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During the early Middle Ages, the Saint Boniface abbey in Fulda had many properties in Frisia. Donations of land were recorded in charters, which were kept at the abbey. Most of these charters are lost, but fortunately we still have the Codex Eberhardi (also known as the Traditiones Fuldenses): a list of excerpts from the 9th century cartularies, made between 1150 and 1158 by the monk Eberhard of Fulda.
The Codex Eberhardi contains data about Germany and Frisia. These web pages present the Frisian part of the Codex Eberhardi: charters that were originally written between 802 and 875 AD, and that refer to properties, donations and taxes in Frisia. The Frisian list consists of three sections. The first section (excerpts 1 through 30) describes land donations to the abbey of Fulda. The second section (excerpts 31 through 48) describes taxes to be paid by Frisians to the abbey. Finally (from excerpt 49) the list sums up more donations, occasionally repeating excerpts from the first section, in more or less the same words. These repetitions indicate that Eberhard was not too accurate. Maybe he worked from two 'originals', without noticing. It is uncertain which one of the two versions is the most authentic. Some place names and person's names have been 'verhochdeutscht' by Eberhard. Furthermore, it seems that he tried to spell one name (if it occurred more than once) in as many different ways as possible. Despite all this, the list is an interesting source for early-medieval Frisia. The list contains many personal and geographical names. These have been presented here at separate webpages. The personal names registered are, without exception, Germanic names. Names from a biblical or other origin did not occur in 9th century Frisia. Bynames were rare, and if they did occur, it was usually no more than 'de Fresia'. The locations where Fulda owned land were virtually all in northern Frisia: the present provinces of Groningen and Friesland, and the northern part of North Holland. The list also mentions some properties further south, along the river Maas in Limburg. From the way the donations and taxes are described, it appears that animal husbandry played a major role in the Frisian society. The size of grounds was often expressed as the number of animals that could graze on it. Usually cows were mentioned, but also horses, sheep and smaller livestock. The frequent donations of 'arable lands' indicate that agriculture was equally important. The Codex Eberhardi does not mention fishing. In contrast, the property list of Saint Maarten, from about the same period, does mention fishing permits in rivers. Donations of wooded areas are often recorded in the Codex Eberhardi. However, it remains unclear whether these served for forestry and/or for hunting. The famous Frisian cloaks were used as a sort of currency, to pay taxes. Apart from that, taxes were also settled in raw wool or linen, and of course in silver. Sources Dronke, Traditiones et Antiquitates Fuldenses, 1844. Halbertsma, Frieslands oudheid, 2000, p. 187. Further pages on the Codex Eberhardi: Text - the full Latin text of the Frisian excerpts, Geographical - names of towns, villages an rivers, mentioned in the list, Persons - Frisian personal names mentioned in the list, Pictures - the first two pages of Eberhard's manuscript. Dutch Medieval Sources - Start Page |