I am currently reading through primary source material – in translation of course – on the Carolingians. Right now I’m in the middle of the 9th century in the post-Louis the Pious period where his sons and nephews were tussling over who would control what. It’s an interesting period which generated a lot of literature and sources. But it will be some time before I’ll feel comfortable enough with my knowledge level to be able to offer anything more than areas I find interesting. There are several areas that intrigue me and which I expect I’ll explore in more depth.
One is the relative balance of power between the Church and secular leadership. This waxes and wanes but it is interesting to me how, even when it appears the Church is relatively weak, it can exert quite a bit of influence. However there is this document, the Constitutio Romano, signed in 824, which asserts that a new Pope may only be ordained upon approval by the Frankish Emperor. For a period, the Church followed this, until they began ordaining Popes who may not have been favored by the Emperor (by this time Emperor was a loosely used title but recognized for this purpose). Just past the mid-9th century, which is what I’m reading on now, this became less respected. The same document guarantees that the Carolingians will not interfere with Church affairs or the governance of lands held by the Church. Again, this aspect was followed or not followed to varying degrees.
There were also various bishops – Hincmar of Rheims may be the most prominent though there is also Wala – who were caught in the middle of a conflict between the secular rulers and the Church and often sided with the ruler over the pope, at least to some extent. At times rulers almost seemed to ignore the Church and at times they were willing to travel to Rome for Papal support.
I’m also wondering how the Lothar II/Theutberga/Waldrada divorce case may have influenced the evolution of marriage into an official Church sacrament. It was the 12th century before what by then was starting to become accepted practice received official mention at Church Councils. Did the Lothar II Divorce situation, which sure generated a lot of 9th century “press” have much, or anything to do with this? I’m sure there are books specifically on this aspect of history but I sort of like approaching things from a less comprehensive POV before reading a synthesis.
And then there’s the whole issue of secular power. The aspect of rule where landed followers of a King or Emperor must provide their support in order for that ruler to be able to exert his authority. The sources simply list some names without going into the nitty-gritty but it’s clear that something would cause a count to throw his lot in with someone other than who a treaty or agreement said he should. Is there causal consistency with this? Or is the number of reasons as high as the number of people taking this action? Obviously the latter is not true but is there justification for any sort of model or “ism.”
Bernard of Septimania needs a bio. Maybe there’s enough on him in secondary sources to make this extraneous. But I’d like to know if he was really the source of all that is evil in the world bewitched by an adulterous, betraying seductress (Paschasius Radbertus), or was he a person who was basically honest, wasn’t shacking up with the Emperor’s wife (Hincmar of Rheims) and had bad luck – or lacked competence – when trying to assert his rights?
And there will be a lot on Carolingian administration, tax collection, judicial processes, etc. that I’m sure I will be very interested in. For example, I’ve read Michael McCormick’s Charlemagne’s Survey of the Holy Land. Charlemagne wanted to provide assistance for the Church in and around Rome. But he wasn’t about to write a blank check. So about 808 he sent some people to Rome to do a survey of all buildings and properties including an assessment of their condition. This survey was later updated by Louis the Pious. This says a great deal about how the Carolingians were able to do land and building surveys and the importance to them of being able to tabulate, account and quantify various aspects of society.
Travel Plans
One of my goals now that I’m retired is to take one BAT – Big-Ass Trip – per year. Some of these will be to see a natural feature or area I haven’t visited. But many will have at least a chunk of the focus on history, particularly Medieval.
Pre-retirement I had put together something of a wish list that went like this:
- France
- England
- Spain
- Germany, Switzerland, Low Countries
- Eastern Europe, Poland, Ukraine
I have others on my list such as Australia and New Zealand and the West Coast of South America but there’s not a lot that’s Medieval there.
When I traveled internationally for work it was great to present at a conference or work a day or two on a project. However what I particularly enjoyed was my time in Mexico and Central America where I spent a week or two living with the people I was working with in rural areas. It seemed to take about three days before my rudimentary language skills had improved to where we could really communicate and I could learn about their culture. Simple items like how they spent time after dark inside the family compound, the sorts of stories they tell, and their showing me various sites and locations important to them while telling the stories behind them were the most valuable parts of the experience for me. Their worldview is just so different from that of myself and most Americans, at least when it comes to farming – it is wonderful to be able to absorb and appreciate some of that.
