Merovingian and Carolingian Research Papers (original) (raw)

The reforms of Carolingian kings and emperors, and the controversies that arose from these reforms, subtly but profoundly shaped the biographies of holy men and women as they were revised during the ninth century. A number of revised... more

- by
- •
- Hagiography, Carolingian Studies, Merovingian and Carolingian
- by Till Stüber
- •
- Carolingian Studies, Merovingian and Carolingian, Latin poetry, Walahfrid Strabo

International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, 8-11 May 2014

- by Hope Williard
- •
- Friendship, Merovingian and Carolingian, Venantius Fortunatus
- by Laury Sarti
- •
- Christianity, Self and Identity, Social Identity, History of Christianity
- by Yitzhak Hen
- •
- Iconoclasm, Early Medieval History, Visigothic Spain, Merovingian and Carolingian

Dit in het Nederlands gestelde artikel in het Jaarboek van het LGOG (Publications nr. 154, 2018) behandelt de uitvoerige studie (2017) van Theuws en Kars van de Vrijthofopgraving te Maastricht (NL) uit 1969/1970. Het artikel vat op beknopte wijze de resultaten samen, beschrijft binnen welke onderzoekstraditie dit boek tot stand kon komen en bediscussieert de betekenis van het Vrijthofboek voor Maastricht en de omliggende Euregio. Het belangrijkste aspect is dat dit artikel de vraag wil beantwoorden die al 50 jaar lang in Maastricht leeft: "wat is er nou eigenlijk gevonden?". Schema's, tabellen en tekeningen maken precies duidelijk wat er wel en wat er niet was, op een bepaald moment tussen het jaar 0 en het jaar 1000.

- by Eric Wetzels
- •
- Early Christianity, Merovingian and Carolingian, Maastricht, Roman Archaeology

In the numerous clashes between clerics and kings in the Early Middle Ages, issues related to Church property certainly stick out as a major bone of contention. The need to protect Church property was one of the most prominent causes that prompted bishops to convene Church councils, where wordy threats against the “necatores pauperum” were formulated. While it is widely uncontested that assaults on ecclesiastical property were quite common, very little is known about the mechanisms that were taken advantage of so as to appropriate landed property that belonged to the Church. I shall therefore focus on the evidence concerning the legal institution of the precaria verbo regis. Being a form of land lease derived from Roman law, the precaria was used explicitly by the Pippinids in order to bestow ecclesiastical property on allegiant retainers without formally challenging the property rights of the Church. In my opinion, the source evidence points at a similar practice asserted by the Merovingians. Originally, the precaria was meant to be advantageous to both parties: the conferrer and the borrower. However, if my observations prove right, they illustrate how the precaria could be used as a flexible tool in a way strongly detrimental to the conferrer (i. e. the Church). In fact, exactly this was the case when precarial grants were made under pressure of the kingship or its powerful retainers. The outcome depended on how details were handled. On the other hand, this practice also shows the way Roman legal concepts could be adopted and transformed in the post Roman world.

- by Till Stüber
- •
- Merovingian period, Merovingian and Carolingian, Medieval Bishops
- by Jean-Pierre Legendre and +1
- •
- Early Christianity, Late Antiquity, Merovingian period, Merovingian and Carolingian
- by Georges Depeyrot
- •
- History, European History, Archaeology, Medieval Literature
- by Karl Ubl
- •
- Canon Law, Carolingian Studies, Medieval Canon & Roman Law, Merovingian period

International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, 7-10 July 2014

- by Hope Williard
- •
- Merovingian period, Merovingian and Carolingian, Merovingian Gaul

Over Limburg tijdens de vroege middeleeuwen, pakweg de periode 400 tot 1000, wordt amper onderzoek gedaan. Dat is niet verbazend want er zijn maar weinig historische bronnen voor deze periode aanwezig. Vóór 750 bestaan er zelfs maar twee ambtelijke stukken; het testament van Adelgisel-Grimo uit 634 en een schenkingsakte van graaf Robert in de Haspengouw uit 741. Voor de rest zijn we aangewezen op enkele kronieken en heiligen-levens die vaak met een korrel zout moeten genomen worden, niet op locatie geschreven werden en zelden contemporain zijn. Het gebrek aan historische bronnen wil echter niet zeggen dat er in Limburg geen menselijke aanwezigheid was. Meer nog, onze streek evolueerde van een regio in de periferie van het Romeinse Rijk (helemaal in het noordwesten) naar een kernregio in het Karolingische Rijk van de achtste en negende eeuw. In Tongeren zijn de vroege middeleeuwen des te interessanter omdat we een relatief grote Romeinse stad in de vijfde eeuw ten onder zien gaan en pas eeuwen later terug zien recht krabbelen uit het 'zwarte gat' van de vroege middeleeuwen. Tijdens die 'dark ages' of het 'trou noir' werd Tongeren helemaal verlaten en zwierven de wolven doorheen de stad, althans dat is het beeld dat tot in de twintigste eeuw door historici werd geschetst.
Door een analyse van een tiende- en elfde-eeuwse oorkonde, in relatie gebracht met recent archeologisch onderzoek, wordt echter een tipje gelicht van de sluier die deze boeiende periode afschermt.

