Gregory of Tours | |
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Bishop of Tours | |
Born | 30 November c. 538 Auvergne, Austrasia[1] |
Died | [2] Tours, Kingdom of Orleans | 17 November 593 or 594
Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
Feast | 17 November |
Gregory of Tours (born Georgius Florentius; 30 November c. 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period[2] and is known as the "father of French history".[3] He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encompassing Gaul's historic region.
Gregory's most notable work is the Decem Libri Historiarum ('Ten Books of Histories'), also known as the Historia Francorum ('History of the Franks'). Decem Libri Historiarum is considered a primary source for the study of Merovingian history and chronicles the accounts of the Franks during the period. Gregory is also known for documenting accounts of religious figures, notably that of Martin of Tours.