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Daily Life in the Age of Charlemagne
During Charlemagne's time, life was full of ordinary the food supply could be depleted quickly by a bad growing season; most people had no access to artificial lighting; childbearing was extremely dangerous for both the child and the mother. This book covers topics ranging from food, clothing, housing, the intellectual life at court, the military life, the monastic life, and everything in between, giving readers a compelling portrait of how life was lived in the early Middle Ages.
Charlemagne's impact on the world is virtually unparalleled. Had he not built his empire and encouraged what became known as the Carolingian renaissance, much of the ancient Roman culture would have been lost, and Christianity may have died in the West. Yet on a personal level, people of Charlemagne's age lived as they had for hundreds of years.
Charlemagne's impact on the world is virtually unparalleled. Had he not built his empire and encouraged what became known as the Carolingian renaissance, much of the ancient Roman culture would have been lost, and Christianity may have died in the West. Yet on a personal level, people of Charlemagne's age lived as they had for hundreds of years.
- GenresHistory
232 pages, Hardcover
First published November 30, 2002
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 29, 2015
As the title states, this is a book about daily life during Charlemagne's reign. It covers a number of topics which, put together, give a comprehensive picture of what a day in the life might have looked like. This is one in a series of books about history through the eyes of those who didn't make it into the history books, and, as yet, it's my favorite approach to history.
There are a number of dates and events and battles, but these are given in the context of what it meant for the men fighting, or the people living their lives. While the work is properly cited, I didn't feel that it bogged down the narrative. Rather, the author integrates this into the book by explaining where these authors came from and what biases they may have in writing these events.
These books were recommended to me by an online writing group, as a suggestion for how to find the "feel" of a particular time period, and how to write about it. For this purpose, this series is excellent. Also, the "additional reading" section gives a brief review of each book, so that any aspiring historical fiction author could find out more detail about any particular facet without much searching.
As a comprehensive look on the time period, I would not recommend this book, or the series of books. It is an overview, and doesn't go into much detail. But for someone looking to get a personal angle on history, or to get a good idea of what it might have been like, would do well to find this book, or the series of books.
There are a number of dates and events and battles, but these are given in the context of what it meant for the men fighting, or the people living their lives. While the work is properly cited, I didn't feel that it bogged down the narrative. Rather, the author integrates this into the book by explaining where these authors came from and what biases they may have in writing these events.
These books were recommended to me by an online writing group, as a suggestion for how to find the "feel" of a particular time period, and how to write about it. For this purpose, this series is excellent. Also, the "additional reading" section gives a brief review of each book, so that any aspiring historical fiction author could find out more detail about any particular facet without much searching.
As a comprehensive look on the time period, I would not recommend this book, or the series of books. It is an overview, and doesn't go into much detail. But for someone looking to get a personal angle on history, or to get a good idea of what it might have been like, would do well to find this book, or the series of books.
February 23, 2026
Yes, this is niche title. But I need to learn about Charlemagne and I found so many books that looked far too long and too boring, even for me. This was just right. A straight up history book only JUST about Charlemagne and his time period. The chapters are divided up nicely into lots of small chunks so my brain could handle it, ha ha. I actually learned SO MUCH I am on the verge of embarrassed by how little of my European history is still in my brain. I'm sorry Mr. Mitchell, teacher of AP European! My mind is so full! But now I remember about the huge impact Charlemagne had on literacy and education. I learned about Carolingian science and medicine, how their economy worked and what people ate. I even learned about writing scripts and sword production! It's pretty repetitive and not particularly exciting, ever, but I ended up even reading with a pen because I was learning some cool stuff. I love that even with giant gaps in our knowledge, we can piece together what life was like the 700-800s surprisingly well.
September 3, 2025
A great introductory summary of the Carolingian era. I stopped to take a break at Chapter Four, where he starts on the commoners. I'll pick it up when I have had a chance to process my notes taken.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews