Hraban Maur, on honouring parents. 834

This work was written in 834 by Hraban Maur (or Hrabanus Maurus, or Rabanus Maurus, c. 780–856), at this point abbot of the monastery of Fulda, and addressed to Emperor Louis the Pious. Its conventional title ‘On honouring parents’ suggests that it is a treatise on the obedience that children owe to their parents. However, this title was provided by its modern editor, based on the heading of the first chapter, and the treatise’s remit in truth is both wider and narrower: wider, in that it encompasses topics such as forgiveness and judgement as well as filial obedience; and narrower, because it was written for a specific political purpose. We provide here a full English translation to make the work more accessible, together with an introduction for those unfamiliar with the context and period in which it was written.