Who Wrote Hincmar's Ordines?

"Who Wrote Hincmar's Ordines?" The study examines the four coronation ordines attributed to Archbishop Hincmar of Reims in order to determine whether or not Hincmar was really their author. Hincmar composed his works by borrowing from and slightly modifying other sources whenever possible. His method is illustrated by examples from the 866 Ordo of Ermentrude and the 869 Ordo of Charles the Bald. Examination of Hincmar's sources produces evidence to show that a major part of the 869 ordo was copied from an ordo composed for the recoronation of Louis the Pious as emperor in 835, thus essentially pushing our knowledge of coronation ceremonial back an entire generation. Although the ordines are indeed Hincmar's, he did not really write them, but basically compiled them.