2019/09/02 by Sören Kaschke, Britta Mischke · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Medieval Literature and History #Classical Studies and Legal History #Historical Legal Studies and Society #Realm #Extant taxon #Corporate governance #Context (archaeology) #Normative #Legislature #Period (music) #Ninth #Scholarship #Empire #Ruler #Relevance (law) #Law #Political science #History #Sociology #Art #Management #Aesthetics #Economics #Archaeology
paper · doi:10.1111/hic3.12592
openalex publication_date 2019/09/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract The capitularies of Carolingian kings and emperors are amongst the most important sources for the governance of the Frankish empire in the eighth and ninth century. They are usually rated as normative texts that convey decisions taken at court, in particular, on legislative, judicial, and administrative matters, across the realm. However, the actual range of these texts is even larger. Topics covered may include the reforming of the church, provisions for the imperial succession, agendas of an upcoming assembly, and private notes or summaries of deliberations at court. All extant capitularies are exclusively transmitted in the context of collections produced locally, most likely by royal agents or office holders. Recent research is increasingly looking beyond the relevance of capitularies for Frankish legal history. Instead, new approaches investigate the role of capitularies as flexible tools of governance and as important sources for the communication between the ruler and his elites on practical as well as moral issues.