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Since the fifteenth century, when humanist writers began to speak of a “middle” period in history linking their time to the ancient world, the nature of the Middle Ages has been widely debated. Across the millennium from 500 to 1500, distinguished historian Johannes Fried describes a dynamic confluence of political, social, religious, economic, and scientific developments that draws a guiding thread through the era: the growth of a culture of reason. “Fried’s breadth of knowledge is formidable and his passion for the period admirable...Those with a true passion for the Middle Ages will be thrilled by this ambitious defensio.” —Dan Jones, Sunday Times “Reads like a counterblast ...
Boyhood -- The Frankish empire and the wider world -- The warring king -- Power structures -- The ruler -- The royal court -- Reviving the title of emperor -- Imperator Augustus -- Epilogue: myths and sainthood
When Charlemagne died in 814 CE, he left behind a dominion and a legacy unlike anything seen in Western Europe since the fall of Rome. Distinguished historian and author of The Middle Ages Johannes Fried presents a new biographical study of the legendary Frankish king and emperor, illuminating the life and reign of a ruler who shaped Europe’s destiny in ways few figures, before or since, have equaled. Living in an age of faith, Charlemagne was above all a Christian king, Fried says. He made his court in Aix-la-Chapelle the center of a religious and intellectual renaissance, enlisting the Anglo-Saxon scholar Alcuin of York to be his personal tutor, and insisting that monks be literate and v...
An analysis of medieval ritual, history, and memory in Germany and the United States.
The Donation of Constantine is the most outrageous and powerful forgery in world history. The question of its precise time of origin alone kept generations of researchers occupied. But, what exactly is the Donation of Constantine? To find the answer, it is necessary to approach the question on two different semantic levels: First, as the Constitutum Constantini, a fictitious privilege, in which, among other things, rights and presents were bestowed on the catholic church by a grateful Emperor Konstantin. Secondly, as a reflection of the Middle Age mindset, becoming part of the culture landscape midway through 11th century A.D. The author not only reinterprets the origin of this forgery (i.e. puts it down to the Franks’ opposition of Emperor Louis the Pious), but retells, as well, the history of its misinterpretation since the High Middle Ages. In an appendix, all relevant texts are printed in the original language, an English translation is provided.
Charles I, often known as Charlemagne, is one of the most extraordinary figures ever to rule an empire. Driven by unremitting physical energy and intellectual curiosity, he was a man of many parts, a warlord and conqueror, a judge who promised 'for each their law and justice', a defender of the Latin Church, a man of flesh-and-blood. In the twelve centuries since his death, warfare, accident, vermin, and the elements have destroyed much of the writing on his rule, but a remarkable amount has survived. Janet Nelson's wonderful new book brings together everything we know about Charles, sifting through the available evidence, literary and material, to paint a vivid portrait of the man and his motives. Charles's legacy lies in his deeds and their continuing resonance, as he shaped counties, countries, and continents, founded and rebuilt towns and monasteries, and consciously set himself up not just as King of the Franks, but as the head of the renewed Roman Empire. His successors--in some ways even up to the present day--have struggled to interpret, misinterpret, copy, or subvert his legacy.
This book was first written in Latin in 1241 by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, Holy Roman Emperor (1196-1250). It was first published as a two volume work by his son Manfred. The original is in the Vatican. Next it was published in French in 1300 in six volumes by Jean II of Dampierre. The six volume work was translated into English and combined into one book in 1931 by Dr. Casey Albert Wood (1856-1942), a Canadian ophthalmologist specializing in the eyes of birds, and F. Marjorie Fyfe. The illustrations in this book were obtained in the Vatican Library during the years that Dr. Wood was studying there. Falcons have the best eyesight of any creature known to exist. It has long been recognized...
The Catholic Church is among the oldest, most secretive, institutions in the world, but in the sixteenth century a friar, Onofrio Panvinio, undertook ground-breaking investigations into the Church's history from Christ to the Renaissance. This study shows how his writings impacted on church and society, but also how he changed historical writing.
Barbara H. Fried presents a powerful critique of the nonconsequentialist approaches that have been dominant in recent Anglophone moral and political thought. She argues that nonconsequentialist theories have disastrous consequences in the political domain and are inadequate at dealing with conflicts of individual interests in the moral domain.
�Vorliegender Sammelband spiegelt die internationale Diskussion, die derzeit ueber Kantorowicz gefuehrt wird; er liefert ueber E. Gruenewalds Studie (Ernst Kantorowicz und Stefan George, 1982) und O. G. Oexles verdienstvollen Aufsatz (Das Mittelalter als Waffe 1996) hinaus dazu einen weiteren bedeutsamen Beitrag.� Das Historisch-Politische Buch �Trotz K's Vernichtungsauftrag zu seinem Nachla� werden hier bisher unver�ffentlichte Dokumente vorgestellt. Fundierte Analysen seiner Gedankenwelt wechseln sich ab mit pers�nlichen Erinnerungen an den Gelehrten.� Historisches Jahrbuch Inhalt: R. L. Benson / J. Fried: Einleitung � M. Gr�fin D�nhoff: Ernst Kantorowicz � R. E. Lern...