Daily Life in the Age of Charlemagne: (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series)

During Charlemagne's time, life was full of ordinary difficulties: the food supply could be depleted quickly by a bad growing season; most people had no access to artificial lighting; childbearing was extremely dangerous for both the child and the mother. This book covers topics ranging from food, clothing, housing, the intellectual life at court, the military life, the monastic life, and everything in between, giving readers a compelling portrait of how life was lived in the early Middle Ages. Charlemagne's impact on the world is virtually unparalleled. Had he not built his empire and encouraged what became known as the Carolingian renaissance, much of the ancient Roman culture would have been lost, and Christianity may have died in the West. Yet on a personal level, people of Charlemagne's age lived as they had for hundreds of years.

designed For The Popular Reader From High School Level Up, This Volume Describes The Everyday Realities Of Life In Northern Europe In The 8th And 9th Centuries. A Short Synopsis Of Carolingian History Is Offered As An Introduction. The Book Discusses In General Terms The Economic, Religious, Military, Intellectual, And Courtly Aspects Of Their Life, With Sections On Topics That Include Cloth Production, Pottery, Libraries, Food, Heat, Light, Trade, Travel, And The Arts. Butt Teaches History At James Madison U. In Virginia. Annotation C. Book News, Inc.,portland, Or

school Library Journal

gr 9 Up-through A Dry And Repetitive Text, This Book Describes Life In Western Europe During The Early Middle Ages (roughly A.d. 600-900) And Also Provides Information On Charlemagne's Life And Contributions And The Carolingian Renaissance. Several Maps, Charts, And Black-and-white Photos And Reproductions Are Included. A Glossary And A Lengthy, Annotated List For Further Reading Are Appended. The Index Is Inadequate, Making It Difficult To Locate Specific Information (e.g., There's No Entry For Superstition, Even Though There's A Full-page Section With That Heading; To Find Food, It's Necessary To Look Under Common People (life Conditions)/food; Etc.). This Title Is Not Interesting Enough To Read Straight Through And Is Too Hard To Use For Reports, Making It Of Interest To Only The Most Dedicated Medieval Scholars.-ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, Ny Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Contents Introduction Chronology 1 Brief History of the Kingdom of the Franks and the World around Them Charles Martel Muslim Threat to Europe Charlemagne's Legacy The Fall of the Caxolingian Empire Vikings SOURCES ON THE CAROLINGIANS Primary Texts 2 Charlemagne's Royal Court 3 Feudalism and the Military FEUDALISM Military Service 4 Life of the Common People Family Structure Animal Skins Bathing 5 The Economy: Work, Agriculture, Trades, and Markets AGRICULTURE Harvesting Bronze Seaports 6 The Church: Religion, Monasticism, and Education Paganism 7 Science and Medicine Herbáis 8 Leisure and Games ENTERTAINMENT Hawking Tournaments Board Games Needlework 9 The Carolingian Renaissance Recruitment of Scholars Charlemagne as Inspirer Remnants of Scholarship Illuminated Manuscripts Manuscript Illustration Architecture LIBRARIES AND LITERATURE Book Organization Circulation of Books Library Catalogs 10 The Carolingian Legacy For Further Reading Index "Charlemagne's impact on the world is virtually unparalleled. Had he not built his empire and encouraged what became known as the Carolingian renaissance, much of the ancient Roman culture would have been lost, and Christianity may have died in the West. Yet on a personal level, people of Charlemagne's age lived as they had for hundreds of years. Life was full of ordinary difficulties: the food supply could be depleted quickly by a bad growing season; most people had no access to artificial lighting; childbearing was extremely dangerous for both the child and the mother. This book covers topics ranging from food, clothing, housing, the intellectual life at court, the military life, the monastic life, and everything in between, giving readers a compelling portrait of how life was lived in the early Middle Ages."--BOOK JACKET. Discusses daily life during the time of Charlemagne, examining such topics as housing, clothing, food, childbearing, the economy, leisure times, and religion.