So I have decided I want my vacations to follow this model. My plan is that for each of the above I’ll spend a month or so in the area and not necessarily traveling from place to place every day. I would like to have a base of operations or residence where I stay for some time. During the day I will drive or take the bus or train to nearby – somewhat anyway – points of interest. During the evenings I’ll look for local cafes, pubs, etc., where I can go and just chat with people.
Once I retired and thought things over I decided I would reverse the order of my top two items and visit England first. The reason is pretty simple. If I’m going to spend a month in another country it is better to do so first where I (mostly) understand the language. I can get by in French and Spanish and if this goes well I hope to be better than that when I travel. However being able to, say, read a road sign or visitor instructions for a landmark or a museum could be helpful. Not to mention asking for help from someone when I get confused.
Trip 1 – England
So I’ve started planning for my first trip to England during the summer of 2023. Other than the arrival and departure dates, everything else is open for change as I have booked my flights but nothing else. So here is the tentative plan:
- June 14 – Arrive at Heathrow
- June 15-19 – London
- June 19/20 – Train to Dover, tour castle and area – for London and Dover I’ll have someone with me and we’ll mix in some “touristy” things but much of London tourism is rooted in history
- June 20 – Train to London, drop friend off at Heathrow for 6/21 flight
- June 21 – Train to Worcester, pick up rental car
- June 21 – 29 – In Worcester, day-trips
- June 30 – Travel and check-in day for Leeds – the single most frequent recommendation I’ve gotten is to stay in York rather than Leeds – the Shambles sounds just fascinating – but I plan to attend the International Medieval Congress July 3-6 so this seems to make sense though again, nothing is locked in.
- June 30 – July 11 – Leeds, IMC July 3-6
- July 12-16 – Scotland, very quick southern tour including Edinburgh and Glasgow
- July 17 – Return rental car, fly home through Heathrow
Each of my longer “staycation” spots will involve sleeping in one location, likely an airbnb or other similar-type option. I’ll then either drive or take public transportation to locations I want to visit. I debated Cambridge over Worcester for the first leg and until I actually book lodging it’s an option. But I really want to see Wales. All those fortifications built, particularly by Edward I, Offa’s Dyke, etc. Worcester seems a bit closer to the area. Though I may discover an, “if you’ve seen one castle you’ve seen ’em all” situation but I suspect not. And I hope I can find a nearby low-key pub or other gathering place both there and in Leeds where I can spend my evenings among people open to having conversations with a Colonial. ;) And maybe a local cafe with the same idea rather than making my own breakfast.
I have no intention of making this a Travelogue but once I return I’m sure I’ll have a great deal to report. And more pictures than I’ll be able to comprehend. I won’t be able to see everything. No time whatsoever in Ireland. No Cornwall and only the most cursory visit to Scotland. And I will not be visiting during the Premier League season so I won’t be able to attend a match. I hope someone will ask me to Tea which evidently is not a drink but an event.
If you happen to read this blog and would like to get together for a beer or a bite to eat (or Tea), or to visit a site of interest, please let me know. I’ll have some “must-see” sites but I will also have a fair amount of flexibility. I am reasonably ambulatory and feel capable of walking/hiking areas listed as moderate in the United States.
If this sort of experience works for me as I hope, then spending a month or so in France during 2024 is likely. The main difference is I expect I will reverse the order and save Paris for last when my language and social skills are more developed. I’m less worried about this for London where I am able to apologize for being uncouth in several different ways.
I apologize for the lack of medieval content with this post. I’m not at a point where I feel able to comment intelligently on the Carolingians. I will get there – I have had the urge to post a time or two but have held off. I know once I begin reading modern secondary sources I will become more competent, or believe I am anyway. There is interesting stuff going on. I’m sure I’ll want to talk about it.
As the trip draws closer I suspect that at some point I’ll mention sites I’m interested in visiting. I will be in Eastern Europe; Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic, for about 10 days this December and some of that time will hopefully be spent with people who have traveled to (or are from) England. My plan is to get serious with planning this trip after the first of the year.
McCormick, Michael, Charlemagne’s Survey of the Holy Land: Wealth, Personnel, and Buildings of a Mediterranean Church between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Washington: Dumbarton Oaks (2011). ISBN: 978-0884023630.
Medieval History Geek 