The manuscript was begun under the direction of Abbess
Theuthild, who also wrote a number of surviving letters that have been translated by Michel Parisse. It is usually assumed that the manuscript was begun in 821, before being largely rewritten in the 860s. This dating is based on a reference in the manuscript to an 'Emperor Louis', who is normally understood to be
Louis the Pious. For that reason, Eva Butz and Alfons Zettler have described the
Liber Memorialis of Remiremont as "a major document of the ecclesiastical and political reforms of the Carolingian Empire under Louis the Pious". However, Michèle Gaillard has suggested that the 'Emperor Louis' could in fact be
Louis II of Italy, in which case the manuscript's original creation might be slightly later in date. The manuscript initially contained liturgy for the mass, a list of rulers, and a list of benefactors. However, from the 860s, new pages started to be added, to include new groups of names. These included kings such as
Lothar II, who seems to have visited the monastery in the company of
Waldrada and other members of his family in late 861. In total, the manuscript lists around 11,500 names. These names were written by over 150 different scribes, including many women. ==References==