Great Persecution of the Believers

In the same year in which the above-mentioned Bulgarian tyrant reigned and carried out so much wickedness against the Christian believers, namely, in the year 842, the kings of the Franks, through their wars, though they were brothers, it appears, grievously persecuted and martyred the poor believers everywhere in the French territories; so that this persecution and martyrdom is compared to, and regarded as equal to, the persecutions carried out in earlier times by the heathen emperors. About this, the following is found in the last-mentioned chronicle, and in the same place: "The fraternal wars between the kings of the Franks were the cause of much calamity and distress to the poor believers throughout France, so that they might well be compared to the cruel persecutions which in former times occurred under the heathen princes."

Concerning this, Remigius, bishop of Auxerre, who lived about this time, writes as follows (on Psalm 69)

"There are different times of persecution; one, when the heathen fall without mercy upon the Christians; the other, when the evil purpose of the (false) Christians persecutes the believers, which time still continues in the church; for, though the heathen kings, and others, are dead, the devil is still not dead, who secretly vents his cruelty, by secret instruments, that is, through bad Christians. Chron., 9th book, page 287, column 1, from Leonhard, book 4, histor. Georg., book 4, folio 305.