Carolingian Connections: Anglo-Saxon England and Carolingian Francia, c. 750–870

332 Pages·2003·4.698 MB·English

by  Joanna Story

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Joanna Story
ISBN 978-0-7546-0124-1
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Studies in Early Medieval Britain and Ireland
www.routledge.com(cid:15)aninformabusiness
Studies in Early Medieval Britain
General Editor: Nicholas Brooks
About the series:
The early Middle Ages, between the withdrawal of Roman authority at the start
of the fifth century and the establishment of French-speaking aristocracies in the
eleventh and twelfth centuries, was a key period in the history of the island of
Britain. For it was then that the English, Welsh and Scots defined and distin-
guished themselves in language, customs and territory; it was then that successive
conquests and settlements lent distinctive Irish, Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian and
Norman elements to the British ethnic mix; it was then that royal dynasties were
established, that most of the surviving rural and urban settlements of Britain
were created and named, and the landscape took a form that can still be recog-
nised today; it was then too that Christian churches were established with lasting
consequences for our cultural, moral, legal and intellectual perspectives.
The Studies in Early Medieval Britain will illuminate the history of Brit-
ain during this defining period and reveal its roots. Books in the series will be
written, individually or in collaboration, by historians, archaeologists, philolo-
gists and literary and cultural scholars and are aimed at a wide readership of
scholars, students and lay people.
About this volume:
The Anglo-Saxon influence on the Carolingian world has long been recognised by
historians of the early medieval period. Wilhelm Levison, in particular, has drawn
attention to the importance of the Anglo-Saxon contribution to the cultural and
ecclesiastical development of Carolingian Francia in the central decades of the
eighth century. What is much less familiar is the reverse process, by which Francia
and Carolingian concepts came to influence contemporary Anglo-Saxon culture.
In this book Dr Story offers a major contribution to the subject of medi-
eval cultural exchanges, focusing on the degree to which Frankish ideas and
concepts were adopted by Anglo-Saxon rulers. Furthermore, by concentrating
on the secular context and concepts of secular government as opposed to the
more familiar ecclesiastical and missionary focus of Levison’s work, this book
offers a counterweight to the prevailing scholarship, providing a much more
balanced overview of the subject. Through this reassessment, based on a close
analysis of contemporary manuscripts – particularly the Northumbrian sources –
Dr Story offers a fresh insight into the world of early medieval Europe.
About the author/editor:
Joanna Story is Lecturer in Early Medieval History, University of Leicester.
Nicholas Brooks is the Professor and Head of the Department of Medieval
History, University of Birmingham.
Also in this series:
Veiled Women
Volume I: The Disappearance of Nuns from Anglo-Saxon England
Sarah Foot
Veiled Women
Volume II: Female Religious Communities in England, 871–1066
Sarah Foot
Carolingian Connections

Carolingian Connections
Anglo-Saxon England and Carolingian Francia,
c. 750–870
Joanna Story
First published2003 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprintof the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © 2003 Joanna Story
The author has asserted her moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage orretrieval s ystem,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only
for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Story, Joanna
Carolingian connections: Anglo-Saxon England and Carolingian
Francia, c. 750–870. – (Studies in early medieval Britain)
1. Franks–England–History. 2. Carolingians. 3. Great Britain–
History–Anglo-Saxon period, 449–1066. 4. England–Foreign
relations–Europe. 5. Europe–Foreign relations–England.
6. England–Civilization–To 1066. I. Title
942' .015
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Story, Joanna, 1970–
Carolingian connections: Anglo-Saxon England and Carolingian
Francia, c. 750–870 / Joanna Story.
p.cm. – (Studies in early medieval Britain).
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
1. Great Britain–History–Anglo-Saxon period, 449–1066. 2. Great
Britain–Civilization–French influences. 3. England–Civilization–To 1066.
4. England–Relations–France. 5. France–Relations–England. 6. France–
History–To 987. 7. Carolingians. I. Title. II. Series.
DA152.2. S76 2002
942.01'5–dc21 2002016498
ISBN 9780754601241 (hbk)
Typeset by Manton Typesetters, Louth, Lincolnshire, UK.
STUDIES IN EARLY MEDIEVAL BRITAIN – 2
Contents
List of Maps and Figures vii
Abbreviations ix
Foreword xiii
Preface xv
1 Introduction: Evidence and Interpretation 1
2 Pippin, England and the Merovingian Legacy 19
3 Bishop George and the Legates’ Mission to England 55
4 Chronicled Connections: Frankish Annals and the Historia regum 93
5 Exiles and the Emperor 135
6 Francia and the Mercian Supremacy 169
7 Francia and the Rise of Wessex 213
8 Conclusion 257
Appendix: Evidence of Anointing in Eighth-Century England 261
Bibliography 273
Index 303

List of Maps and Figures
Maps
1 Carolingian Europe xvii
2 Anglo-Saxon England xviii
3 Distribution of single finds of Carolingian coins minted
c. 750–c. 900 in the UK 248
Figures
3.1 Wolfenbüttel, Herzog-August-Bibliothek, Cod. Guelf. 454
Helmst., fo. 113v 70
3.2 Wolfenbüttel, Herzog-August-Bibliothek, Cod. Guelf. 454
Helmst., fo. 114r 71
3.3 Wolfenbüttel, Herzog-August-Bibliothek, Cod. Guelf. 454
Helmst., fo. 126r 72
3.4 Wolfenbüttel, Herzog-August-Bibliothek, Cod. Guelf. 454
Helmst., fo. 126v 73
3.5 Wolfenbüttel, Herzog-August-Bibliothek, Cod. Guelf. 454
Helmst., fo. 127r 74
4.1 London, British Library, Cotton MS Domitian A.vii, fo. 15v 102
4.2 The epitaph of Pope Hadrian I (772–95), portico, St Peter’s,
Vatican City 107
4.3 Schematic diagram of the evolution of the eighth-century
‘Northern Annals’ 118
7.1 Carolingian and Anglo-Saxon coins 246
A.1 Russian National Library, St Petersburg, Cod. Lat. Q.v.XIV.1,
fo. 1r 262
A.2 The Benty Grange helmet, showing boar-crest and nasal cross 269
A.3 The ‘Pioneer helmet’ from Wollaston, Northamptonshire 270