The Frankish World, 750-900In these essays Carolingian government is explored through the workings of courts and assemblies; through administrative texts; through contemporaries' historical writing; through the rituals, looking back to Roman times and reflecting the long continuity of administration in the areas constituting Francia that supplemented and reinforced social and political solidarities; and through the ideological and material dilemmas confronted by ninth-century churchmen: the material wealth of the church, a necessary precondition to its influence, attracted a variety of private interests that inhibited its ability to perform its public duty. Janet Nelson extends her perspective to include the settlement of disputes, often without recourse to courts or to conflict, and the application of law. An introduction sets Francia in context and outlines its main features. More recent work on gender history is represented here by studies of the political, intellectual and religious activities of women in the Frankish world. Although circumscribed, the activities of women acting on their own will can be clearly detected. While the male authorship of nearly all early medieval texts has usually been taken for granted, Janet Nelson makes a case for the possibility that a number were written by women. |
Contents
1 Literacy in Carolingian Government | 1 |
2 The Last Years of Louis the Pious | 37 |
3 Dispute Settlement in Carolingian West Francia | 51 |
The Evidence of Nithard | 75 |
The Christian Roman Emperors in the Carolingian World | 89 |
Carolingian Royal Ritual | 99 |
Charles the Bald and the Problem of Sovereignty | 133 |
Wealth and Poverty in the Carolingian Church | 145 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Aachen abbess abbot Alcuin Annales Bertiniani Annales Fuldenses Annales Mettenses priores Annales regni Francorum anointing Aquitaine assembly authority bishops Byzantine Cambridge capitula capitularies Carolingian Empire Carolingian period Carolingian Renaissance Charlemagne Charles the Bald Charles's Chelles Christian church churchmen clergy Coulaines counts court Devisse Dhuoda documents early medieval ecclesiastical Einhard emperor evidence faithful female Francia Franks Ganshof Gesta Gisèle Godman Hadrian Hanover Hincmar Hincmar of Rheims historians History Hrotsvitha Ibid idem imperial Italy J.L. Nelson judgement Karl king kingdom kingship Latin letter Leyser literacy liturgical London Lothar Louis the Pious Louis's magnates McKitterick Merovingian missi missus Mittelalter monastery Mordek ninth century Nithard noble Notker Oxford palace Paris Perrecy Pippin Pîtres Politics and Ritual pope priests queen quod realm record Recueil reign Riché role Roman rulers Saxon survives Tessier Theodosian Code Tours translation Vita Karoli Werner women written word