The Carolingians : A Family Who Forged Europe - Softcover

Pierre Riché; Michael Idomir Allen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812213424 ISBN 13: 9780812213423

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993

Synopsis

Pierre Riché 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. Riché 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.

About this title

About the Author:

Pierre Riche is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Paris X (Nanterre) and Former Director of the Center for Research in Late Antiquity and the High Middle Ages. He is the author of Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Language Notes:

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0812213424
• ISBN 13: 9780812213423
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 424