How a Tale of Demonic Possession Predicted the Decline of an Early Medieval Empire

In the early ninth century, a Frankish courtier used a story of demonic possession to criticize the realm’s leaders for their “manifold sins.” Public domain via Wikimedia Commons In the tale, the demon called himself Wiggo. As the Frankish courtier Einhard recounted, a young girl of about 16 began behaving erratically in the early ninth century C.E. Eventually, the girl’s desperate parents had no choice but to…