The Carolingians : A Family Who Forged Europe [Paperback]

Pierre Riché (Author), Michael Idomir Allen (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Middle Ages Series | Publication Date: January 1, 1993

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.

Editorial Reviews

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

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812213424
• ISBN-13: 978-0812213423
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,256,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pierre Riche's The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe, May 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Carolingians : A Family Who Forged Europe (Paperback)

For those of you who think that the Dark Ages was characterized by illiterate drunk men dressed and acting like Thor, Pierre Riche's The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe will come as welcome releif.

By tracing the evolution of this one family from obscurity to the zenith of power under Charlemagne and decline under the late pre-Capetian kings of France and the Ottonians of Germany, Riche has in essence captured the spirit of Western/Central Europe itself. Plentiful notation and research not only documents the world of Late Merovingian Sub-Roman Gaul, but that of the early Middle Ages as well. We learn about Byzantine politics, assasination, love affairs, the Church, Basques, Moors, political crises, architecture, international relations, war, scholarship, barbarians, beauty, decay, petty dynasts, torture, and literacy.

Family histories are difficult to write. There is a tendency to speculate on interpersonal relationships, petty rivalries, recurring family traits, fighting over the family business, etc. However, the Carolingians were a family whose business was Europe. It is interesting to see how cooperation and organization could help the Caroligingians to climb the lofty heights of power and recover from disaster, including an abortive attempt to place one of their members on the French throne about a century before Pippin the Short took the crown from the Merovingians. However, a century after Pippin, his great-great grandchildren were the masters of most of Europe and spent most of their energy fighting each other and ultimately became politically impotent and insignificant. Their last known family members either married into the Capetian/Ottonian families or simply vanished into the mists of time never to rule again.

Riche is adept at combining the history of this remarkable family with that of Europe as a whole. After reading The Carolingians, one will have a much clearer notion of what life was like during the Dark Ages

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of its Kind, August 7, 2003

By 

Glenn McDorman (Denver) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Carolingians : A Family Who Forged Europe (Paperback)

Riche's treatment of the Carolingian dynasty and era is masterful, and towers above other such treatments. Beginning with the late Merovingian kings and the slow rise of the Carolingians, and ending with the establishment of the new regional dynasties this book covers almost three hundred years of history in dramatic fashion. Riche focuses on who the Carolingians were as persons and as rulers, giving his descriptions of events a feeling of real truth. At the same time, Riche rises above merely writing a narrative history. Woven into the story of the Carolingians is much academic discussion of policies, administration, linguistics, economics, military science and technology. Riche goes so far as to end the book with an eighty-page discussion of Carolingian society, focusing on the Church, the features of kingship, economics, and the "Carolingian Renaissance."

For those of you wary of Romance-language scholarship, know that the book does lack notes, but the sources are clearly stated within the text. As far as translation goes, this is the best French-into-English translations out there.

Given that there is only one map, it would be a good idea to get a historical atlas to accompany this book.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Carolingians : A Family Who Forged Europe (Paperback)

An excellent book, with sufficient detail for professional historians yet presented clearly and engagingly enough for the non-expert. I highly recommend this for anyone with an interest in European history, and particularly in the Middle Ages, as the noble families who rose to power across Europe under the Carolingians -- the dukes of Normandy and Aquitaine; the house of Anjou, etc. -- figure prominently in the following centuries. The family trees at the back were invaluable -- but I was irked to note that the number of maps had been cut badk "at the request of the publisher," so there was only one...and it was inadequate.