The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe / Edition 1

by Pierre Riché, Michael Idomir Allen

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780812213423
Publisher:	University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Publication date:	01/01/1993
Series:	The Middle Ages Series
Pages:	424
Sales rank:	299,693
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.07(d)

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.

Editorial Reviews

"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

"Riché 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

"Riché has managed to make an often confusing period of history accessible to the reader, and this is a considerable achievement."—Historia

From the Publisher

Translated from the 1983 French edition, traces the rise, fall, and revival of the Carolingian dynasty, and shows how it molded the shape of a post-Roman Europe that is still with us today. An introduction to the subject for undergraduate or general readers. The largely French and German bibliography has been replaced with a short list of recommended English works. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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