Daily Life in the Age of Charlemagne (Daily Life Through History Series)

by John J. Butt

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313316685
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/30/2002
Series:	The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

JOHN J. BUTT is Professor of History at James Madison University in Virginia. He has published in the fields of Carolingian, British, naval, and agricultural history.

Table of Contents

Chronology
Introduction: The Age of Charlemagne
Charlemagnes Royal Court
Feudalism and the Military
Life of the Common People: Housing, Food, Clothing
The Economy: Work, Agriculture, Trade, Markets
The Church: Religion, Monasticism, Education
Science and Medicine
Leisure and Games
The Carolingian Renaissance: Art, Literature, and Libraries
The Carolingian Legacy
Glossary of Terms
Further Reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

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.

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