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The Post-Carolingian Age: a different form of political organization

The Post-Carolingian Age: a different form of political organization. From last time. Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire: political, social, intellectual and religious issues Reading Einhard and other historical sources: ATTENTION!

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The Post-Carolingian Age: a different form of political organization

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  1. The Post-Carolingian Age: a different form of political organization

  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. The Eastern Roman Empire: Justinian (527-65) and the attempt at re-making Rome in the East

  4. Justinian and the Eastern world

  5. The Justinian Code: a fundamental legacy From the Nuremberg 1488 edition of the Codex Justinianus

  6. The Eastern Roman empire shrinks • Map of the Mediterranean world around 600: look at the Eastern Roman Empire • Map of the Mediterranean world around 800: how about now?

  7. Eastern Roman Empire: less ‘Roman’, more ‘Christian’ • Importance of Christianity • Greek philosophy and Christianity (filioque: what’s in a word?) • Iconoclasm (ca 726-843) • 1054: the Great Schism

  8. After the 8th century, however… • 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…

  9. Army: the Byzantine ‘Themes’

  10. Byzantine commerce: international relationship

  11. So by around the 10th century… • The Muslim world is intellectually very vivacious and politically divided • The Eastern Roman Empire is gaining a little grounds over the Muslim empire and is reorganizing itself • What about Western Europe? • Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire: political, religious and cultural renaissance • After 843 (treaty of Verdun): the empire collapses, how does Europe look like?

  12. The post-Carolingian world: the Frankish kingdom and feudalism

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

  14. 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

  15. 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!

  16. The Lord: a protagonist of early medieval life

  17. Life around the Castle • Rule of primogeniture, which means.. • If you are the firstborn son, you inherit everything • If there is no son, the fief is divided among the daughters • If you are a sister, you are going to a convent!

  18. At the bottom of the pyramid: the serfs

  19. The serf • Serfs and freemen: there is a difference • Serfs stay in the fief, freemen don’t • A life of a serf: • Lots of work • Some job security • A very healthy (if meager) diet!

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

  21. 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!

  22. 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?

  23. 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’.

  24. 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

  25. The End Have a good week-end!

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