Was Charlemagne a Mass Murderer?
This entry for the year 782 in the Royal Frankish Annals is one of the most debated topics of Charlemagne’s reign. Did the ‘Massacre of Verden’ actually happen with 4500 people being killed in a single day?
Carolingian and Byzantine practices of empire compared, with Jennifer Davis
A conversation with Jennifer Davis on the study of empire in a medieval context, contrasting the different ways in which Charlemagne and the Byzantine emperors ran theirs. What do we mean by empire after all?
The Scholar and the King: The story of Alcuin and Charlemagne
Charlemagne saw a trusted adviser in Alcuin, and besides his teachings, he also had a vast influence on political issues.
Visualising Saint Charlemagne in Twelfth-Century Aachen: From Imperial Palace to Pilgrimage Site
Vedran Sulovsky discusses how Charlemagne’s (768–814) most important palace not only preserved the emperor’s memory, but also slowly modified it so that the entire palace complex, which was famous for being the centre of the Carolingian Empire, became the final part of the story of Charlemagne’s relic-gathering expeditions to Spain, Constantinople and the Holy Land.
Profile of an Emperor: Reading Vita Karoli Magni in Light of Its Sources and Composition
In composing Vita Karoli Magni, Einhard borrows heavily from Suetonius’s De vita Caesarum – Vita divi Augusti in particular – and Annales regni Francorum.
The City of God on Earth: Augustine at Charlemagne’s Court
While the notion of the ‘dark’ Middle Ages is – thankfully – no longer fashionable, the Carolingian Renaissance, its reform efforts, educational system, book production, continue to inspire. It will come as no surprise that Augustine was, once again, at the center of this intellectual riches.
Writing the Life of Charlemagne
For the last few years I have been really preoccupied with writing a biography of Charles, King of the Franks, born in 748, King of the Franks in 768, died 813. So I’m going to spend the next little bit talking about biographies and Charles as a subject of them.
Under the ‘Romans’ or under the Franks? Venice between Two Empires
At the beginning of the ninth century, the Venetian duchy ran the risk of losing the autonomy that it had recently obtained from its former overlords, the Byzantine emperors.
Statements in Stone: The Politics of Architecture in Charlemagne’s Aachen
Statements in Stone is an intersectional and preliminary study of the architecture and social aspects of the palatine complex of Aachen Germany during the reign of Charlemagne approximately spanning from the 790s to 814CE.
Charlemagne ‘Father of Europe’: A European Icon in the Making
At his death in 814, the Emperor Charlemagne ruled over much of what we now call France, Germany, the Low Countries and modern Italy. As his myth developed he became associated with an even more extensive community. that of a united Christendom.
Magna Carta Conference Offers New Insights Into The 800-year-old Document
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
This issue’s theme is The Campaigns of Charlemagne
European Weather Extremes in the Lifetime of Charlemagne (c.742–814 CE)
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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
What role did the Saxons have in Charlemagne’s imperial coronation?
Medieval Dutch Charlemagne Romances: An Overview
The great majority of the Middle Dutch Charlemagne romances are adaptations of Old French chansons de geste.
Charlemagne and Europe
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
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.