Henry IV – After Empire

Decretum Hadriani: A Translation

This blog post is a translation of a text from the 1080s. It’s a little late for the After Empire project, but an important witness to the changes which mark the end of its remit, and to the transformation of the Carolingian and classical Roman pasts in central-medieval memory. It’s a follow-up to my previous…

A revitalization of the Carolingian general oath of loyalty under Salian rule?

March 20, 2018Stefan EsdersResearch BlogCarolingians, Conrad II, Feudalisation, Fidelity, Fiscal Property, Henry IV, Liberty, Loyalty, Oaths, Salians, Wipo

In the Carolingian period, general oaths of fidelity like those sworn under Charlemagne, Louis the Pious or Charles the Bald created a direct personal bond between the adult male free population and the Carolingian ruler and his family. This has always been taken as indicating a comparatively high degree of statehood, as the oaths had…

After Empire

Using and Not Using the Past in the Crisis of the Carolingian World, c. 900-1050

Tag: Henry IV

Decretum Hadriani: A Translation

A revitalization of the Carolingian general oath of loyalty under Salian rule?