Regino

REGINO, rê-gê´no: Abbot of Prüm; b., according to a sixteenth-century tradition, at Altrip (a village near Ludwigshafen, 36 m. s. of Mainz) in the ninth century; d. at Treves 915. He entered the monastery of Prüm, and in May, 892, was chosen abbot, but was forced by jealous opponents to resign in 899. He then went to Treves, where Archbishop Ratbod entrusted to him the restoration and administration of the monastery of St. Martin, which had been destroyed by the Normans. Since, however, he was buried in the monastery of St. Maximinus near Treves, it would seem that he was not in control of St. Martin's at the time of his death. All the known works of Regino were composed at Treves. In 906 he wrote his Libri duo de synodalibus causis et disciplinis ecclesiasticis (best ed. by F. G. A. Wasserschleben, Leipsic, 1840) to further episcopal discipline; he also composed a treatise on the theory of church music, the De harmonica institutione (ed. C. E. H. de Coussemaker, Scriptores de musica medii ævi, Paris, 1863–76, ii. 1–73). His most important work, however, was the Chronica, from the birth of Christ to 906, which was completed by 908 and was the first German attempt at a universal history (best ed. by F. Kurtze, MGH, Script. rer. Germ., Hanover, 1890). The work falls into two books, from 1 to 741 and from 741 to 906, the latter portion being practically restricted to Frankish history, especially of the western Frankish kingdom. This second part is of great value for Lothringian history, and it was continued to 967 at the monastery of St. Maximinus, apparently by Adalbert, subsequently archbishop of Magdeburg.

(O. Holder-Egger.)

Bibliography: J. C. F. Bähr, Geschichte der römischen Literatur in karolingischen Zeitalter, pp. 184–186, 535–538, Carlsruhe, 1840; E. Dümmler, in Jahrbücher der deutschen Geschichte, Jahrbücher des ostfrankischen Reiches, 3 vols., Leipsic, 1887–88; H. Ermisch, Die Chronik des Regino bis 813, Göttingen, 1872; J. Hartung, in Forschungen der deutschen Geschichte, xvii. 362–368, ib. 1878; J. Loserth, in Archiv für österreichische Geschichte, lxi (1880). 4–19; P. Schulz, Die Chronik des Regino vom Jahr 813 an, Halle, 1888; A. Ebert, Allgemeine Geschichte der Litteratur des Mittelalters, iii. 226–331, Leipsic, 1889; H. Isenhart, Ueber den Verfasser and die Glaubwürdigkeit der Continuatio Reginonis, Kiel, 1890; Wattenbach, DGQ, i (1904), 311–314; F. Kurze, in NA, xv. 293–330; ADB, xxvii. 557.