Introduction & Book 1 Summary and Analysis

The introduction helps to give readers perspective on the conditions surrounding the creation of this book. Gregory was the Bishop of Tours. This was a Frankish territory taken over by the Gauls that during the writing of the book was part of a political region known as Merovingian Gaul. It was something of a victory to have a bishop there at all, since the heathens put up a strong enough stand to have removed this Christian political position previously, and it had taken quite some effort to re-establish the position in the region. During the author's era the majority of other bishops were not literate. Those who were had to know their Latin.

The work covers the time from AD 538 - 594. Bishop Gregory of Tours completed the manuscript for the book the same year he dies. Once readers are...