Moduin
Encyclopedia
Moduin, Modoin, or Mautwin was a Frankish
churchman and Latin
poet of the Carolingian Renaissance
. He was a close friend of Theodulf of Orléans
, a contemporary and courtier of the emperors Charlemagne
and Louis the Pious
, and a member of the Palatine Academy. In signing his own poems he used the nom de plume Naso in reference to the cognomen
of Ovid
. From 815 (or earlier) until his death he was the Bishop of Autun.
. He is first recorded in the diocese of Autun in 815, but it is not certain when he was elected or consecrated. He supported Louis the Pious and Charles the Bald
during the civil wars of the 830s. After the deposition of Agobard
at the Synod of Thionville
in 835, Moduin took over many of the responsibilities of the Archbishop of Lyon. It was during his administration of Lyon that Florus accused him of mistreating the clergy.
Moduin may also have been the abbot of Moutiers-Saint-Jean
in the Diocese of Langres.
. Even Moduin's more famous contemporary Alcuin of York, quotes Moduin in his En tuus Albinus.
The two books of Moduin's Egloga, about the value of poetry, are traditionally dated to 804–10, before the poem Karolus Magnus et Leo Papa usually attributed to Einhard
. The Egloga are modelled after the eclogue
s of Virgil
and Calpurnius and likewise designed as a vehicle for praising the emperor, the Augustus
. The poem is a lively debate between two unnamed men—a young poet, the puer, and an old poet, the senex—that mirrors Virgil's Tityrus and Meliboeus. The identification of the young poet with Moduin himself is purely speculative.
The first book begins with the youth's unsophisticated attempts to praise his older counterpart and to laud the "rebirth of 'golden Rome'". This last attempt has been often misread as a "manifesto of the Carolingian Renaissance", but in fact the senex ridicules it. It contains, nonetheless, some of the most explicit "renaissance" imagery of the period: Aurea Roma iterum renovata renascitur orbi ("Golden Rome is reborn and restored anew to the world!"). Peter Godman writes that with conclusion of the first book of Moduin's Egloga "Carolingian poetry achieves a new self-awareness."
Moduin's other poem, less impressive than the first and less "expertly written", was composed to comfort Theodulf when the latter was in exile; this after Theodulf had written him a letter describing the political dissension then racking the empire in terms of a bird allegory borrowed from his earlier poetry. Moduin eventually advises Theodulf to throw himself on "Caesar's" (i.e. Charlemagne's) mercy.
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
churchman and Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
poet of the Carolingian Renaissance
Carolingian Renaissance
In the history of ideas the Carolingian Renaissance stands out as a period of intellectual and cultural revival in Europe occurring from the late eighth century, in the generation of Alcuin, to the 9th century, and the generation of Heiric of Auxerre, with the peak of the activities coordinated...
. He was a close friend of Theodulf of Orléans
Theodulf of Orléans
Theodulf of Orléans , was the Bishop of Orléans during the reign of Charlemagne and Louis the Pious...
, a contemporary and courtier of the emperors Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
and Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
, and a member of the Palatine Academy. In signing his own poems he used the nom de plume Naso in reference to the cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
of Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
. From 815 (or earlier) until his death he was the Bishop of Autun.
Ecclesiastical career
Moduin's early career in the church was spent at Saint-Georges in LyonLyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. He is first recorded in the diocese of Autun in 815, but it is not certain when he was elected or consecrated. He supported Louis the Pious and Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
during the civil wars of the 830s. After the deposition of Agobard
Agobard
Agobard of Lyon was a Spanish-born priest and archbishop of Lyon, during the Carolingian Renaissance. The author of multiple treatises, ranging in subject matter from the iconoclast controversy to Spanish Adoptionism to critiques of the Carolingian royal family, Agobard is best known for his...
at the Synod of Thionville
Synod of Thionville
The Synod of Thionville was an important synod of ecclesiastic dignitaries of the Carolingian Empire in 835.Three years after the sons of the emperor rose in rebellion against their father, Emperor Louis the Pious, in 830, Ebbo, Archbishop of Rheims, had turned against him and on 13 November, 833,...
in 835, Moduin took over many of the responsibilities of the Archbishop of Lyon. It was during his administration of Lyon that Florus accused him of mistreating the clergy.
Moduin may also have been the abbot of Moutiers-Saint-Jean
Moutiers-Saint-Jean
Moutiers-Saint-Jean is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
in the Diocese of Langres.
Literature
Moduin was a court poet and as such his two surviving verses are secular. He is notable for his praise of praise of Charlemagne and he has been called his panegyrist. Moduin's poem to Theodulf and especially his Egloga were a major influence on the later Carolingian poet Ermoldus NigellusErmoldus Nigellus
Ermoldus Nigellus or Niger, translated Ermold the Black, also Ermoald, was a monk of Aquitaine, who accompanied King Pippin, son of the Emperor Louis I, on a campaign into Brittany in 824....
. Even Moduin's more famous contemporary Alcuin of York, quotes Moduin in his En tuus Albinus.
The two books of Moduin's Egloga, about the value of poetry, are traditionally dated to 804–10, before the poem Karolus Magnus et Leo Papa usually attributed to Einhard
Einhard
Einhard was a Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the Vita Karoli Magni, "one of the most precious literary bequests of the early Middle Ages."-Public life:Einhard was from the eastern...
. The Egloga are modelled after the eclogue
Eclogue
An eclogue is a poem in a classical style on a pastoral subject. Poems in the genre are sometimes also called bucolics.The form of the word in contemporary English is taken from French eclogue, from Old French, from Latin ecloga...
s of Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
and Calpurnius and likewise designed as a vehicle for praising the emperor, the Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. The poem is a lively debate between two unnamed men—a young poet, the puer, and an old poet, the senex—that mirrors Virgil's Tityrus and Meliboeus. The identification of the young poet with Moduin himself is purely speculative.
The first book begins with the youth's unsophisticated attempts to praise his older counterpart and to laud the "rebirth of 'golden Rome'". This last attempt has been often misread as a "manifesto of the Carolingian Renaissance", but in fact the senex ridicules it. It contains, nonetheless, some of the most explicit "renaissance" imagery of the period: Aurea Roma iterum renovata renascitur orbi ("Golden Rome is reborn and restored anew to the world!"). Peter Godman writes that with conclusion of the first book of Moduin's Egloga "Carolingian poetry achieves a new self-awareness."
Moduin's other poem, less impressive than the first and less "expertly written", was composed to comfort Theodulf when the latter was in exile; this after Theodulf had written him a letter describing the political dissension then racking the empire in terms of a bird allegory borrowed from his earlier poetry. Moduin eventually advises Theodulf to throw himself on "Caesar's" (i.e. Charlemagne's) mercy.
Sources
- McKitterick, RosamondRosamond McKitterickRosamond Deborah McKitterick is one of Britain's foremost medieval historians, since 1999 Professor of Medieval History in the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society...
(1994). Carolingian Culture: Emulation and Innovation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 40586 6. - Schaller, D. "Das Aachener Epos für Karl der Kaiser," Studien zur lateinischen Dichtung des Frühmittelalters, pp. 129–65.
- Tilliette, Jean-Yves (2002). "Poésie latine profane," Dictionnaire du Moyen Âge, Claude Gauvard, Alain de Libera, and Michel Zink, edd. PUF.