- by Erik Goosmann
- •
- Medieval History, Medieval Studies, Religion and Politics, Carolingian Studies
- by Alice Rio
- •
- Legal History, Early Medieval History, Carolingian Studies, Merovingian and Carolingian

Aus archäologischer Sicht setzte das frühe Christentum an Mittelrhein und unterer Mosel während der Spätantike nur mit der Gründung von kleinen Gemeinden in Gondorf, Kobern und Boppard ein. Nach den zuzuweisenden Grabsteinen mit christlicher Inschrift dürften zu diesen Gruppen nur wenige Menschen gehört haben. Die Mehrheit der Bevölkerung scheint damals noch den alten nichtchristlichen Kulten zugetan gewesen zu sein. Bis in das 2. Drittel des 6. Jahrhunderts kam zu den frühen christlichen Gemeinden nur eine neue Gruppe in Karden hinzu. Erst ab dem letzten Drittel des 6. Jahrhunderts sind die vom Bistum Trier ausgehenden Bestrebungen der christlichen Missionierung
durch das Einsetzen von Kirchenbauten und die über das 7. Jahrhundert zunehmend festzustellenden Gegenstände mit christlichem Sinngehalt nachzuweisen. Trotzdem ist für das 7. Jahrhundert - nach den Grabinventaren zu urteilen - eine große Zahl nicht christlicher und viel ,synkretistisch' denkender Menschen anzunehmen. Nach der Verteilung von Grabsteinen mit christlichen Inschriften und Kirchenbauten dürfte das Christentum im 8. Jahrhundert die bewohnten Gebiete an Mittelrhein und unterer Mosel gänzlich durchdrungen haben.

- by Lutz Grunwald
- •
- Late Antiquity, Merovingian period, Merovingian and Carolingian, Christentum

De Tabula Peutingeriana is een unieke en belangrijke kaart van het Romeinse Rijk, uit de 3de-4de eeuw na Christus, die wordt bewaard in de Nationale Bibliotheek van Oostenrijk. Onze streken staan erop aangeduid als Francia. En hoewel de meeste plaatsnamen op deze kaart intussen zijn gelokaliseerd, bestaat er over de plaats-naam Feresne, gelegen op 16 gallische leugae van Tongeren (Atuatuca Tungrorum), nog steeds enige discussie. Al in de jaren 80 van de 20ste eeuw vond een amateur-archeoloog in Dilsen-Stokkem de overblijfselen van een rijke en uitgestrekte Romeinse site. Enkele jaren geleden brachten archeologen op dezelfde locatie een Gallo-Romeinse vicus in kaart: een langgerekte nederzetting aan beide zijden van een belangrijke Romeinse weg. En er werden ook sporen aangetroffen van een Merovingisch grafveld. Het lijkt er dan ook op dat het antieke Feresne op de Peutingerkaart eindelijk juist kan worden gesitueerd.

- by Natasja De Winter and +1
- •
- Merovingian period, Gallo-roman archaeology, Merovingian and Carolingian, Roman vicus

In diesem Beitrag wird für die spätrömische Epoche und das Frühmittelalter ein Überblick zur Mayener Ware gegeben. Diese Keramik wurde kontinuierlich von der spätrömischen Epoche über die Merowinger- bis in die Karolingerzeit in hoher Intensität in Mayen gefertigt und auf dem europäischen Markt verhandelt. In dem Oberzentrum Mayen dürfte über diesen gesamten Zeitraum dieverwaltungstechnische und wirtschaftliche Schaltzentrale von Produktion und Handel gelegen haben.

- by Edoardo Manarini
- •
- History, Medieval History, Carolingian Studies, Merovingian and Carolingian

This study examines the Vita Sancti Arnulfi (BHL 689-692), an anonymous hagiographical life of Saint Arnulf of Metz who was a seventh century bishop of that city. The approach taken emphasizes the religious context of the work in an attempt to make known how contemporaries would have understood the narrative. The analysis begins with an examination of the manuscript evidence. The early manuscripts dating before the twelfth century are categorized on the basis of contents and function into three groups: (i) monastic legendary or miracle collections, (ii) collections of a local interest focused upon Metz, and (iii) liturgical collections. The discussion then turns to an examination of the text of the Vita dealing with such questions as the intended audience and the hagiographer's purpose in writing. Finally, the way in which the Vita was used is summarized and its influence on the hagiographical tradition is assessed. Some conclusions reached are the dating of the composition of the work to the last half of the seventh century and identifying the place of composition within a monastic community in the Vosges and Messin region that was influenced by the Irish monastic tradition. The Abbey of Remiremont is suggested as a possible site. An argument is made that the Vita was the focal point of the liturgical veneration of Saint Arnulf serving in a similar manner as did relics within the cult of relics.

