The Post-Carolingian Age

1. The Post-Carolingian Age

2. From last time.. • Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire: political, social, intellectual and religious issues • Reading Einhard and other historical sources: ATTENTION! • The Muslim world: political fragmentation and intellectual vivacity • What is happening in the Eastern Roman Empire?

3. In the meanwhile, in Constantinople.. • Remember from last time: the Byzantine empire between 600 and 700 was shrinking considerably, but… • In the 8th century the Byzantine empire re-gains strength and prestige: • 750-850: Constantinople defends itself against the Muslims • 850-900: Constantinople goes to the attack! • The two secrets of the Byzantine success…

4. Army: the Byzantine ‘Themes’

5. Byzantine commerce: international relationship

6. So… • The Muslim world is intellectually very vivacious and politically divided • The Eastern Roman Empire is gaining grounds over the Muslim empire • What about Western Europe? • Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire: political, religious and cultural renaissance • After 851 (843: treaty of Verdun): the empire collapses, how does Europe look like?

7. The post-Carolingian world: the Frankish kingdom

8. Vassal and Lord: a complex relationship (homage + faith)

9. What is the point? • ‘Personal’ relationship means: • 1) Hierarchical structure • 2) Lack of centralization • The tension between center and periphery: the capitularies as an example of that • Importance of ‘public’ displays

10. What happens as the time goes by? • Isolation and constant presence of war make the private vassalages multiply • The lord ‘overshadows’ the king • Vassalage becomes ‘hereditary’ • What does TENURE mean? • It means territorial concession, which at the beginning was temporary and then became a ‘fief’, or a permanent one!

11. Another protagonist of the early Middle Ages: the knight

12. How do you become a knight? • First, you must be a man • Secondly, you must be independently wealthy -you must own your own horse • Thirdly, you must not be the first heir to a nobleman -rule of primogeniture • The knight: a product of political fragmentation and of a society at war all the times without a regular army and with primitive combat-strategies and weapons!

13. What does that actually mean? Look at your handout! • What does a vassal have to do? • Who does he have to be? • How about the second source? • What does it concern? • Do you see some similarities?

14. Feudal relationships: ideal and reality • From the testimony of an agreement between William of Aquitaine and Hugh the Chiliarc (1020): ‘The count of the Aquitanians called William had an agreement with Hugh the Chiliarch that when the end should come for viscount Boso the count would give Boso's honor to Hugh in commendation…but none of this happened [so Hugh raises an army to get his land and talks with the count about it]. The Count: ‘was upset and sent for Hugh and said to him:"Hand over the men to me." Hugh replied: "Why do you ask that of me, my lord?" All my losses arise from my fidelity to you." The count said: "I am not asking them from you because of your wrongdoing, but because you are mine to do my will... Act without doubt in my trust and faith, and if any harm come to you, you can know that I shall make it up to you." Hugh put his trust in God and in the count and surrendered the men to the count by this agreement. Afterwards Hugh got neither the men nor justice and he lost his land’.

15. Conclusions • Political fragmentation follows the collapse of the Carolingian world • ‘France’= ‘feudal’ system: tensions and difficulties of a ‘reciprocal’ relationship of subordination • Importance of war and war-related values

16. The End Have a good week-end!