ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the second half of Charlemagne’s reign and analyzes the increasing use of prophecy to reinforce Charles’ royal authority through reform efforts, historical narratives, and official pronouncements. Through the lens of Alcuin’s literary legacy, among other sources, this chapter explores the growing interest in, and experimentation with portentous events and potential meanings. In line with Charles’ earlier teachers, the participants in these discussions articulated a close responsibility between the ruler’s righteousness and the immediate success of the realm, and similarly Charles’ decrees and pronouncements expressed his royal responsibilities in terms of pleasing God to ensure such success. As he began to confront increasingly serious threats to his rule publicly, however, Charles and his elites sought to monopolize the interpretation of these crises as divine manifestations, publicize their corresponding reform efforts, and emphasize the collective responsibility for the trials they underwent. By the end of his reign, Charlemagne and his advisors became comfortable claiming divine revelation to reinforce his royal authority, to demonstrate his divine support, and to minimize avenues of criticism.