- by corey Nason
- •
- Cult of Saints, Liturgical History, Merovingian and Carolingian, Arnulf of Metz

Con questa piccola guida vorremmo provare a fornire delle basi minime per ricostruire l'abbigliamento e gli accessori di un esponente del ceto medio/basso del periodo carolingio tra l' VIII e il IX secolo analizzando sia gli aspetti relativi al vestiario civile, maschile e femminile, sia alcuni aspetti delle dotazioni necessarie alle attività militari.
Questa guida è un punto di arrivo dopo due anni di attività rievocativa e ricostruttiva ma vorrebbe essere anche un punto di partenza per futuri sviluppi e miglioramenti per cui tutto il materiale sarà soggetto a periodica revisione e questo scritto è aperto al contributo migliorativo di chiunque abbia informazioni utili.

This is my introduction to the seminar.

- by Paolo Tedesco
- •
- Economic History, Political Economy, Medieval History, Medieval Studies

This paper examines the contribution of the Merovingian kings and the West Frankish nobility to the foundation and history of the abbey of Glanfeuil. The paper addresses current scholarly issues regarding the negotiations over the... more

Ostentatious finger-rings from Early Medieval Moravia (9th-10th century). Remarks on chronology and origin of the Great Moravian luxurious jewellery.
This article deals with 29 Early Medieval finger-rings found, mostly in cemeteries, in Moravia (Czech Republic). They are made of gold, silver, gilded silver or gilded bronze. Each finger-ring consists of two parts – hoop and bezel – made of sheet metal and soldered together, and decorated with granulation, filigree, inlays of glass or semi-precious stones; only two finger-rings are cast as one piece. The finger-rings are classified into 8 types (A to H), some with subtypes. The author outlines the current state of chronology of Early Medieval jewellery in Moravia and discusses the dating of finger-rings: most of the precisely-datable pieces fall into the older period of the Great Moravian Empire, i.e. the first half of the 9th century. The main concern of the study is the question of the origin of Moravian finger-rings. The author sketches the current state of research of Early Medieval finger-rings in Central and South-eastern Europe (ca. 6th–12th century) and searches for parallels in the Moravian types. In Moravian material, he tries to identify structural and decorative elements that could distinguish imported pieces, their imitations and local products. However, in large measure the sorting of Moravian finger-rings into these three groups remains hypothetical. On the whole, it is evident that the finger-rings found in Moravian cemeteries are based on Mediterranean models. Probably the first specimens (or their immediate producers) came to Moravia in the 8th century, from Byzantine cities on the Adriatic coast, and local production of similar finger-rings in Moravian workshops followed soon afterwards.

In 2014, a group of detectorists searching a terp near Wirdum in Friesland (Netherlands) discovered a hoard of nearly 100 Carolingian coins, most of Lothar I. The hoard sheds light onto the monetary economy of the 850s in the far north of the Frankish empire, and in particular the predominance of coins from the Dorestad mint. It also reveals the existence of a previously unknown coin type from Aachen during the reign of Lothar I. The chapter discusses similar temple coins of Aachen minted by Louis the Pious, also previously unknown.

- by Mayke de Jong
- •
- Early Medieval History, Merovingian and Carolingian

Der Beitrag beleuchtet die Organisation, die Produktion und die Warendistribution von Mayener Keramik vom Herstellungsort in die römischen und mittelalterlichen Exporträume, wobei die Spätantike und die Karolingerzeit die Schwerpunkte... more

- by Lutz Grunwald
- •
- Pottery (Archaeology), Medieval Archaeology, Late Antiquity, Roman Pottery

The Chronology of the life of Clovis and his father Childeric has been an ongoing problem for over a hundred years. In this paper I endeavour to solve some of the problems inherent in a chronology that has been distorted by two separate strands of dating mechanisms within Gregory of Tours' History in Ten Books. The first where Clovis' reign ends in 511 and the second where an effort was made to extend his life and reign to 518. I will propose that seven years were added to Clovis' life and reign by an interpolator to create this 518 extension. This will then show that Clovis was a minor when Childeric, his father died and so Clovis was unable to become king until he became fifteen years of age in 488CE. I will also examine the letters of the bishops Remigius and Avitus and suggest their correct dating and find confirmation that Clovis was baptised as a Catholic in December 496 by revealing who Avitus' Princeps was that had eluded Danuta Shanzer in her 1998 paper-Dating the Baptism of Clovis. Using contemporary and near contemporary evidence and archaeology I will construct a chronology of events that is not far removed from that currently accepted aside from the start of his reign, the length of his reign, his age at death and the chronology of some early events. I will also suggest that Clovis may have become a Christian on marriage to Clotilda, but not choosing which form until baptism, or that his mother was already Arian Christian, explaining his knowledge of Christian ideals and tenets from an early age. Regarding Childeric, I will suggest that his father was Chlodion; the dates that he occupied Paris and the date and place of his battle against the Alamanni. I will also suggest that the last of the Gallo-Romans under Syagrius came to power when the western Gauls revolted; the eastern empire having refused their petitions to rule the west in favour of the barbarian Odoacer; and that they remained in power with Visigothic aid until their defeat by Clovis. An effort will also be made to explain the term Merovingian and how it came about due to the Frankish elite of the sixth and seventh centuries having famous ancestors. In doing so the origin of the mythical sea monster tale regarding the birth of Merovech can be revealed.

- by Dane R Pestano
- •
- History, Mythology, Roman History, French History