Synopses & Reviews
The collapse of the pan-European Carolingian empire in 888 under its ruler Charles the Fat.
Review
"MacLean has presented us with a much-needed and well-crafted reassessment of a period that historians of both earlier and later periods have tended to take for granted. The book will serve well as a teaching text and as a resource to guide further research." American Historical Review
Synopsis
This is the first book in any language to deal with the collapse of the pan-European Carolingian empire in 888, as seen through the reign of its last ruler Charles the Fat. It argues against traditionally pessimistic views of this important period, offering new interpretations of early medieval kingship.
About the Author
Simon MacLean is Lecturer in History at the University of St Andrews, Scotland.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Un-Frankish activities: Charles the Fat in the eyes of contemporary annalists; 3. The men who would be kings: the 'supermagnates' and the 'rise of the aristocracy'; 4. Royal politics and regional power in the late Carolingian empire; 5. The end of the Empire I: politics and ideology at the east Frankish court; 6. The end of the Empire II: response and failure; 7. History, politics and the end of the Empire in Notker's Deeds of Charlemagne; Conclusion.