all the connections across Europe, the links that crossed religious and official and language frontiers, can also be celebrated in very dubious ways. The Vikings are hailed as the first Europeans, at least by some French scholars, breaking cultural divisions as well as breaking heads,47 and made into a foundation myth for our flabby, neo-liberal Europe. In this version of history Charlemagne, autocratic, imperial, a tycoon of the slave trade and aggressively brutal to his neighbours, becomes the patron saint of a fairly quiet customs union because at least he tried to rule both North and
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