Manners
Primarily subjective word, which is empty of significance if it is not defined by one time, a place, a context, practices, habits, a Culture… and much of historical research, archaeological, ethnographic.
It is thus necessary to relativize and keep moraliser by classifying too hastily the holding moralizers of the “moralities”, the carriers of re-elected and reputation, and amoraux the, immoral ones, discharged, dépravés, dévergondés, libertines, lustful and other obscenes.
Early middle ages as a Gaulle
Throughout the Early middle ages, one attends an open and sometimes bloody conflict between very distant tendencies.
Francs
The Frank and their kings Germanic Mérovingiens of origin, make any effort neither to adopt manners of the countries which they conquered, nor to yield with those of the religion. For them, their rustic habits, if they are not cruel, represent their specificity and their roots. They do not feel immoral, they are amoraux and happy to be it. The Christianity and the Catholicism of which they are glorifient sometimes, are only demonstrations of their Superstitions towards all the gods, opportunism political and varnished frontage. Because if one helps some ecclesiastics in their companies, one does not cultivate of it less openly the political crime, spoliation, the bigamy, adultery with young girls, torture, slavery… and all that with large scales.
Latinized populations of the south of the Loire and those of Italy
These populations remained closer to Roman manners, more sensitive to the right and more educated, did not forget their civilized roots yet. That makes them of nothing much more strict on the respect manners, but the varnish of civilization and the modest veil of hypocrisy make that the same behavior aggressive and fornicators receive neither same legalization there, nor the same support, and especially not same publicity. Except exceptional case (See the scandalous life of the popes Serge III and Jean XII), when a pope or bishops sleeps with men, children or women married, that remains extremely discrete.
Laws
The coding of the laws in Frank countries, Germanic Saxony and other states, does not exist. It begins only very gradually under Charles Ier known as Charlemagne (which is not the least to have very liberal manners and quantity of extremely young mistresses). There exist neither courts, nor legal organization, and each potentate applies to its fields the lifestyle which is appropriate best for its tastes. There is thus no justice which can be applicable, even less with regard to manners, the more so as there is no police force to make it apply. One needs cases of a national range, so that the king or the emperor sending his Missi, who very often remain impotent.
Small people
No one is not concerned with it. One cannot even try to imagine what are manners in the thatched cottages, as several written sources are known, which the parents of the same family arrive from there occire to devour itself in times of famine!
Reflection
One is in other time, and it appears completely anachronistic and unrealistic to seek to analyze manners of this remote time through a contemporary eye. The largest historians are abysses there, because all and its opposite can be constant. Hagiographie S as hypocritical as dithyrambic, while passing by the Capitulary S revealing, until the Pénitentiel S sometimes confusing, one can have an idea, but not an image. To advance a very dared comparison, one can possibly evoke the “zones of nonright” where religious potentates offer their daughters impubères in pledge of supreme bond tribal. Manners rise there from goodwill that which has the greatest number of weapons and warriors. The religion is only one pretext there to appease the defects.
Historical examples
-
In 610, after being imprisoned, the holy Irish monk Colomban, is driven out court of Burgundy, by the king Thierry II and Brunehilde, because it ended up upsetting them because of its reprobation touching with manners.
-
Towards 675, holy Lambert bishop of Tongres, a little too strict on manners and in dissension with the capacity, is relieved by Ebroïn mayor of the palate. It is obliged to flee persecutions of which it is victim.
-
Towards 705, holy Lambert bishop is assassinated by Dodon in Liege, can be to have publicly shown Pépin of Herstal of Adultery with Alpaïde.
-
Towards 875, a sex case made great noise in the Berry. One found the young person Solange there assassinated. It was about a humble shepherdess that noble wanted “to allure”, but appears it she refused, and it killed it by spite. Since holy Solange became the owner of Berry.
Internal bonds