Armies and Politics in the Early Medieval WestIn these articles Professor Bachrach starts by looking at aspects of the 'barbarian' occupation of the land of the Roman Empire, from Britain to the Alan settlements in southern Gaul. His particular interest, however, is in the political and, above all, in the military structures that grew out of the Early Middle Ages. He has sought to demonstrate that there was a fundamental continuity in military organisation and tactics from the Merovingian through the Carolingian period. As he shows, there is no reason to connect the origins of 'feudalism' with Charles Martel's wish to create a force of cavalry, and it is a fallacy that he grasped the potential of the stirrup for enabling mounted shock combat. On the contrary, its use in the West progressed only slowly, and it had nothing to do with the origins or growth of feudalism. Le professeur Bachrach débute par l'analyse de certains aspects de l'occupation barbare des terres de l'empire romain, de la Grande-Bretagne aux campements alans en Gaule méridionale. Il s'attache en suite aux structures politiques et, surtout, militaires qui furent issues du Haut Moyen Age. Selon lui, et il tente d'en faire ici la démonstration, l'organisation et les tactiques militaires ont fait preuve d'une continuité fondamentale de l'époque mérovingienne à celle des Carolingiens. Comme il le demontre, il n'y a pas lieu d'établir de liens entre l'origine du féodalisme et le désir qu'avait Charles Martel de créer une cavalerie; il est également tout à fait erroné de dire que ce dernier s'était rendu compte du potentiel de l'étrier en tant que facteur de mener des combats à cheval de choc. Bien contraire, l'utilisation de l'étrier à l'Ouest ne fit que progresser lentement et aucun rapport n'existe entre cet instrument et l'origine ou la croissance de la féodalité. |
Contents
The Questions of King Arthurs Existence | 13 |
The Alans in Gaul 476489 | 29 |
Another Look at the Barbarian Settlement | 69 |
Copyright | |
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Agathias Alan settlements ANIMALS AND WARFARE Annales regni Francorum anti-Jewish policy Aquitanian Aquitanian style armor Armorican Armorici Arthur Avars Bachrach barbarians battle Berlin Bishop Bretons Byzantine campaign Carolingian cavalry Charlemagne Charlemagne's Army Charles Martel Charles's Chindasuinth Christian Church Clovis Clovis's concerning depicted discussion Dumville early Carolingians early medieval early Middle Ages empire enemy evidence example Feudalism forces fought Frankish Franks Fred garrison Gaul Gildas Gildas's Goar Goths Gregory of Tours Hannover Hist Historia Brittonum History horsemen horses Ibid important Jewish Policy Jews Jews in Spain king levies Louis magnates Mauricius Medieval Technology Merovingian Merovingian Military Organization mounted shock combat mounted troops Muslims Narbonne ninth century Organization in Aquitaine Paris Peppin perhaps Procopius Psalter Reccared Reccesuinth Saxons scholars seems siege Sisebut sources southern Gaul stirrups Stuttgart-artist Sub-Roman Britain suggest tactics Thompson vassi dominici Verbruggen Visigothic Vortigern Wallace-Hadrill Welsh