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The Productivity of a Crisis: The Reign of Louis the Pious (814-840) and the Transformation of the Carolingian Empire

Institution:

Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut (FMI)
Koserstr. 20
14195 Berlin

Principal Investigator:
Contact Person:
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Stefan Esders
Fax:
+49 (30) 838 54524

Starting out in 2005 as a series of workshops in Göttingen and Wolfenbüttel, this research group, organised by Philippe Depreux (Limoges) and Stefan Esders (FU Berlin), aims at a better understanding of the crisis years during the reign of Louis the Pious. Initially, no outside funding was provided, but in 2008, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) decided to sponsor a three-year research project by the group.

The Project

The primary goal of the project is a reappraisal of the reign of Louis the Pious as a time of great social and political transformations. This does not, however, preclude the characterisation of the period as one of crisis. Quite the contrary: the momentous social and intellectual developments that have their origin in the years of Louis the Pious have been triggered precisely because of the instability, the conflicts and the confrontations defining his reign. Such upheavals, touching upon and substantially changing all aspects of society in a relatively short period of time, can be understood to be a "crisis". By regarding the last decade of Louis the Pious' reign as such, it becomes possible to better understand the causes, patterns and effects of the events in question.

In order to achieve this, it is of course first necessary to get a picture of the extent to which the crisis was felt or even perceived within society, as it manifested itself differently in the various aspects of social and political life under scrutiny within the project. Only then can it be shown how the interaction between these manifestations, the clashes that occurred between the old and the new order, added up to a crisis of impressive proportions. Traditional values were lost, social hierarchies and institutions were upset, existing authorities were having trouble legitimising themselves, and, more generally, long existing mechanisms of government were gradually disappearing. How people actually became aware of this crisis in the wake of new ideas and elites forms the next step in our research.

Then, the measures undertaken to prevent any further aggravation will be studied, as well as the processes of re-forming and reorganising institutions. This will, in turn, clarify how the political and social worlds eventually emerged from this crisis, and how they had changed in the course of the period. In the final step, the consequences of the crisis for the historical consciousness of society will also be taken into account.

The Project Group

Fundamental in the group's cooperative efforts is the diversity of historiographic traditions represented by the various group members, while differences in emphasis and interests further ensure a varied and nuanced approach to the problems encountered.

The research group consists of Philippe Depreux (Limoges), Stefan Esders (Berlin), Mayke de Jong (Utrecht), Sylvie Joye (Rennes), Matthias Kloft (Frankfurt am Main), Klaus Krönert (Lille), Steffen Patzold (Tübingen), Richard Corradini (Wien), Thomas Scharff (Braunschweig) und Sumi Shimahara (Paris). For the duration of the project, they are joined by Andreas Inkmann and Rutger Kramer (both in Berlin), as well as by Sören Kaschke (Berlin) and Jens Schneider (Limoges), all of whom share interests relevant to the project's aims.

Twice a year, the group comes together to discuss progress and problems. Whenever possible, the expertise of outside guests for a specific theme is called upon, to the mutual benefit of guest and research group. To celebrate the conclusion of the project, a large international colloquium will be held.

Main themes of the collaborative efforts

Within the research group, representatives of many different areas of expertise have been brought together, all devoted to a reappraisal of the available source material and a new analysis of the crisis of 829 and its aftermath.

This chronological focus, the emphasis on just one year, does not restrict the research in any thematical or methodological sense, given that it allows the project to study the changes occurring in the foundations and requirements of a great pre-modern empire. These include the consequences of centralisation policy and the redistribution of property at a time when far-reaching developments had been set in motion, for example by the sequence of armed conquest and spiritual and cultural integration that is typical of the Carolingian territorial expansion – an expansion that did have its repercussions on the economic ties within the realm. Moreover, the integration of the new social and religious order in daily life, and the reformation of alliances and political networks need to be taken into account.

The project is divided into three areas of research:

Area A, "Conditions in the realm, 827-835: Development and scope of the crisis" starts by providing a chronological overview of the events and clarifying the correlations between the various sources. Thematically, the strained relations between the centre(s) of power and the worlds in the periphery form the focus of this field, in order to better appreciate the repercussions of the crisis on a local level.

In Area B, "Consciousness of crisis and intellectual reactions to the challenge", the ways in which the various social and political players in the field tackled the increasingly worsening situation take centre stage. These reactions are probed not only through the study of the political theology of the era, but also by looking at the practice of justice and how norms and values changed. Naturally, the numerous texts from the period that nostalgically reflected on bygone days also enter into this equation.

Finally, Area C, "Conflict managment and solutions to the crisis", is devoted to the ways out of the crisis and the ensuing changes to society, and takes the further developments of the ninth century into account. Penitence and reconciliation in a political context, the institutionalisation of political ties, and, if the aristocracy is singled out, the increasing regionalisation of the political world, are among the focal points within this field.

Additional points of interest

In addition to the main themes, the project group will also be working on a commented translation of the most important source material pertaining to the period, both into German and French. Also, a summary description of the Carolingian empire in the generation after the death of Charlemagne based on a thorough analysis of the available source material will be published, as well as the collected essays from the international congress on the historical and methodological problems specific to the Carolingian era.