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Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne
In the growth of towns and the revival of commerce, historians have seen the development of a bourgeois and capitalist Europe, but Pierre Riché reminds us that Carolingians saw a world of forest and wasteland, in which scattered castles and villages were outposts against the savagery of nature, bands of outlaws, and a myriad of pagan superstitions. Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne gives us a vivid and deeply textured picture of the fear and insecurity that drove people, great and humble alike, to draw together with one another, with their stronger neighbors, and with God and His saints, in search of protection and sustenance.
Riché makes extensive use of modern social history techniques and the tools of new studies on nutrition, disease, demography, and climatology, as well as art history and archaeology, to comprehend the Carolingian mentality and reconstruct the material culture of the early European world.
Riché makes extensive use of modern social history techniques and the tools of new studies on nutrition, disease, demography, and climatology, as well as art history and archaeology, to comprehend the Carolingian mentality and reconstruct the material culture of the early European world.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 1, 2022
W książce znajdziemy nie tylko informacje na temat życia codziennego, ale również wiele innych – od tych podstawowych dotyczących geografii, struktury ludności, języka czy prawodawstwa, po sprawy kultury, nauki i obyczajów. To dość kompleksowe opracowanie dotyczące człowieka w czasach epoki karolińskiej. Podobało mi się to, że przeszliśmy przez naprawdę wiele aspektów życia człowieka w średniowieczu, dzięki czemu mogłam usystematyzować swoją wiedzę dotyczącą tej epoki.
Na koniec naszła mnie refleksja, że minęło ponad tysiąc lat, a ludzie wcale się tak mocno nie zmienili.
7/10
Na koniec naszła mnie refleksja, że minęło ponad tysiąc lat, a ludzie wcale się tak mocno nie zmienili.
7/10
August 5, 2017
Easy and approachable enough for anyone to read and thus have stereotypes and misconceptions of the Carolingian era easily dissipated, while chock full of sources and correlations to be a welcome addition to any hobbyist's bookshelf or even a college library.
An extremely tantalizing read as well, which doesn't shy away from the more dirty parts of that era yet, in its course to showcase daily life, brings up the struggles, suggestions, and viewpoints of those a bit more pristine.
An extremely tantalizing read as well, which doesn't shy away from the more dirty parts of that era yet, in its course to showcase daily life, brings up the struggles, suggestions, and viewpoints of those a bit more pristine.
September 1, 2016
Interesting enough -- Riche assumes that you will recognize the names Pepin, Charlemagne, Louis the Pious, Charles the Bald, Alcuin, etc. but, if you have a little bit of prior knowledge, the book is a goldmine of specific cultural, religious, and social details, bringing the Frankish world to life.
June 16, 2009
Amazing. I'm still digesting all the info.
March 13, 2013
Extremely well done, lots of detail, and curious facts that will be new even to those of us interested & reasonably well-read in this period.
May 29, 2022
Book 5 of a short reading course recommended by Norman F Cantor.
My kowledge of Medieval Europe around the time of Charlemagne was sparse to begin with, which has now been somewhat addressed by this book. Probably my biggest take away from this book is just how large the Carolingian Empire was at its height.
The book runs through varying strata of the Carolingian Empire, and gives a sometimes brief glance at various aspects of daily life, from the poor to the rich, its diversity of cultures and beliefs, the struggles of the times, environmentally, culturally, economically, militarily. A very decent overview, and yet not quite as engaging as many of the previous works cited by Cantor. At least, until the final chapter, which hit upon relics and pilgrimages, which hold a particular fascination for me.
While the scope of the book sits comfortably within the period often referred to as the Dark Ages, there was no lazy recourse to that old historical trope. Hardship was acknowledged and shortcomings too. The book did on several occasions seek to dispell some cherished assumptions about the period in question, which does need to be recognised, as there are quite a number of erroneous assumptions about this exact era.
All in all, while not a straight history about the era, it does reflect a more intimate portrait of the Empire, as 'daily life' books tend to, bringing to life the era more than a straight forward history can do.
