Magna Carta just celebrated its 800th birthday this past Monday. In honour of this incredible milestone, King’s College London, and the Magna Carta Project, hosted a 3 day conference dedicated to this historic document.
Medieval Warfare Magazine – Volume V Issue 2
March 27, 2015 By
This issue’s theme is The Campaigns of Charlemagne
European Weather Extremes in the Lifetime of Charlemagne (c.742–814 CE)
December 6, 2014 By
An army of people, digging for a whole season, yet their efforts end in muddy ruin. Was it a project that was doomed from the start?
Charlemagne’s Denarius, Constantine’s Edicule, and the Vera Crux
December 1, 2014 By
In 806 a much-discussed silver denarius bearing the likeness of Charlemagne was issued. This is called the “temple-type” coin due to the (as yet unidentified) architectural structure illustrated on the reverse side, and which is explicitly labeled as representing the epitome of “Christian Religion.”
CONFERENCES: The Stellinga, the Saxon Elite, and Carolingian Politics
November 26, 2014 By
This is my summary of a paper presented at the Institute of Historical Research on the causes of the Stellinga uprising in the Carolingian period.
Corbie in the Carolingian Renaissance
November 23, 2014 By
This study opens with a historical account of Corbie from its foundation until the reign of Charles the Simple, which clarifies the political importance of the abbey and its relations with rulers and bishops.
Eadburh, Queen of the West Saxons
November 6, 2014 By
Whether she deserved it or not, Eadburh of the West Saxons is infamous for being an evil queen.
An aspect of Alcuin: ‘Tuus Albinus’ – peevish egotist? or parrhesiast?
October 28, 2014 By
In over 270 letters from about a decade and a half, alcuin of york (†804) informed, advised, consoled and admonished contemporaries, reacted to current events, and maintained a circle of friends and partners in reciprocal prayer that extended from Jerusalem to Ireland and from rome to salzburg. Alcuin left york in the 780s to become a friend and chief advisor to Charlemagne.
Hungary’s Conversion to Christianity: The Establishment of Hungarian Statehood and its Consequences to the Thirteenth Century
September 1, 2014 By
The Carpathian Basin occupies a peculiar place in history. It was the ground where Roman-Germanic world met that of the Slavs and mounted nomad peoples, where no group had achieved sustained unity before the state of Hungary was founded.
Charlemagne still kicking 1200 years later or Morangles Early Medieval Holidays
August 4, 2014 By
T.S. Morangles takes a trip to see all things Carolingian and Merovingian!
The Consolidation of Local Authority Through the Defense of the Church in the Royal Domain of France Under Louis VI
June 23, 2014 By
When Louis VI ascended to the throne in 1108 AD, he faced substantial challenges as the fifth monarch of the Capetian dynasty; he confronted the problem of stopping the general decline of the monarchy and achieved this in a way that reasserted the foundations of the crown as the sole dominant figure in the royal domain and a respected lord throughout the kingdom.
How the Saxons helped Charlemagne become Emperor
June 15, 2014 By
What role did the Saxons have in Charlemagne’s imperial coronation?
Medieval Dutch Charlemagne Romances: An Overview
April 1, 2014 By
The great majority of the Middle Dutch Charlemagne romances are adaptations of Old French chansons de geste.
Charlemagne and Europe
March 28, 2014 By
Jinty Nelson examines the long association between Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Christian emperor of the West, and Europe.
Medieval Friends: Chansons De Geste Ltd. – thematteroffrance.com
March 9, 2014 By
This week on Medieval Friends, we’re featuring Thomas Motter’s website, thematteroffrance.com. Thomas is fluent in French, and has lived in Paris and Munich. He’s done extensive research on medieval French history with an emphasis on the Chansons de Gestes.
Was Charlemagne a Mass Murderer?
February 2, 2014 By
Did the ‘Massacre of Verden’ actually happen with 4500 people dying in a single day? Was Charlemagne justified in his actions?
Charlemagne minus Mohammed?
January 28, 2014 By
On 28th January it will be 1200 years since Charlemagne died in 814. His legacy was immense.
Charlemagne Father of the Continent. The Ideology of the European Christian Empire
January 28, 2014 By
Did ever Charles the Great had such a modern European ideology or it is just about a forced modernization of his ideas.
Books on Charlemagne
January 26, 2014 By
Those interested in the life and reign of Charlemagne will there are many books about him. Here are a just few, including primary sources, biographies, studies focused on particular aspects of his rule, and his legacy throughout the Middle Ages.
Charlemagne, Sir Christopher Lee and Heavy Metal Music
January 21, 2014 By
Did you know that the famous actor Sir Christopher Lee is also a heavy metal singer? And his songs are based on the life and times of Charlemagne?
Charlemagne: A Frank Analysis of Imperialism in the 8th and 9th Centuries
December 27, 2013 By
Charlemagne has been approached by historians because of the pivotal role he fills as the Father of a Continent. His kingdom spread across Europe and renewed the culture of the Western World; a “mini-Renaissance” that shifted the focal point of Europe away from crumbling Rome.
Merovingian and Carolingian Empires: An Analysis of Their Strengths and Weaknesses
December 26, 2013 By
In this research paper I will analyze the achievements and the destruction of the Merovingian Empire to demonstrate how both provide a basic structure of government for the Carolingians to adopt.
The Charlemagne Window at Chartres Cathedral: New Considerations on Text and Image
November 24, 2013 By
The Charlemagne Window, justly considered one of the most beautiful of the history windows of Chartres Cathedral, is located in the northeastern intermediate radial chapel and can probably be dated to about 1225.
A King on the Move: The Place of an Itinerant Court in Charlemagne’s Government
August 7, 2013 By
I shall suggest here that we should abandon this assumed correlation, and that once we have done so, a very different picture of Charlemagne’s itinerary between 768 and 814, and consequently of his government, emerges.
The Liber Historiae Francorum – a Model for a New Frankish Self-confidence
August 7, 2013 By
The Liber Historiae Francorum – a Model for a New Frankish Self-confidence Philipp Dörler Networks and Neighbours, Volume One, Number One (2013) The Liber historiae Francorum was influenced by different historiographic traditions. In this paper, I pursue two arguments. First, I believe that the author of the Liber historiae Francorum juxtaposes and slightly transforms these […]
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