Author Description

During the central middle ages to modem times, western Europeans were often known to their neighbours and enemies as Franks. This was due to the creation of a Frankish Empire in the eighth and ninth centuries which embraced much of Latin Christendom. Usually referred to as the Carolingian period, this volume instead invites us into a Frankish world. This shifts the accent from the dynasty of the Carolingian family to the people that made up the Frankish population and, in fact, pre-dated the Carolingians. The essays collected in this volume reflect the Frankish world from a variety of angles, but in particular the main topics include: - Carolingian politics and ritual; - Dimensions of early medieval thought; - Gender history. These essays, written over the past ten years, look beyond the aggression and intolerance often associated with the Carolingian empire and look instead towards the pluralistic alternative to domination and the plentiful potential for change and adaptation this period offered.