IMC 2016: Sessions

Modern narratives define the period c. 900 - c. 1050 often by what it was not: post-Carolingian, that is a period which witnessed the disintegration of 9th-century political geography, institutions, and social structures; or pre-'Gregorian' (in reference to Pope Gregory VII), a turbulent interlude paving the way for a new, recognisably 'medieval' order of lords, peasants, and powerful churchmen in the long 12th century, 1050-1200. Since the 17th century it has been widely regarded as a period of disintegration, a 'century of iron' from whose rubble would eventually emerge the modern nations of Europe, including England, France, and Germany. By focusing on a range of contemporary source genres, these papers are designed to take the debate beyond these paradigms of chaos and national origin. They focus on the re-use of Carolingian conciliar texts, capitularies, pontifical collections, and the creation of historical compendia. They pose questions about 10th-century archaeology and art, about ethnicity, dynastic visions, and vocabularies of belonging. Focusing on these topics will allow us to calibrate the texture of the 10th century in relation to what had gone before - to understand rather than dismiss it as a period of transition.