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IMC 2016: Sessions

Session 1612: The Transformation of the Carolingian World, II

Thursday 7 July 2016, 11.15-12.45

Sponsor:Institut für Mittelalterforschung, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien
Organiser:Maximilian Diesenberger, Institut für Mittelalterforschung, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien
Moderator/Chair:Simon MacLean, Department of History, Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge
Paper 1612-aEthnicity and the 'Nation' in 9th- and 10th-Century Europe: Questions and Perspectives
(Language: English)
Walter Pohl, Institut für Geschichte, Universität Wien /
Index terms: Historiography - Medieval, Political Thought
Paper 1612-bThe Transformation of Carolingian Art
(Language: English)
Beatrice Kitzinger, Department of Art & Archaeology, Princeton University
Index terms: Art History - General, Mentalities, Religious Life
Abstract

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.