Regino of Prüm

Reginon or Regino of Prüm (died 915) was a Benedictine abbot and medieval chronicler.

Biography

According to the statements of a later era Regino was the son of noble parents and was born at the stronghold of Altrip on the Rhine near Speyer at an unknown date.From his election as abbot and from his writings, it is evident that he had entered the Benedictine Order, probably at Prüm itself, and that he had been a diligent student. The rich and celebrated Imperial Abbey of Prüm suffered greatly during the ninth century from the marauding incursions of the Normans. It had been twice seized and ravaged, in 882 and 892. After its second devastation by the Danes, the abbot Farabert resigned his office and Regino was elected his successor in 892. His labours for the restoration of the devastated abbey were hampered by the struggle between contending parties in Lorraine. In 899 Regino was driven from his office by Richarius, later Bishop of Liège, the brother of Count Gerhard and count Mattfried of Hainaut. Richarius was made abbot; Regino resigned the position and retired to Trier, where he was honourably received by Archbishop Ratbodhe and was appointed abbot of St Martin's, a house which he reformed. He supported the archbishop in the latter's efforts to carry out ecclesiastical reforms in that troubled era, rebuilt the Abbey of St. Martin that had been laid waste by the Normans, accompanied the archbishop on visitations, and used his leisure for writing. Regino died at Trier in 915 and was buried in St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier, his tomb being discovered there in 1581.

Works

At Ratbod's suggestion he wrote his work on ecclesiastical discipline for use in ecclesiastical visitations (see Collections of Ancient Canons); he also wrote a treatise "De harmonica institutione" [ed. Coussemaker, "Scriptores de musica medii aevi", II (Paris, 1867), 1-73] , for the improvement of liturgical singing; further, his great historical work, the "Chronicon" dealing with the history of the world from the commencement of the Christian era to 906, especially the history of affairs in Lorraine and the neighbourhood. It was dedicated to Adalberon, bishop of Augsburg (d. 909).

The first book (to 741) consists mainly of extracts from Bede, Paulus Diaconus and other writers. Of the second book (741-906) the latter part is original and valuable, although the chronology is at fault and the author relied chiefly upon tradition and hearsay for his information. The work was continued to 967 by a monk of Trier, possibly Adalbert, archbishop of Magdeburg (d. 981).

The chronicle was first printed at Mainz in 1521. Another edition is in Band I of the "Monumenta Germaniae historica Scriptores" (1826); the best is the one edited by F. Kurze (Hanover, 1890). It has been translated into German by W. Wattenbach (Leipzig, 1890).

Reginon also drew up, at the request of his friend and patron Radbod, Archbishop of Trier (d. 915), a collection of canons, "Libri duo de synodalibus causis et disciplines ecclesiasticis", dedicated to Hatto I, Archbishop of Mainz; this is published in Tome 132 of JP Migne's "Patrologia Latina". To Radbod he wrote a letter on music, "Epistola de harmonica institutione", with a "Tonarius", the object of this being to improve the singing in the churches of the diocese. The letter is published in Tome I of Gerbert's "Scriptores ecclesiastici de musica sacra" (1784), and the "Tonarius" in Tome II of Coussemaker's "Scriptores de musica mediiaevi".

References

*H. Ermisch, "Die Chronik des Regino bis 813" (Göttingen, 1872)
*P. Schulz, "Die Glaubwürdigkeit des Abtes Regino van Prüm" (Hamburg, 1894
*C. Wawra, "De Reginone Prumensis" (Breslau, 1901)
*A. Molinier, "Les Sources de l'histoire de France", Tome I (1901)
*W. Wattenbach, "Deutschlands Geschichtsquellen", Band I (1904).

ources and external links

*1911
*Catholic [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12719c.htm] [Fr) Reginon and music [http://www.musicologie.org/publirem/jmw/notices/reginon_de_prum.html musicologie.org]

(Fr) Yves CHARTIER, "Reginon de Prüm : Epistola de Armonica Institutione" [http://www.musicologie.org/publirem/hmt/hmt.html musicologie.org]
* [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/30_10_0882-0915-_Regino_Prumiensis_Abbas.html Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes]