Nithard

Nithard a French antiquarian, noted as the historian of the 9th century, was the son of the celebrated Angilbert, chaplain of the palace, abbot of St. Riquier, etc., and of Bertha, the daughter of Charlemagne. After his father's death Nithard succeeded him in the capacity of governor of the maritime provinces of the empire, and helped Charles the Bald to resist the attacks of his brothers, Lothaire and Louis. Nithard vainly sought to restore peace between them, every treater being broken on the first opportunity. He then left the court and went into retirement, where he died, according to Petau, in 853. The manner in which he spent the latter part of his life is unknown. Petau and Baluze state that he withdrew into the abbey of Prunt, where he was received by abbot Marcward; this, however, is contradicted by Mabillon. Hariulfe, historian of St. Riquier, states that he became abbot of that convent. The authors of the Hist. Litter. de la France, on the other hand, claim that he was neither a monk nor an' abbot, for in exhuming his body it was proved that he died of a wound received in battle. Yet we must remember that at that time most abbots were at the same time counts, dukes, etc., and often better soldiers than monks; the authors of the Gallia Christiana grant therefore a place to Nithard among the abbots of St. Riquier. Nithard is especially known for his work entitled, De dissensionibus filiorum Ludovici Pii, repeatedly published, as by Pertz, under the title of Historiarum, libri iv, and vol. vii of the Recueil des Historiens des Gaules. The work is of great historical value, the writer having been an eye-witness and often an actor in the events he describes. See Vita Nithardi a Petavio, Recueil des Hist. des Gaules, vol. vii; Hist. Litter. de la France, v. 204; Gallia Christ. x, col. 1246; Pertz, Mon. Ger. Hist. 2:649-672; Scholle, De Lotharii I imp. cum, fratribus de monarchia facto certamine (Berol. 1855); Hausser, Deutsche Geschichtschreiber, p. 41-43; Bahr, Gesch. d. Romans Literatur im Karol. Zeitalter, p. 224 sq.; Gfrirer, Gesch. d. ost- u. westfrank. Karoling. 1:39, 51 62; Herzog,Real- Encyklopadie, 10:386; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog., Generale, 38:98. (J. N. P.)