Xavier Riaud examines The Capitulare de Villis, one of Charlemagne’s documents which has a surprising dental content.
Charlemagne’s Jihad
January 3, 2013 By
In 782, after almost two years with no clashes in the Saxon front, Charlemagne led his army into Saxony once again. This time, the main purpose was to subdue the Saxons who rebelled under the leadership of Widukind. It was a brutal campaign, during which, our sources relate, more than 4,500 Saxon rebels were beheaded in one day at the order of Charlemagne.
Furor Teutonicus: The View of the ‘Germans’ in Italy during the Reign of Emperor Frederick I, ‘Barbarossa’ (1152-90)
November 19, 2012 By
“Medieval Europe did not love the Germans. The Italians hated them, the French admitted their courage, but detested their manners, the English were jealous of them, the Slavs both feared and hated them, while the Germans despised and contemned the Slavs.”16 But it is the Italian side I would like to concentrate on in this paper. Further, I do not wish to examine the reasons for the conflicts between ‘Germans’ and ‘Italians’ in this era, nor the events surrounding them. I will try to focus strictly on the views that were expressed about Germans in mediaeval Italy in general and during the reign of Frederick Barbarossa in particular.
Scissors or Sword? The Symbolism of a Medieval Haircut
October 6, 2012 By
Simon Coates explores the symbolic meanings attached to hair in the early medieval West, and how it served to denote differences in age, sex, ethnicity and status.
Fossa Carolina: The First Attempt to Bridge the Central European Watershed
September 16, 2012 By
Beside the intention of Charlemagne to build a continuous waterway network for his extensive travels, there are two more possible reasons for connecting the river systems of Main and Danube.
A Model of the monetary system of Medieval Europe
September 7, 2012 By
In this paper we build a model of a commodity money system with a limited number of types of coins and show how the choices of coin type influences economic welfare through the distribution of wealth and output.
Charlemagne in medieval East Central Europe (ca. 800 to ca. 1200)
February 29, 2012 By
During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the legend of Charlemagne gained widespread popularity, as the figure of the emperor became a model for rulers and crusaders.
The Rebirth of a Communications Network: Europe at the Time of the Carolingians
February 26, 2012 By
This paper attempts to explain the accelerated economic growth of medieval Europe by incorporating communications technologies in the analysis. During the reign of Charlemagne, written and spoken Latin was effectively standardized which reduced the cost of information storage relative to transmission.
‘Viking Empires’? Scandinavian Kingship and the nature and orchestration of Viking raids, c.800-c.950
February 16, 2012 By
To what extent were Viking raids part of a more general process of expansion by Scandinavian rulers? Were the Franks simply receiving a taste of their own medicine in the ninth and tenth centuries?
In the Guise of a Christian: the Early Medieval Preliminary Stage of the Portrait Historie
January 22, 2012 By
A fine example of the belief in the existence of early portraits is the well-known gilt bronze Barbarossakopf in Cappenberg, Westphalia.
Charlemagne: the making of an image, 1100-1300
December 16, 2011 By
Why was Charlemagne, a figure from the distant past, able to achieve such high status and command such enormous respect?
“What If … Charlemagne’s Other Sons had survived?” Charlemagne’s Sons and the Problems of Royal Succession
November 20, 2011 By
On January 28th 814, Charlemagne died at the age of 72. His son Louis the Pious succeeded his father into kingship and empire.
Digging Ditches in Early Medieval Europe
September 19, 2011 By
Digging Ditches in Early Medieval Europe By Paolo Squatriti Past and Present, Vol.176:1 (2002) Introduction: In the Royal Frankish Annals the year 793 is an odd one. In the first place, it marks the point at which a major change in the chronicle’s composition begins, the place where one author left off and another took […]
Germanic Women: Mundium and Property, 400-1000
September 7, 2011 By
Germanic Women: Mundium and Property, 400-1000 Dunn, Kimberlee Harper (University of North Texas) M.A. Thesis (Science), University of North Texas, August (2006) Abstract Many historians would like to discover a time of relative freedom, security and independence for women of the past. The Germanic era, from 400-1000 AD, was a time of stability, and security […]
Currency Change in Pre-millennial Catalonia: Coinage, Counts and Economics
August 5, 2011 By
Currency Change in Pre-millennial Catalonia: Coinage, Counts and Economics Jarrett, Jonathan Numismatic Chronicle, No.169 (2009) Abstract Barcelona in the late tenth century was on the verge of becoming a commercial as well as a political capital. The wealth of the four counties that its ruler, Count-Marquis Borrell II (945–93), controlled had been growing throughout his reign. […]
Torquemada, the Inquisition, And the Expulsion of the Jews
March 21, 2011 By
Torquemada, the Inquisition, And the Expulsion of the Jews Rush, Timothy EIR Strategic Studies, April 1 (2005) Abstract The essential conflict between Europe and Islam must be seen in the context of the earlier alliance between Charle- magne and the Baghdad Caliphate’s Haroun el-Rashid. The origin of the conflict is essentially traced to the period approximately […]
Rex Francorum et rex Angul-Saxonum: a comparison of Einhard’s Vita Karoli Magni and Asser’s De Rebus Gestis Ælfredi
February 11, 2011 By
Rex Francorum et rex Angul-Saxonum: a comparison of Einhard’s Vita Karoli Magni and Asser’s De Rebus Gestis Ælfredi By Helen Ann Hund Master’s Thesis: Wichita State University, 2007 Abstract: Einhard’s Vita Karoli Magni and Asser’s De Rebus Gestis Ælfredi document the lives of two of the most fascinating kings to influence Western civilization – Charlemagne […]
The Significance of the Coronation of Charlemagne
December 22, 2010 By
On Christmas Day in the year 800 A.D. Charlemagne, king of the Franks and part of the Carolingian line, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III (795-816).
The role of Frankish and Papal missi in diplomatic exchanges in the eighth century
September 15, 2010 By
The role of Frankish and Papal missi in diplomatic exchanges in the eighth century Heelan, Carla M. (University of Cambridge) Journal of the Oxford University History Society, Issue 5 (Michaelmas 2007) Abstract The eighth century marked a change in the relationship between the papacy and the Frankish monarchs, allying the two foci of spiritual and […]
The Court of Charlemagne: Lay Participants in the Aula Renovata
May 26, 2010 By
The Court of Charlemagne: Lay Participants in the Aula Renovata Session: Carolingian Studies: Secular Culture II – May 13th By Jennifer Davis, Catholic University of America This paper deals with the court of Charlemagne and its lay influences. The court was the centre of Carolingian society. Laymen were as companions to the king; helping him […]
The role of Frankish and Papal missi in diplomatic exchanges in the eighth century
November 18, 2009 By
This article now turns to this collection of letters in order to examine diplomacy between pope and king by looking at the frequently-mentioned missi, the men who carried their correspondence and in doing so represented them abroad.
Charlemagne’s court library revisited
September 13, 2009 By
An Appeal to Rome: Anglo-Saxon Dispute Settlement, 800-810
May 26, 2009 By
In this paper, I argue that Anglo-Saxon dispute settlement in the early ninth century exploited Charlemagne’s title as Holy Roman Emperor. T
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