Royal Frankish Annals

Annales regni Francorum
Annales regni Francorum, entry for AD 814
Also known as	Annales Laurissenses maijores Annales qui dicuntur Einhardi Royal Frankish Annals Reichsannalen
Author(s)	Unknown
Ascribed to	Einhard, Hilduin
Language	Latin
Date	Late 8th century through early 9th century
Provenance	Francia
Genre	Chronicle
Subject	Account of the history of the Carolingian monarchy

The Royal Frankish Annals (Latin: Annales regni Francorum), also called the Annales Laurissenses maiores ('Greater Lorsch Annals'), are a series of annals composed in Latin in the Carolingian Francia, recording year-by-year the state of the monarchy from 741 (the death of Charles Martel) to 829 (the beginning of the crisis of Louis the Pious). Their authorship is unknown, though Wilhelm von Giesebrecht suggested that Arno of Salzburg was the author of an early section surviving in the copy at Lorsch Abbey. The Annals are believed to have been composed in successive sections by different authors, and then compiled.^[1]

The depth of knowledge regarding court affairs suggests that the annals were written by persons close to the king, and their initial reluctance to comment on Frankish defeats betrays an official design for use as Carolingian propaganda.^[2] Though the information contained within is heavily influenced by authorial intent in favor of the Franks, the annals remain a crucial source on the political and military history of the reign of Charlemagne.

Copies of the annals can be categorized into five classes, based on additions and revisions to the text.^[3] The chronicles were continued and incorporated in the West Frankish Annales Bertiniani and in the East Frankish Annales Fuldenses and Annales Xantenses.