Conversion of the Carantanians – Part I

The Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum is a work of the Archbishopric of Salzburg – existing in nine manuscripts.  It was written in the 870s (the earliest remaining manuscript come to us from the 11th/12th century) with the apparent purpose of justifying Salzburg’s dominance over Bavaria, Carantania and Pannonia.  The context was the trial at Regensburg of Methodius – then a papal emissary and also a representative of Byzantium.  Methodius tried to preach Christianity to the Slavs in these territories, thereby infringing upon the claims of Salzburg.  The author of the Conversio is at pains to demonstrate that these lands had always been “given” to Salzburg to indoctrinate and that Methodius, as an interloper, should stick to indoctrinating pagans somewhere else.  As a consequence of the trial Methodius was held in captivity for over two years.

All that is background – of interest to the historian of the Christian churches but of little concern to those interested in Slav origins.  What interests the latter are pieces of information that the Conversio contains about events in the region and about its peoples.  For example, Samo, who here is referred to not as a Frank but as a Slav (Temporibus gloriosi regis Francorum Dagoberti Samo nominee quid am Sclavus manens in Quarantanis fuit dux gentis illius) – this is contrary to Fredegar’s chronicle (but somewhat consistent with the Gesta Dagoberti I regis Francorum – a work of the beginning of the 9th century from which the references to Samo are probably borrowed in the Conversio).

The first two chapters of the Conversio deal with the Bavarians.  We leave them out of this piece.  We include chapter 3 through 6 in part I here.  We also include the so-called Excerptum de Karantanis.  Chapters 7 through 14 we will describe later.

Chapter 3

“Until now it was written how the Bavarians became Christians and of the names of the Bishops and Abbots in the Saltzburg bishopric.”

“Now it is to add how the Slavs who are called Carantanians and their neighbors were taught the Holy Faith and became Christians and also how the Huns drove out the Romans, Goths and Gepids out of Lower Pannonia and took over the country until the Franks and Bavarians together with the Carantanians fought them [i.e., the Huns] in many battles and finally defeated.”

“Those, however, who did not refuse the Faith and who received Baptism, were made tributaries of the kings and they remain in the country to this day against the payment of [such] tribute.”

Chapter 4

“Now we should provide a summary report of the Carantanians.  In the days of the glorious King of the Franks Dagobert, there lived among the Carantanians a Slav by the name of Samo who was the duke of that people.  He had the arriving merchants of King Dagobert killed and robbed them of the King’s money.  When King Dagobert found out about this, he sent his army and ordered reprisals for the damage done to him by this Samo.  And so his men did and they  made the Carantanians into subjects of the King.”

“Not much later the Huns began to heavily oppress these Carantanians during a violent revolt.  Their [Carantanians’] duke was at that time [a man by the name of] Boruth and he informed the Bavarians that an army of Huns will come against them [Carantanians] and he begged [them] to come to his aid.  These appeared hastily, drove out the Huns, reassured the Carantanians [or reassured themselves of the loyalty of the Carantanians] and made them and their neighbors servants of the [Frankish] Kings.  Thereafter, they led away hostages with them to Bavaria.  Among them there came the son of Boruth by the name of Cacatius, who his father asked to be raised as and to be made a Christian.  And so it happened.  And the same he [Boruth] demanded of his brother’s son [by the name of] Cheitmar.  After the death of Boruth, the Bavarians on the order of the Franks and the pleas of these Slavs [i.e., Carantanians] sent the already Christian Cacatius back [to Carantania] and these [Carantanians] made him into a duke.  He died, however, in the third year after [his return].  Now then, Cheitmar – who had [also] been made a Christian – was given back to these people upon the permission of the Lord King Pippin and upon their pleas [to do so].  And priest Lupo (who had been placed by the Salzburg bishopric on the island Chemingi which was also called Auua) gave him [i.e., Chaitmar] his nephew Maioranus who had just taken his own priestly vows.  Since this priest Lupo was the other’s [i.e., Maioranus’] godfather, he taught him that he [Maioranus] should humbly submit himself to the teachings of the Salzburg monastery on how to fulfill his Christian duty.”

“These people [Carantanians] received Chaitmar and gave him the duchy.  But that one [Chaitmar] had with him Maioranus who had taken his priestly vows in the Salzburg abbey.   And this one [Maioranus] exhorted him [i.e., Chaitmar] to lean his head – in the service of God – towards the monastery.  And that one [i.e., Chaitmar] made it so and promised to serve the bishopric.  And so he did this and served there yearly and always – for as long as he lived – he received from there teaching and instruction on how he ought to fullfill his duty as a Christian.”

Chapter 5

“After some time had passed, the aforementioned duke [Chaitmar] had asked Bishop Virgil to visit the tribespeople and to strengthen them in their Faith.  But this one [Virgil] could not do so and so, to teach that people, he sent in his place his bishop by the name of Modestus and with him his priests Watto, Reginbertus, Cozharius and Latinus as also the Deacon Ekihardus with other clergymen.  He also gave Modestus permission to consecrate churches and (in accordance with canonical regulations) to install clergy; on the other hand he [Modestus] was not supposed to claim anything that would contradict the rules of the Holy Father.  They came to the Carantanians, consecrated there a church of Holy Mary’s, another one in the town of Liburnia and one ad Udrimas and so also in many other places.”

