Daily Life in the Age of Charlemagne

Charlemagne is sometimes credited with reviving classical scholarship and saving the West from Islamic invaders, but how did Charlemagne and his subjects live from day to day? Charlemagne had as large an impact on history as almost any individual. Had he not built his empire and encouraged what became known as the Carolinglan renaissance, much of the culture of ancient Rome would have been lost, and Christianity in the West may have died. But, on the personal level, people during the time of Charlemagne lived as they had for hundreds of years. Life was full of difficulties: the food supply could be depleted quickly by a bad growing season; most people had no access to artificial lighting; childbearing was extremely dangerous for both child and mother. Covering topics ranging from food, clothing, and housing to the intellectual life at court, and from military life to monastic life, Daily Life in the Age of Charlemagne provides readers with an accurate and fascinating picture of how life was lived in the the early Middle Ages. Though the era may seem distant and primitive, the people of Charlemagne’s time dealt with issues that all cultures do: finding food, paying taxes, treating the sick, searching for meaning in life, educating the young, designing and building shelters, burying the dead, among others. In nine topical chapters, Daily Life in the Age of Charlemagne looks at the time period not from the perspective of political and military conquests but from the vantage point of everyday existence, giving readers a new perspective on this vibrant era. Twenty-five illustrations, two maps, and an annotated bibliography of print and electronic sources add reference value to this perfect starting point for student research.