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Christian hermeneutics and narratives of war in the Carolingian empire


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Article

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Authors

Evans, Robert 

Abstract

The Carolingian empire in western Europe (c.700-900 AD) has long been defined by its military expansion and Christian renewal. Carolingian historical narratives portrayed their victories as divine gifts and so encouraged soldiers and commanders to interpret their actions within a theological hermeneutic. Previous scholars have seen this hermeneutic as justifying war. This paper shall argue instead that these narratives reflected and reinforced the hermeneutic with which soldiers interpreted their campaigns and the military spirituality practised as a result. It shall examine how various histories interpreted military events and how these interpretations related to their audiences’ spirituality and military experience.

Description

This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Sage.

Keywords

Carolingians, Charlemagne, holy war, historical narratives, religious violence, Vikings

Journal Title

Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies

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Publisher

Sage

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Sponsorship
This research was undertaken as part of a doctorate funded by an AHRC-Gledhill Studentship hosted by the Faculty of History and Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge as part of the Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership.