Struggle for Empire: Kingship and Conflict under Louis the German, 817–876 (Conjunctions of Religion and Power in the Medieval Past) - Softcover

Goldberg, Eric J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801475295 ISBN 13: 9780801475290

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Struggle for Empire explores the contest for kingdoms and power among Charlemagne's descendants that shaped the formation of Europe. It examines this pivotal era through the reign of Charlemagne's grandson, Louis the German (826–876), one of the longest-ruling Carolingian kings. Eric J. Goldberg's book brings the enigmatic Louis to life and makes a vital contribution to recent reevaluations of the late Carolingian age.

In the Treaty of Verdun of 843, Louis inherited the eastern territories of the Carolingian empire, thereby laying the foundations for an east Frankish kingdom. But, as Goldberg emphasizes, Louis was never satisfied with his realm beyond the Rhine. Louis was a skilled and cultured ruler who modeled himself on Charlemagne, and he aspired to rebuild his grandfather's empire. This ambition to reunite Europe brought Louis into repeated conflict with other rulers: Carolingian kings, Byzantine emperors, Bulgar khans, Roman popes, and Slavic warlords. While Louis ultimately failed to reunify the empire, his fifty-year reign produced a period of remarkable political consolidation and cultural creativity in central Europe.

By highlighting the ways in which dynastic rivalries, aristocratic rebellions, diplomacy, and warfare shaped Louis's reign, Struggle for Empire uncovers the dynamism and innovation of ninth-century kingship. To trace Louis's evolving policies, Goldberg moves beyond the evidence traditionally used to study his reign―the Annals of Fulda―and exploits the visual arts, liturgy, archeology, and especially charters. The result is a remarkably comprehensive and colorful picture of Carolingian kingship in action.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"The Making of Saint Louis is one of the most important books on French history in years. It is a brilliant reconstruction and description of the way Louis IX was conceived as a saint in the two centuries after his death--I say brilliant and I mean it. M. Cecilia Gaposchkin exploits her sources with an admirable sophistication and mastery."--William Chester Jordan, Dayton-Stockton Professor of History, Princeton University

"Through a close analysis of sermons, liturgical sources and books of hours, M. Cecilia Gaposchkin demonstrates that in the years following the canonization of King Louis IX of France, different constituencies constructed different versions of the same saintly king. Franciscans remembered his charity and humility; Cistercians remembered his asceticism and defense of the faith. Capetian, Angevin, and Valois kings drew on Louis's memory to legitimize their own power, but others drew on that same memory in order to criticize the current king. This is truly an outstanding demonstration of the malleable qualities of sacred memory and the multiple purposes it could serve in medieval society."--Sharon Farmer, University of California, Santa Barbara

"M. Cecilia Gaposchkin's beautifully written, wide-ranging book examines the ways in which different constituencies--Saint Louis's descendants, other elites, members of various monastic orders, and others--constituted the memory of the king to serve their different, sometimes conflicting interests. Her evidence is primarily liturgical and homiletic, but she also musters images, documents, letters, ceremony, even coins in this subtle investigation of the perception of sanctity and sacral kingship in the half century after the king's death in 1270."--Joan A. Holladay, The University of Texas at Austin

"The Making of Saint Louis is a fine new analysis of one of the most important dynastic cults of the Middle Ages. M. Cecilia Gaposchkin focuses on liturgical sources to provide a new picture of the evolution of the cult of Saint Louis, which is perhaps the most attractive crystallization point of the idea of Christian rulership."--Gábor Klaniczay, Collegium Budapest and Central European University

About the Author

Eric J. Goldberg is Associate Professor of History at Williams College.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0801475295
• ISBN 13: 9780801475290
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416