“Modestus remained there till the end of his life.  When the bishop passed away, the duke Cheitmar asked once again of Bishop Virgil whether it would be possible for him [Virgil] to come to him [Cheitmar].  However, this one [Virgil] refused since an uprising took place that we call carnula.  But he made up his mid and sent there priest Latinus.  Not much later there took place another uprising and so the priest Latinus once again left that [country].  After the end of the uprising, Bishop Virgil sent once again priest Latinus and after him priest Warmannus.  Since after the death of Cheitmar another uprising took place, there was no priest there for several years until the Duje Waltunc sent emissaries once again to Bishop Virgil and asked [him] to send priests there.  [Virgil] sent them thereafter priest Heimo and priest Reginald as also Deacon Maioranus with other clergymen.”

“Soon thereafter he sent there once again that priest Heimo as also the priests Dupliter and Maioranus and other clergymen with them.  Further he sent them priests Gozharius, Maioranus and Erchanbertus; after them the priests Reginbaldus and Reginharius; and then priests Maioranus and Augustinus; and once more Reginbaldus and Gundharius.  And so it happened during [the time of] Bishop Virgil’s.”

Chapter 6

“Likewise, it is [fitting] to briefly say something of the Avars.  In the old times the Romans controlled lower Pannonia – south of the Danube and the neighboring regions.  They built there for their defense castles and fortifications as also many other structures, as one can see to this day.  They even subjugated the Goths and the Gepids.  But after 377 years after the birth of the Lord and thereafter, the Huns left their seats in the desolate lands north of the Danube and chased out the Romans, Goths and the Gepids.  Nevertheless, there live there some of the Gepids till this day.  Then, however, as the Huns were driven out, there came the Slavs and began to settle the different regions in the Danube lands.  Now, however, we want to tell how the Huns were driven off from there, how the Slavs began to settle [there] and [how] that part of Pannonia was attached to the Salzburg diocese.”

“In the year of our Lord 796, did the Emperor Charles [Charlemagne] namely determine that Count Erich and with him a great army should drive out the Huns.  They almost did not resist and, through the aforementioned count, submitted themselves to the Emperor Charles.  In the same year, Emperor Charles sent his son Pippin with a great army into the land of the Huns.  He [Pippin] advanced to their famous settlement – that was called Rinch – where all their dukes once more submitted themselves to Pippin.  As he returned back, [Pippin] entrusted it to Bishop Arn of Salzburg until the arrival of his father – the Emperor Charles – to govern and to teach the Christian faith to those people of the Huns and Slavs that remained and to organize church life in the part of Pannonia on Lake Balaton [Pelissa] and on the other side of the River Hrapa and from there up to the River Drava and further until the [place where] Drava flows into the Danube, as far as his [Bishop Arn’s] power reached.”

“Later in year 803 , Emperor Charles came to Bavaria and came in the month of October to Saltzburg and [there] repeated and confirmed  in the presence of many of his followers by virtue of his absolute power the above-mentioned gift of his son’s and determined that it should be valid [and] unbreakable for all time.”

Chapter 7

In much the similar way did Bishop Arn, who followed Virgil, fulfill the duties of the pastoral ministry of the Salzburg bishopric. He ordained priests everywhere and sent them into the land of the Slavs and indeed not just to Carantanian lands but too to Lower Pannonia to those dukes and counts just as Virgil had done before him. One of them was called Ingo. He was beloved and valued by the people on account of his wisdom. All the people followed him and no one dared to ignore his orders even when receiving a blank page [of orders]. He also acted in astonishing ways… [to come]

Excerptum de Karantanis

“Bishop Modestus was the first to undertake missionary activity amongst the Carantanians.  He was sent and consecrated by Holy Virgil during the reign of Pippin, King of the Franks.  After that one – in the presence of Emperor Charlemagne and Archbishop Arn – there was sent and consecrated Bishop Theodoric.  After that one Bishop Otto was consecrated by Archbishop Aderamm.  After that one, Bishop Hosbald under Archbishops Liupramn and Adelwin.  Pope Nicholas wrote two canonical letters to this Osbald (which [letters] are preserved in the body of decrees.  After that one, some time passed before such time that a Slav by the name of Methodius came out of the land of Istria and Dalmatia; who invented Slavic letters and celebrated mass in Slavic and thereby replaced the Latin [mass].  Finally, he escaped from the Carantanian lands to Moravia and died there.”

“During the time of Dagobert, the King of the Franks, the Carantanians were ruled by duke Samo, after him Boruch, after him Karast[us] and after him Chenmar[us] after him Waltunc.  Likewise there ruled under Charlemagne and his successors Priwizlauga, Cemicas, Zpoimar, Etgar.”

“After the expulsion of the Huns, the following counts were placed in the east of Bavaria by Charlemagne and his successors: Gerold[us], Gotteram[us], as the second Werehar[ius], the third Albric[us], the fourth Gotfrid[us], the fifth Gerold[us], and after these, the dukes Helmwin[us], Albar[ius], Pado, and the above mentioned dukes of the Carantanians were placed under these counts and dukes.”

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