2. The Carolingians (750- 900) Flashcards
Why does Rosenwein start chapter 2 around the year 750? Does this mark the beginning of a new period? What important changes occur at this time?
- This period was more peaceful as there was more dynastic stability and culture flourishing in the three dynasties. This occurred under the new leadership of energetic dynasties in the European and Islamic world.
- By 900, Byzantium was icon loving, aggressive and cultured instead of its iconoclasm in 750. There were changes in the army as the old guard iconoclasm was replaced, and the army was based in the countryside. Tagmata was more critical than the Themata. Strategoi became regional governors and created a military aristocracy class like Europe and Islam world.
- Increase in culture- Glagolitic alphabet in the mid-ninth century. This was a script invented for the Slavic languages by the Eastern Orthodox Christian missionaries Constantine and his brother. Classical Greek text was converted into Arabic showing how culture flowed. Photius and his circle of scholars.
- Baghdad took advantage of wider trade networks, and Islamic art and literature thrived. There were developments in science, astrology and law. Books were cheaper there as they were written on paper.
- Muslim men took Christian wives. Christian dressed lie Muslims and worked alongside by government posts
- Byzantium land in central Italy was given to the pope due to the donation of pippin. Papacy independent from the east.
- Caroline minuscule: clear and manageable script that was established by the educational reforms of Charlemagne in the latter part of the 8th and early 9th centuries
Rosenwein titles Chapter 2 Creating New Identities. What new identities are these?
- East Central Europe began to take shape. Bulgaria became a permanent state first, and Lithuania was last, and they converted to Christianity to help support their ruling class. This process began in Moravia and Bulgaria.
- Carolingians but they were broken by dynasty problems and outsiders and differences between regions like linguistics
Explain how rulers managed actually to rule their empire in this period (750- 900)
- Bulgar Khan employed Greeks to administrate his state used Greek officials in his writing office to authenticate his documents with Byzatine-style seals but had no intention of being subservient to Byzantium.
- A shift to the east in Islam. Abbasids moved the capital to Iraq and followed in the footsteps of Sasanid Kings the imperial court determined culture and policies like in Byzantium.
- Range of identities in Islam caused resistance in Khurasan and Iraq due to the taxes on previous non-believers and the Abbasids dynasty was formed but they created their own elite in the eighth century. The provincial governors came from the Abbasids family. Their armies allowed them sway. Troops collected taxes in weakly controlled areas and the Islamic world was wealthy under them.
- Idris I ruled where the Abbasids could not reach he made Waliha his headquarters following arab rulers by building near existing settlements but not in with a mosque in between serving as a middle point.
- al-Andalus under the emirs 25% muslim tax christians and jews heavily
- Carolingians took advantage of the institutes or roman culture and politics but were willing to experiment and they done a palace coup to take over a powerful family in Austria monopolised the high mayor office
- Charlemange building projects and laws carried by regional govenors that were elected from a pool of his supports that were rewared if they done well.By 800 stretched 1000 miles men were glad to go off to war when they received booty. Standardised weights and measurements.
- Louis (Charlemanfe heir) appointed family members and controlled the church
- Treaty of vurdun between louis heirs
What are the Dhuoda’s ‘multiple identities’?
The first identity is a Christian mother teaching her son how to live a moral life.
She also has the identity of wife and consort. Dhuoda was close to the imperial family before her marriage and found it a privilege to marry Bernard. Dhuoda, as a result of her relationship with the empress, had played a role in Bernard’s rise to power. Takes money from jews which goes against the church so Bernard doesn’t leave her.
She was a member of the aristocracy elite so was “in possession of the elites codes, signs and culture, who affirmed loudly and clearly the superiority of the nobility and its right to choose its own degree of loyalty to the king.”
What is the point Le Jan is trying to make about how we should approach a source like the Liber Manualis?
The manual is made to advise her son so she reveals very little about herself which leads to searching behind how she constructs herself to reveal many identities. For example, she does not show affection towards Bernard suggest there relationship was transactional.
How important is it to know the ‘author’ of a Liber Manualis?
It is key to understanding at least the political narrative of the Manual and the ambiguity of certain passages
“Bernard was obliged to entrust their son William to Charles the Bald. Charles the Bald had not freed Pippin II as he had promised, so that William was now a fidelis or vassal of the king. In order to give the public this potentially dangerous message, Dhuoda portrayed herself as a submissive and suffering wife.”
What aspects of Dhuoda’s personality and personal circumstances emerge from this text? Does the text allow you to form an image of her and her son?
- Her personality as a mother emerges.
- Religious as seen in the verse that begins the book
- Anxious as she warns of many “Wicked” things and people
How does Dhuoda view the relationship between king and court?
- “men’s custom is above all to venerate the actions and titles of kings” but a son should be devoted to their father and remain loyal to the king that their father chooses as a son place is given to him by his father birth right
- Support Charles and remain in his favour
- Loyalty and dignity is important
How does Dhuoda describe how people treat eachother at court?
- There are people who give good advice and others who do not so not always trust people have to be wary of people
- Reciprocity you love and cherish people and they will love and cherish you
- Lords authority is described as a command from god
How was the church organised from 500?
- Organised in the dioceses model(a district under the pastoral care of a bishop in the Christian Church) on roman admin centred around civitates (city-states)
- Concept of office: Roman its about how you have to behave etc not who you are a strict organisation helped them establish footing and stabilise society and laws and texts alongside the abstract office
- Recruited the highest elite
- Bishops were not just a religious role they had a role in society they would sit in court, lead armies, lead defences, take care of social welfare they had a secular role ruling towns
- Monasticism holy men became monks another theology next to the official theology
- Holy men operate in autonomous way
- Two major forms of monasticism were eremitical and cenobitic
- Monks could be violent at this time they sometime closely cooperated with bishops sometimes they did not
What did Monasticism in the West look like?
- 6 c benedict van Nursiaa monk who wrote a guide to monastic life
- He established Monastery of Montecassino which is still around today
- Famous rule
- Not immideatly popular but frank kings liked it they had an interest in controlly unruly groups too
- Obedience, poverty, stabilitas loci (don’t leave monastery after entering it)
What did Christianity look like in the North West?
- Organized Christianity in England is hardly found after roman troops retired
- Wales and Cornwall remain Christian
- From there it was introduced to Ireland but could not introduce the same roman style office there
- St Patrick 5th century christianised Ireland. Abducted by pirates made a slave then he escaped back to England dreamt he should go back to Ireland and convert people
What did Christianity look like in Ireland?
- No roman admin system
- Monks super important in organisation went to deserted places that were hard to leave
- There are bishops but these live often in a monastery
- Ideas of peregrination origins of pilgrimage live as a stranger that doesn’t belong to a society no family
Describe the Christianization of England
- In 596 Pope Gregory the Great sends a mission to England. He sends letters to king of England and France There is discussion on why he done this as it is the first time they organise a mission.
- The monk Augustine becomes the first archbishop of canterbury showing the success it gives them a foot in England
- From the west, Irish monks settle in Northumbria (Lindisfarne)
- England is Christianised from both Ireland and rome
Describe the problem with the differences within Christianity
- Different ecclesiastical organisation
- Different tonsure- Irsh monks shave first parts of hair
- Different calculation of the date of Easter
- 664 synod of Whitby (king oswy) decideds to follow the roman way but still many followed non roman ways in England
