Was Charlemagne a Mass Murderer?
Did the ‘Massacre of Verden’ actually happen with 4500 people dying in a single day? Was Charlemagne justified in his actions?
Charlemagne minus Mohammed?
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
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
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
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
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.
The Charlemagne Window at Chartres Cathedral: New Considerations on Text and Image
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
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
The Liber Historiae Francorum – a Model for a New Frankish Self-confidence Philipp Dörler Networks and Neighbours, Volume One, Number One (2013) The…
Word of Mouth: Charlemagne’s Capitulare de Villis
Xavier Riaud examines The Capitulare de Villis, one of Charlemagne’s documents which has a surprising dental content.
Charlemagne’s Jihad
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)
“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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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…
Germanic Women: Mundium and Property, 400-1000
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…
Currency Change in Pre-millennial Catalonia: Coinage, Counts and Economics
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…
Torquemada, the Inquisition, And the Expulsion of the Jews
Torquemada, the Inquisition, And the Expulsion of the Jews Rush, Timothy EIR Strategic Studies, April 1 (2005) Abstract The essential conflict between Europe and…