The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680-825
31 Jan 1984-The American Historical Review (University of Pennsylvania Press)-Vol. 91, Iss: 1, pp 89
TL;DR: The Republic of St. Peter as mentioned in this paper was an independent political entity that was in existence by the 730s and was not a creation of the Franks in the 750s, as claimed by Noble.
Abstract: The Republic of St. Peter seeks to reclaim for central Italy an important part of its own history. Noble's thesis is at once original and controversial: that the Republic, an independent political entity, was in existence by the 730s and was not a creation of the Franks in the 750s. Noble examines the political, economic, and religious problems that impelled the central Italians--and a succession of resolute popes--to seek emancipation from the Byzantine Empire. He delineates the social structures and historical traditions that produced a distinctive political society, describes the complete governmental apparatus of the Republic, and provides a comprehensive assessment of the Franco-papal alliance.
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01 Aug 2015
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the politics of identity in the Merovingian kingdoms of the sixth century and the transformation of Frankish identity from the short to the long history of the Royal Frankish Annals.
Abstract: Introduction Part I. Communities of the Middle Ground in Sixth-Century Gaul: 1. Gregory of Tours and his genealogy of pastoral power in late antique Gaul 2. Virtutes sanctorum et strages gentium: 'The deeds of the saints and the slaughters of the peoples' - the radicalisation of church history 3. The dangers of history 4. Continuities and discontinuities: Roman and Frankish alternatives to Gregory 5. The politics of identity in the Merovingian kingdoms of the sixth century Part II. Countermyths: The Search for Origins in the Merovingian Kingdoms: 6. The persistence of Gregory's vision of community: the reecriture and reconfiguration of the Histories in the seventh century 7. Iocundus in fabolis et strenuus in consiliis: Roman trickery and Frankish mythmaking in the Chronicle of Fredegar 8. ... sicut ceterae gentes - '... like the other peoples' - the Liber historiae Francorum and the definition of the populus in the seventh and eighth century 9. Spielraume of Frankish identity in the long seventh century Part III. A Common Future: The Reforms of Frankish Identity under the Carolingians: 10. Gens Francorum inclita: 'the illustrious Frankish people' - the centralization of Frankishness under the early Carolingians 11. Correctio: the redefinition of central Frankishness 12. Before and after 800: central and local Frankishness in the Carolingian world 13. Before and after 829: the transformation of Frankish identity from the short to the long history of the Royal Frankish Annals Conclusion: Frankish identity, Western ethnicity Bibliography Index.
125 citations
Book•
05 Oct 2017TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive history of wall mosaics produced in the European and Islamic middle ages is presented, taking into account a wide range of issues, including style and iconography, technique and material, and function and patronage.
Abstract: In this book, Liz James offers a comprehensive history of wall mosaics produced in the European and Islamic middle ages. Taking into account a wide range of issues, including style and iconography, technique and material, and function and patronage, she examines mosaics within their historical context. She asks why the mosaic was such a popular medium and considers how mosaics work as historical 'documents' that tell us about attitudes and beliefs in the medieval world. The book is divided into two part. Part I explores the technical aspects of mosaics, including glass production, labour and materials, and costs. In Part II, James provides a chronological history of mosaics, charting the low and high points of mosaic art up until its abrupt end in the late middle ages. Written in a clear and engaging style, her book will serve as an essential resource for scholars and students of medieval mosaics.
118 citations
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01 May 1988
TL;DR: The idea of empire detached from its gentile anchorage acquired Roman-Christian universality in the 8th and 9th centuries as mentioned in this paper, when the Frankish kings Pippin and Charlemagne successfully mobilised two elites, the higher clergy of the Franciscan Church and the frankish aristocracy.
Abstract: For ideas of kingship, the period c. 750 to c. 1150 was no longer one of beginnings but of consolidation. It saw the formation of a single culture in an expanded Latin Christendom. It began with the incorporation of significant Spanish and insular contributions into the mainstream of western political thought, and it ended with new contributions from as far afield as Bohemia and Denmark. The history of the period was dominated first by the Frankish Empire, then by states that succeeded to or were profoundly influenced by it. Its creation strengthened in the short run the traditional elements in barbarian kingship, successful leadership of the people ( gens ) in wars of conquest and plunder bringing Frankish domination of other gentes. Hence the hegemonial idea of empire, of the emperor ruling many peoples and realms, arose directly from the political experience of the eighth-century West. In the longer run power devolved to kingdoms that proved durable, without a gentile identity or an economic base in plunder and tribute. This brought new formulations of the realm as a territorial and sociological entity, the aristocracy sharing power and responsibility with the king. The idea of empire detached from its gentile anchorage acquired Roman-Christian universality. In the eighth century the Frankish kings Pippin and Charlemagne successfully mobilised two elites, the higher clergy of the Frankish Church and the Frankish aristocracy. Power-sharing was built into the fabric of the Carolingian Empire though it was masked at first by a community of interest that evoked a chorus of praise for rulers evidently possessed of divine approval.
105 citations
Book•
11 Feb 2019
88 citations
Book•
20 Aug 2015TL;DR: This article examined how the Frankish king Charlemagne and his men held together the vast new empire he created during the first decades of his reign, and they showed that rather than imposing a pre-existing model of empire onto conquered regions, they learned from them, developing a practice of empire that allowed the emperor to rule on a European scale.
Abstract: Revisiting one of the great puzzles of European political history, Jennifer R. Davis examines how the Frankish king Charlemagne and his men held together the vast new empire he created during the first decades of his reign. Davis explores how Charlemagne overcame the two main problems of ruling an empire, namely how to delegate authority and how to manage diversity. Through a meticulous reconstruction based on primary sources, she demonstrates that rather than imposing a pre-existing model of empire onto conquered regions, Charlemagne and his men learned from them, developing a practice of empire that allowed the emperor to rule on a European scale. As a result, Charlemagne's realm was more flexible and diverse than has long been believed. Telling the story of Charlemagne's rule using sources produced during the reign itself, Davis offers a new interpretation of Charlemagne's political practice, free from the distortions of later legend.
86 citations
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