ABSTRACT
Early medieval rituals of surrender, of the granting of mercy, of bestowing charity, were carefully controlled and negotiated acts, consciously designed as ceremonies in which the resolution of conflicts over loyalty, status and honour could be expressed. For Tassilo and the audience this was a melancholy music, shot through with the elements of 'darkness' and 'emotional power' that, for Geoffrey Koziol, differentiate ritual from mere ceremony. For Tassilo, however, Charlemagne was a sinister figure and his story may unfold for us under the aegis of Melville's Bartleby as a tale of resistance and buried narratives. Tassilo's fate as a victim of Charlemagne has given him a walk-on part in histories of medieval political structures, specifically in histories of feudal relations. The long-suffering Charlemagne finally summoned Tassilo to trial in 788 and he was duly deposed. Tassilo was dangerous and had to be crushed by Charlemagne through an elaborately constructed overwhelming authority.
