ERMOLDUS NIGELLUS

ermoldus nigellus, or ermold the black, was a monk of aquitaine, who accompanied king pippin, son of the emperor louis i., on a campaign into brittany in 824. subsequently he was banished from pippin's court on a charge of inciting the king against his father, and retired to strassburg, where he sought to regain the emperor's favour by writing a poem on his life and deeds. about 830 he obtained his recall, and has been identified with hermoldus, who appears as pippin's chancellor in 838. ermoldus was a cultured man with a knowledge of the latin poets, and this poem, _in honorem hludovici imperatoris_, 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. his writings are published in the _monumenta germaniae historica, scriptores_, band 2 (hanover, 1826 fol.); by j.p. migne in the _patrologia latina_, tome 105 (paris, 1844); and by e. dummler in the _poetae latini aevi carolini_, band 2 (berlin, 1881-1884). see w.o. henkel, _uber den historischen werth der gedichte des ermoldus nigellus_ (eilenburg, 1876); w. wattenbach, _deutschlands geschichtsquellen_, band 1 (berlin, 1904); and a. potthast, _bibliotheca historica_, pp. 430-431 (berlin, 1896).