In the Manner of the Franks: Hunting, Kingship, and Masculinity in Early Medieval Europe

348 Pages·2020·89.033 MB·English

by  Eric J Goldberg

In the Manner of the Franks
THE MIDDLE AGES SERIES
Ruth Mazo Karras, Series Editor
Edward Peters, Founding Editor
A complete list of books in the series is available from the publisher.
In the Manner of
 THE FRANKS
Hunting, Kingship, and Masculinity
 in Early Medieval Eur ope
Eric J. Goldberg
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia
Copyright © 2020 University of Pennsylvania Press
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for purposes of review or
scholarly citation, none of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means
without written permission from the publisher.
Published by
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112
www . upenn . edu / pennpress
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca on acid- free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
A Cataloging- in- Publication record is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 978-0-8122-5235-4
For my parents
And for Birgit, Abigail, Claire, and Eve
Nimrod was the first man on earth to become power ful.
He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.
— Genesis 10.8–9
Contents
Introduction 1
Chapter 1. Emperors and Elites 15
Chapter 2. Merovingians and Magnates 44
Chapter 3. Charlemagne and the Chase 70
Chapter 4. Louis the Pious and His Legacy 103
Chapter 5. Hounds and Hawks 129
Chapter 6. Peasants and Poachers 166
Chapter 7. Bishops and Boars 190
Chapter 8. Danger and Death 213
Conclusion 238
Notes 247
Bibliography 291
Index 331
Acknowl edgments 339
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Introduction
After many weeks of travel, Charlemagne’s ambassadors arrived at the court of
the caliph Harun al- Rashid. Charlemagne had dispatched his envoys over land
and sea to renew his father’s alliance between the Frankish and Muslim empires,
and as diplomatic protocol required, the ruler of the Franks sent his representa-
tives with costly gifts: fast horses, bright fabrics, and fierce hunting dogs. As the
wealthiest ruler in the world, the caliph was only mildly impressed by the horses
and textiles, yet he did take a special interest in the Frankish dogs, and he in-
quired as to what animals they were good for hunting. Charlemagne’s ambassa-
dors proudly responded that they would tear to pieces any beast on which they
were set. The caliph replied dubiously, “Only time will tell.” As chance would
have it, the next day it was reported to Harun that a lion was assailing his subjects
nearby. He immediately called for the visiting Franks and their dogs, and they set
out quickly on horse back. When they came upon the lion, the Frankish dogs
encircled the menacing beast, and Charlemagne’s envoys moved in, quickly slay-
ing it with their swords. Seeing the skill and courage of the Frankish hunters, the
caliph at last believed the rumors he had heard about the emperor in far- off
Eu rope. He proclaimed, “Now I know that the things I have heard about my brother
Charlemagne are true: that through constant hunting and exercising his body
and mind with untiring energy, he has grown accustomed to conquering every-
thing u nder heaven!”1
As is often the case with early medieval hunting stories, we cannot know if
this tale about Charlemagne’s ambassadors slaying a lion in Mesopotamia is based
on an actual historical event or was simply made up. The anecdote comes from
the pen of a St.- Gall monk named Notker, who had a flair for inventing vivid
stories to entertain his intended reader, Charlemagne’s great- grandson Charles
the Fat. Nevertheless, the story is significant because it captures essential connec-
tions between hunting, masculinity, and power in the early Middle Ages. The
caliph’s proclamation about Charlemagne at the end of the tale encapsulates two
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Figure 1. Köckert (1