Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2017

The Writing of the Liber Historiae Francorum and Its Appeal to Social Order

(Abstract)

Chen Wenhai

The historical standing of the The Book of the History of the Franks (Liber Historiae Francorum), one of three contemporary historical records of the Merovingian Dynasty, has experienced some vicissitudes. Long cold-shouldered, it has now become a basic historical source for the study of the period; but in terms of historical value, the academic focus has tended to be on the work’s role in the continuity of Frankish historical sources at the expense of the implications of its composition. Careful scrutiny of its text shows that although it praises the Franks in many respects, its fundamental aim is to enlist the forces of tradition and the historical record in the quest for an explanation of the immediate political situation of Frankish society, alongside the wish to maintain that situation. However, this idea was ultimately no more than wishful thinking.