The Sources of John of Biclarum

Abstract

Although recent studies have shown that John of Biclarum built his Chronicle following a precise plan and at the service of a specific political discourse, as faras the treatment of his sources is concerned scholars maintain a certain inertia which tends to make of him a sort of well-intentioned witness, whose information would have mostly come from his own experience and direct testimonies. However, it is possible to maintainnot only that John of Biclarum used in a sophisticated way materials produced by Byzantine historians, but also that he could rely on Gregory of Tours’s Decem Libri Historiarum so as to propose an alternative reading of Hermenegild’s rebellion meant to sustain the legitimacy of the catholic monarchy and of the royal lineage. Finally, a coherent analysis of John’s politicaldiscourse and practice also permits to suggest that the chronological frame of the Chronicle’s composition and publication should be extended, possibly including Sisebut’s reign.

Keywords

• juan de biclaro
• crónica
• historiografía tardoantigua
• historiadores bizantinos
• gregorio de tours
• reino visigodo