Re-visioning the Landscape in Carolingian Bavaria

CMRS Roundtable

This presentation by CMRS Affiliate Leanne Good (Assistant Professor of History, University of South Alabama) considers the re-conception of political space and concomitant changes to local administration brought about by the Carolingian takeover of the duchy of Bavaria in the late eighth and early ninth century. Professor Good will discuss the problems which local practices of land ownership and political authority presented for the expanding Frankish kingdom. Evidence from Bavarian donation cartularies shows attempts at standardization and commodification of land holdings during this period, in addition to the imposition of legal procedures to establish a legible property system. The particulars of this local case enhance our understanding of early medieval rulership and the question of the degree to which the Carolingian empire can be characterized as a “state.”

Advance registration not required. No fee. Limited seating.

Funding for the CMRS Roundtable series is provided by the Armand Hammer Endowment for the UCLA Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies.