Ermoldus Nigellus

Ermoldus Nigellus, or Niger—translated Ermold the Black, or Ermoald , was a poet who lived at the court of Pippin of Aquitaine, son of Frankish Emperor Louis I, and accompanied him on a campaign into Brittany in 824. Ermoldus was a cultured man with a knowledge of the Latin poets, and his poem, In honorem Hludovici imperatoris ("In honour of Emperor Louis"), has some historical value. It consists of four books and deals with the life and exploits of Louis from 781 to 826. He also wrote two poems in imitation of Ovid, which were addressed to Pippin.

Biography Very little is known about Nigellus' life aside from what he writes about himself in his poetry. Although many scholars have thought that he was a monk or member of the Christian clergy, since we only have his own works as evidence about him, this affiliation as a monk cannot be proven. More recent scholarship on Nigellus, therefore, leans away from asserting his vocation as a monk.

The only other known fact about Nigellus is that some time in the 820s he was sent into exile for an undisclosed offence against Pippin and Louis. His poetic works were meant to appease Louis and Pippin for his crimes against them but were also meant to be used as proof that he was ready to be reinstated at court in Aquitaine.

Career and identity Although we do not know where Nigellus was from, the name Ermoldus is Germanic and his moniker, Nigellus (which means "Little black" in Latin), suggests that he was either "short in stature, dark haired or with a dark complexion".

Many scholars assume that because Nigellus was so passionate about being recalled from exile to return specifically to Aquitaine, that he was in fact Aquitainian but this is speculation. In fact, in his poem to Emperor Louis the Pious he actually avoids describing much of Aquitaine saying that readers should "go to Aquitaine" and see it for themselves. This has led some to suggest that he wasn't actually from Aquitaine but was simply interested in returning to courtly life at King Pippin's side. In this same poem Nigellus notes that he was an "integral part" of King Pippin's court and also says that King Pippin appreciated Nigellus' company as well as his poetics. From this it seems likely that in reality Nigellus' main desire when writing to King Louis was more about returning to the excitement and importance of court life more than returning to his homeland of Aquitaine.

Many earlier scholars believed Nigellus was a monk because he was able to read and write, but once again this is just an educated assumption. Fleiner explains that Nigellus could have been misidentified with many other figures from the same time period, especially an abbot named Hermoldus who Louis went to Pippin's court in 834, as well as a chancellor at Pippin's court named Hermoldus. He could have been an abbot as they were expected to do military service but it seems more likely that he was part of the "court literati" (educated men who served in court as military leaders, envoys and teachers).

Exile Since we know Ermoldus Nigellus campaigned in Brittany in 824 and wrote In Honorem Hludowici between 826 and 828 during his exile, it is often assumed that he was sent into exile between these years. Nigellus never explains the reason for his exile but admits that he committed "foul deeds of [his] own fault". Ermoldus admits that his crime was not serious but rather he was guilty of associating himself with the wrong group of people at court, perhaps people associated with Emperor Louis' rebellious sons. After he committed said foul deeds towards Louis, he was sent to exile at the church of St. Mary in Strasbourg. Overall the reason for his exile remains an unresolved mystery to scholars since we do not have any other primary sources that refer to Ermoldus Nigellus except what is written in his own works.

Return to court The ending of Ermoldus' story is ultimately unknown, he could have been reinstated at court but we have little evidence to conclude that. The only suggestion of Ermoldus' return to court is the possibility that he could have been one of Pippin's chancellors (Hermoldus) as documented in three of Pippin's charters issued in the mid-830s. He wrote these letters in a style that imitates Ovid and therefore attempts to reproduce the "literary atmosphere of early Carolingian courts" that was associated with "patronage and favour". This approach would have helped to dignify his plea for recall at court.

Other works Scholars assume that these three pieces of literature were not the only pieces that Ermoldus wrote as he does mention in his works that he often amused King Pippin with his poetry during the Breton campaign in 824 and he also seems to be a very skilled writer. Unfortunately, none of these works survive today. Some scholars have argued Nigellus' authorship of a poem about Walter of Aquitaine, Waltharius, as there are similarities between it and In honorem Hludowici. But other scholars like Godman remain firm in their belief that Ermoldus did not write Waltharius as its poetic style is poorer than Ermoldus' is in his odes to Pippin and Louis.