Tag Archives: Franks

The Battle of Berre River, 737 CE: The Account of the Fredegar Continuator

Summary: Charles Martel, along with other Frankish leaders, besieged and recaptured the city of Avignon. They then advanced south and besieged Narbonne. While the city was under siege, Omar ibn Khaled led a Muslim army north to relieve his comrades. Charles … Continue reading

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Killing or Clemency? Ransom, Chivalry and Changing Attitudes to Defeated Opponents in Britain and Northern France, 7-12th centuries

Killing or Clemency? Ransom, Chivalry and Changing Attitudes to Defeated Opponents in Britain and Northern France, 7-12th centuries Matthew J. Strickland Krieg im Mittelalter (2001) On 25 September, 1066, the forces of King Harold II of England fell upon the … Continue reading

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The recruitment of armies in the early middle ages: what can we know?

The recruitment of armies in the early middle ages: what can we know? Timothy Reuter Military Aspects of Scandinavian Society in a European Perspective, AD 1-1300 (Copenhagen, 1997) Abstract The study of medieval warfare has probably both benefitted and suffered from … Continue reading

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The Frankish Tribute Payments to the Vikings and their Consequences

The Frankish Tribute Payments to the Vikings and their Consequences Simon Coupland Francia: v.26 n.1 (1999) “They ransom with tributes what they should defend with arms, and the kingdom of the Christians is laid waste.”2 “Ransom and tribute have now not … Continue reading

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Warfare and Society in the Carolingian Ostmark

Warfare and Society in the Carolingian Ostmark Charles R. Bowlus Austrian History Yearbook: v.14 (1978) Abstract 1. Introductory Remarks The relationship between military and social organization has long been a topic of major concern and debate among scholars specializing in … Continue reading

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German Bishops and the Military Retinues in the Medieval Empire

German Bishops and the Military Retinues in the Medieval Empire Arnold, Benjamin (University of Reading) German History, v.7 (1989) The majority of bishops in medieval Germany were born into aristocratic or knightly kindreds which prided themselves upon their proficiency in war­ … Continue reading

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Episodes of Medieval Warfare from the History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours

One of the most important sources from the early medieval period is The History of the Franks, written in the late sixth century by Gregory of Tours, the bishop of Tours for twenty-one years and an important political figure in the Merovingian kingdom. Continue reading

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Annals of Fulda: Battle of Fontenay (841)

The Annals of Fulda are the principal narrative source written from a perspective east of the Rhine for the period in which the Carolingian Empire gave way to a number of successor kingdoms.  The text covers the period from the last … Continue reading

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The First Crusade (1095-99), A short narrative from contemporary sources.

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me… Continue reading

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Matthew of Edessa, Chronicle, Warfare in the Crusader States (1104-1127)

The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa is considered by scholars to be a primary source of major importance for the history of the Near East during the period of the early Crusades.  This work relates events that occurred between the … Continue reading

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