Daily Life in the Age of Charlemagne - (Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History) by John J Butt (Hardcover)

About the Book

During Charlemagne's time, life was full of ordinary 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 the child and the mother. This book covers topics ranging from food, clothing, housing, the intellectual life at court, the military life, the monastic life, and everything in between, giving readers a compelling portrait of how life was lived in the early Middle Ages.

Charlemagne's impact on the world is virtually unparalleled. Had he not built his empire and encouraged what became known as the Carolingian renaissance, much of the ancient Roman culture would have been lost, and Christianity may have died in the West. Yet on a personal level, people of Charlemagne's age lived as they had for hundreds of years.

Book Synopsis

During Charlemagne's time, life was full of ordinary 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 the child and the mother. This book covers topics ranging from food, clothing, housing, the intellectual life at court, the military life, the monastic life, and everything in between, giving readers a compelling portrait of how life was lived in the early Middle Ages.

Charlemagne's impact on the world is virtually unparalleled. Had he not built his empire and encouraged what became known as the Carolingian renaissance, much of the ancient Roman culture would have been lost, and Christianity may have died in the West. Yet on a personal level, people of Charlemagne's age lived as they had for hundreds of years.

Review Quotes

.,."may reside very comfortably in the nonfiction section."-Gale-Reference for Students

?...may reside very comfortably in the nonfiction section.?-Gale-Reference for Students

..."may reside very comfortably in the nonfiction section."-Gale-Reference for Students

About the Author

JOHN J. BUTT is Professor of History at James Madison University in Virginia. He has published in the fields of Carolingian, British, naval, and agricultural history.