The Penitential State : Authority and Atonement in the Age of Louis the Pious, 814–840

An evaluation of Emperor Louis the Pious' reign which examines the background and context of Louis' public penance in 833. Through a profound re-reading of contemporary texts that reflected on legitimate authority in times of crisis, Mayke de Jong reveals that self-humiliation served to enhance royal authority.

In 833 emperor Louis the Pious, Charlemagne's son, submitted to a public penance in the wake of a rebellion by his three elder sons. This penance amounted to a deposition, for Louis was to atone for his sins for the rest of his life. However, only half a year later, he was back on the throne again. In this evaluation of Louis' reign, Mayke de Jong argues that his penance was the outcome of a political discourse and practice in which the accountability of the Frankish ruler to God played an increasingly central role. However heated their debates, this was a moral high ground Louis shared with churchmen and secular magnates. Through a profound re-reading of texts by contemporary authors who reflected on legitimate authority in times of crisis, this book reveals a world in which political crime was defined as sin, and royal authority was enhanced by atonement.