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The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe (Middle Ages) (Paperback)

by Pierre Riche (Author), Michael Idomir Allen (Translator) "The good fortune of the early Carolingians began with two noble families settled in an area of the Frankish realm known since the close of..." (more)

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Product details

Paperback: 424 pages
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (1 Jan 1993)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0812213424
ISBN-13: 978-0812213423
Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15.4 x 2.6 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 410,015 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

"Riche has managed to make an often confusing period of history accessible to the reader, and this is a considerable achievement."-Historia "Invaluable to those who need to disentangle the complex family relationships of those who controlled much of Europe for so many centuries."-American Historical Review

Product Description

Pierre Riche traces the emergence of Europe from the seventh to the early eleventh century, the period that witnessed the rise, fall, and revival of the Carolinian Empire. It was during this time the first contours of a broad new civilization and the first visible signs of European unity are discernable. Until the seventh century Europe was simply a geographic term; as Isidore of Seville defined it, Europe was "the space that extended from the river Don to Spain and the Atlantic." By the ninth century, however, Europe had gradually acquired a collective being with a shared identity. The political, cultural, and spiritual activity of laymen and churchmen had fostered the creation of a common European fold, which stretched from the Atlantic to the Vistula, and the plains of the middle Danube. The transformation was due in large part to the Carolinians, their relations, and their allies, who together became the masters of Gaul and then much of the West. Riche traces the destiny of the Carolingians and the parallel history of Europe, stressing the roles of the leaders who imposed themselves by force, diplomacy, and culture.

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The good fortune of the early Carolingians began with two noble families settled in an area of the Frankish realm known since the close of the sixth century as Austrasia. Read the first page

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5.0 out of 5 stars Pierre Riche's The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe, 9 May 1997

By A Customer

For those of you who think that the Dark Ages was characterized by illiterate drunk men dressed and acting like Thor, Pierre Riche's The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe will come as welcome releif.

By tracing the evolution of this one family from obscurity to the zenith of power under Charlemagne and decline under the late pre-Capetian kings of France and the Ottonians of Germany, Riche has in essence captured the spirit of Western/Central Europe itself. Plentiful notation and research not only documents the world of Late Merovingian Sub-Roman Gaul, but that of the early Middle Ages as well. We learn about Byzantine politics, assasination, love affairs, the Church, Basques, Moors, political crises, architecture, international relations, war, scholarship, barbarians, beauty, decay, petty dynasts, torture, and literacy.

Family histories are difficult to write. There is a tendency to speculate on interpersonal relationships, petty rivalries, recurring family traits, fighting over the family business, etc. However, the Carolingians were a family whose business was Europe. It is interesting to see how cooperation and organization could help the Caroligingians to climb the lofty heights of power and recover from disaster, including an abortive attempt to place one of their members on the French throne about a century before Pippin the Short took the crown from the Merovingians. However, a century after Pippin, his great-great grandchildren were the masters of most of Europe and spent most of their energy fighting each other and ultimately became politically impotent and insignificant. Their last known family members either married into the Capetian/Ottonian families or simply vanished into the mists of time never to rule again.

Riche is adept at combining the history of this remarkable family with that of Europe as a whole. After reading The Carolingians, one will have a much clearer notion of what life was like during the Dark Ages.

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