Ссылка: Федонников Н. А. Места погребений королей франков из династии Меровингов [Электронный ресурс] // Vox medii aevi. 2017. Vol. 1(1). С. 90–105. URL: https://voxmediiaevi.com/vol-1-fedonnikov ‎

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Nikita Fedonnikov

Student, Faculty of Humanities, National Research University «Higher school of economics»

Burial places of Merovingian kings

This article is devoted to investigation of the burial places of Merovingian kings. The aim of this research was to estimate the certain places of Merovingian burials, the purposes for their selection and sacred links between kings and these places. Burial places demonstrated that kings were under the patronage of a saints and expressed the continuity of power. Description of these places helps to understand the political significance of the burial and determination of awareness, from which burial places were chosen. In particular, the kings were buried in churches. In connection with the introduction of Christianity in the Frankish culture, which changed the signs of representation of royal power, the burial places had become a demonstration of compliance with the rules of Christian ethics and the symbol of the power of the deceased. The number of churches where subsequently the burials of kings took place also increased. They were often built by the kings, royal churches and monasteries were symbols of piety, representing the Christian foundations of government by kings. Over time, some churches have gained central importance, while others shifted to the periphery. Thus, there was a reverse phenomenon — the burial of kings in places with no sacred importance. If the first method of burial was intended to legitimize power and to present the image of a pious king, such a burial was aimed at weakening the legitimacy of the late king and his descendants. The main primary sources for survey were «History of Franks» written by Gregory of Tours and «Chronicle» of Fredegar. Four main places for Merovingian burials were determined: Churches of St Apostles and of St Vincent in Paris, Church of St Denis and Church of St Medard in Soissons.

Key words: image of power; Merovingians; kings’ burials; Gregory of Tours; Fredegar.

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