final note, the production quality of the book is not unproblematic. Both notes and bibliography include several typographical and spelling errors in the titles of non-German works. These are not so glaring as to cause confusion, but are nonetheless disappointing.
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Citation:
Julie A. Hofmann. Review of Semmler, Josef, Der Dynastiewechsel von 751 und die fränkische Königssalbung.
H-German, H-Net Reviews.
March, 2006.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=11553
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