Writing the Military History of Pre-Crusade Europe (Variorum Collected Studies)

Description

Writing the Military History of Pre-Crusade Europe brings together fourteen articles by eminent historians David S. Bachrach and Bernard S. Bachrach. Crucial to the writing of medieval military history is a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the available source materials. Just as important is a broad conception of the range of sources which scholars can draw upon to ask and answer questions about the organization and conduct of war. The studies collected in this volume provide insights regarding many of the most important narrative works from pre-Crusade Europe, with a particular emphasis on the ways in which they can be used to write military history, as well as the pitfalls facing historians who read these texts transparently without regard for the authors’ various parti pris and limitations. In addition to their treatment of narrative works, several of the studies in this volume highlight the importance of treating historiographical texts within the broader range of source materials that illuminate the conduct and organization of war in pre-crusade Europe, particularly material sources developed through excavations, as well as contemporary images, most prominently the Bayeux Tapestry. The book will appeal to scholars and students of medieval history, as well as those interested in military history. (CS1097). Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Page Contents Introduction Part 1 Narrative Works 1 Gregory of Tours as a Military Historian 2 Nithard as a Military Historian of the Carolingian Empire, c. 833–c.843 3 Saxon Military Revolution,912–973?: Myth and Reality 4 Early Ottonian Warfare: The Perspective from Corvey 5 Memory, Epistemology, and the Writing of Early Medieval Military History: The Example of Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg (1009–1018) 6 Dudo of Saint Quentin as a Historian of Military Organization 7 Ademar of Chabannes as a Military Historian 8 Bruno of Merseburg's Saxon War: A Study in Eleventh-Century Germany Military History 9 Feudalism, Romanticism, and Source Criticism: Writing the Military History of Salian Germany 10 Ralph of Caen as a Military Historian Part 2 Material Sources and Images 11 Landscapes of Defense: At the Nexus of Archaeology and History in the Early Middle Ages 12 The Costs of Fortress Construction in Tenth-Century Germany: The Case of Hildagsburg 13 Some Observations on the Bayeux Tapestry 14 Henry I of Germany’s 929 Military Campaign in Archaeological Perspective Index