My kowledge of Medieval Europe around the time of Charlemagne was sparse to begin with, which has now been somewhat addressed by this book. Probably my biggest take away from this book is just how large the Carolingian Empire was at its height.
The book runs through varying strata of the Carolingian Empire, and gives a sometimes brief glance at various aspects of daily life, from the poor to the rich, its diversity of cultures and beliefs, the struggles of the times, environmentally, culturally, economically, militarily. A very decent overview, and yet not quite as engaging as many of the previous works cited by Cantor. At least, until the final chapter, which hit upon relics and pilgrimages, which hold a particular fascination for me.
While the scope of the book sits comfortably within the period often referred to as the Dark Ages, there was no lazy recourse to that old historical trope. Hardship was acknowledged and shortcomings too. The book did on several occasions seek to dispell some cherished assumptions about the period in question, which does need to be recognised, as there are quite a number of erroneous assumptions about this exact era.
All in all, while not a straight history about the era, it does reflect a more intimate portrait of the Empire, as 'daily life' books tend to, bringing to life the era more than a straight forward history can do.
November 11, 2022
Sporo informacji przydatnych informacji wyciągnęłam, aczkolwiek są to nieco zawiedzione oczekiwania, bo za każdym razem w tego typu publikacjach liczę na szczegółowość na poziomie Osterhammela.
Niestety nie potrafię stwierdzić, jak szczegółowe są to informacje na tle dostępnych źródeł.
Mimo to zdecydowanie warto przeczytać, jeśli interesujemy się historią Franków w nieco większym stopniu niż przedstawiona w podręcznikach do historii w liceum.
Niestety nie potrafię stwierdzić, jak szczegółowe są to informacje na tle dostępnych źródeł.
Mimo to zdecydowanie warto przeczytać, jeśli interesujemy się historią Franków w nieco większym stopniu niż przedstawiona w podręcznikach do historii w liceum.
June 19, 2017
Extraordinarily well-researched, and, above all, it's NOT dry! Most history books tend to be very dry and hard to get through. But this one reads very easily. The only thing that occasionally gets confusing is that Riche will give out lists of examples that range through time 100-150 years, and it's not always clear when each example happens. Still, I suppose that's to be expected.
March 6, 2020
Fascinating.
Loved reading about the itinerant court and the farming stuff especially. The more mundane the better. And the scholar writing about his cat, little Pangur Ben! And peasant self-defence and collective organizing. Lot of cool avenues to explore.
Will definitely be reading more in this series and returning to this book specifically.
Loved reading about the itinerant court and the farming stuff especially. The more mundane the better. And the scholar writing about his cat, little Pangur Ben! And peasant self-defence and collective organizing. Lot of cool avenues to explore.
Will definitely be reading more in this series and returning to this book specifically.
November 16, 2021
Molto interessante e originale sugli argomenti trattati, apre una finestra su di un periodo troppo spesso trattato con preconcetti, stereotipi e superficialità
December 21, 2014
Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne provides a comprehensive picture of the early Carolingian kingdom. My interests lie primarily with the Merovingian kingdom. Despite this book's primary function of painting a picture of life during the Carolingian times, it also provides clues on life during the Merovingian kingdom. Whereas most Merovingian sources focus solely on the kings and royal court, this book focuses on all aspects of life outside the palaces. One of the main differences between the two kingdoms was that the Merovingian kings were seen as men with magical and mystical power while the Carolingian kings were marked by their adoption of the Christian faith. This book includes chapters which explain the extent of pagan cultural influence in this era as well as chapters which outline the strength and influence of the church. So for those who wish to use this book as a source for knowledge of the Merovingian times, keep in mind that during the Merovingian kingdom the church had to use a heavier hand in order to acquire and hold power and resources, whereas during the Carolingian times, Christianity was sanctioned and protected by the crown.
April 3, 2009
Veraltet in einigen Teilen, aber trotzdem ein angenehmer Rundumblick
October 4, 2014
Very interested in the subject matter, but did not enjoy the author's style or find his choice of topics ideal.
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March 14, 2015I like the description of his death
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews