#carolingians

[medievalistsnet]

Online Course: The Carolingians

The Carolingians

Explore the world of the Carolingians, their rise to power, impact in Europe and eventual fall. Learn about sociopolitical, economic and cul

[fanfanlemoko]

Charlemagne (Carolus Magnus), tel qu'il apparaît dans le Livro do Armeiro-Mor (Livre du Grand Armurier), un célèbre armorial portugais achevé en 1509 par João do Cró

[dreamconsumer]

Portrait of Charlemagne, King of the Franks. Unknown artist.

[littlehistorian]

The Emperor Charlemagne in Full State Dress. By Herbert Norris.

[voudit]

From the book Karoliner by Alf Åberg and Göte Göransson. (I adore this book so much! Just look at these silly drawings!)

The book is about the Karoliner, or Carolingians, of the Swedish army in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Föraren (the driver): was to keep a close eye on the company's standard, which he carried behind the ensign during the march but handed over to the ensign when the battle escalated. He was also to take care of the company's sick. He was to ensure that none of them were "neglected" and that everyone took their prescribed medication.

Furiren (forman): would mark out the company's camp site. He would also receive the provisions and distribute them to the company.

Rustmästaren (armorer): was to be in charge of the ammunition and distribute it to the privates according to orders. He was also to inspect the rifles and ensure that the soldiers showed every diligence in keeping them ready and clean.

Fältväbeln (Sergeant Major) or Kvartermästaren (quartermaster): would be the eye of the company. He should therefore be exceptionally quick, precise and quick. He should be able to read and write. He would line up the company and see that everything was in order in the ranks. He would report which men were absent and know each of the company to their capacity and condition. Minor offenses among the privates he would immediately punish with the sword or the pike.

Fänriken (ensign): should be a man of good character, quiet, sober, chaste, and brave. He should be God-fearing and full of compassion, so that if any poor soldier deserved any punishment, he would intercede for him for mercy. In this way the soldiers would stand by him in battle all the more bravely and defend the company's banner, which the ensign carried. The ensign would also take care of the drill and inspect the sick.

Löjtnanten (lieutenant): was the company commander's closest man. He was to be a brave, intelligent, and well-trained man, on whose shoulders rested the entire the company would rest.

Kaptenen (captain): was the company commander. He would train the people well and set a good example for them. He should see that everything in the company went well and skillfully. He should be somewhat more devout towards his subordinates than the lieutenant and the others.

As a father to his children, he was to defend and provide for his company and be their advocate before the colonel. When the lieutenant and the other officers were somewhat strict, he must in return be somewhat gentle and familiar, so that the privates and the lesser officers would not be too much tormented and subdued by some unwise officer and thus lose their affection for the company.

Regementskvartermästaren (regimental quartermaster): was to arrange the camp in the field. He was to ensure that the colonel's tent was in front of the regiment on the right wing and the lieutenant colonel's in front of the left wing. The major's tent was to be behind the regiment. He was also to arrange the streets in the camp and give the quartermasters instructions on where the company officers' tents should be.

Majoren (major): should be equipped with good sense and heroic courage. He was responsible for the internal service, the guards and commanders of the regiment. He kept track of the strength of the companies, how many officers and soldiers were retained and fit for battle. He also let the drums beat at the right time for reveille and formation.

Överstelöjtnant (lieutenant colonel): was to respect and love his colonel first and foremost. He was the colonel's deputy and was to be a support under the colonel's arms. In his command he was to be modest and familiar but somewhat serious.

Översten (colonel): was the head of the regiment. He was to love God first and foremost, honor and revere his king. He was to have good sense, adhere strictly to discipline and the fear of God, and know what a knight could endure. He was also to know everything about service in the field and be brave and determined.

(I apologize if any of my translations are off, Swedish is not my first language. Don't hesitate to correct any of my mistakes!)

[wonder-worker]

[Louis IV of West Francia] died while in Rheims after a lengthy illness following a fall from his horse. Acting quickly, the widowed queen Gerberga of Saxony met with [Duke Hugh the Great]. It seems Gerberga’s chief aim was to ensure her son, Lothair, succeeded to the throne of France. In .return for supporting the boy (then around thirteen years old), Hugh received lands in Burgundy and Aquitaine. Once more, as had happened with Lothair’s father in 936, Hugh got to play kingmaker, albeit this time with Gerberga as an important part of the succession plan. Both seem to have maintained the alliance. Hugh hosted the queen mother and her son for Easter in 955. The duke and young king then campaigned together briefly in Aquitaine. [...] In 956, Hugh the Great died.

After the deaths of Louis and Hugh, the rest of Gerberga’s life is not well documented, but a few pieces of information are quite clear. Her familial-political ties seem to have increased. Not only was she ruling the kingdom closely with Lothair but she took part in endeavors with and on behalf of her siblings. For example, in 957, Gerberga accompanied her son and her sister Hedwig on a campaign to assist her brother Bruno, the archbishop of Cologne and duke of Lotharingia, against a rebellious vassal. The three—Gerberga, Lothair, and Bruno—met together often in the years following Hugh’s death, usually on the same side of a conflict. Sometimes they quarreled but never with great hostility, always coming to a peaceable resolution in the end, according to our records. During these mostly amicable meetings, Gerberga figuratively held her son’s hand as she and Bruno decided secular and episcopal offices in their adjoining lands, oversaw councils, and coordinated punishment or leniency for rebels. One of the last times we see Gerberga is in 965 accompanying Lothair to Cologne, Bruno’s see, to meet Otto. Otto had recently returned from Italy with the title of emperor and then held a placitum with his siblings. It was likely at this point when Gerberga negotiated with Emperor Otto for Lothair to marry Emma, Empress Adelaide’s daughter by her first marriage. The next year, 966, Lothair and Emma wed. Throughout this time, Gerberga attached her name to several charters and gifts to monasteries—often in a bold style, unusual even for queens-regent—proving Adso’s praise of her generosity to religious orders well founded. The date of her death is unfortunately unknown, though she is believed to have passed in 969.

— Bailey R. Poletti, "Handmaids of the Apocalypse: Queen Gerberga, Empress Adelaide, and the Ottonian Tenth Century", Church History (2023), 92

[roehenstart]

Sacred Pepin the Brief by Pope Stephen II in the Abbey of Saint Denis. By François Dubois.

[best-bourbon-monarch]

Who's your favorite french monarch?

Charles III le Gros (839-888)

Charles III le Simple (879-829)

Voting ended onDec 24, 2023

Charles le Gros (can be translated as: Charles the Fat)

What a loser. He only inherited because his two older brothers died, he didn't have any children, his kingdom fractured under him and he went mad. Vote for him.

Charles le Simple (can be translated as: Charles the Idiot)

This guy was just never in charge of his own life. That's kinda sad. And he's remembered as Charles the Idiot. What a world.