1st Edition
Writing the Military History of Pre-Crusade Europe Studies in Sources and Source Criticism
Writing the Military History of Pre-Crusade Europe brings together fourteen articles by eminent historians David S. Bachrach and Bernard S. Bachrach.
Crucial to the writing of medieval military history is a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the available source materials. Just as important is a broad conception of the range of sources which scholars can draw upon to ask and answer questions about the organization and conduct of war. The studies collected in this volume provide insights regarding many of the most important narrative works from pre-Crusade Europe, with a particular emphasis on the ways in which they can be used to write military history, as well as the pitfalls facing historians who read these texts transparently without regard for the authors’ various parti pris and limitations. In addition to their treatment of narrative works, several of the studies in this volume highlight the importance of treating historiographical texts within the broader range of source materials that illuminate the conduct and organization of war in pre-crusade Europe, particularly material sources developed through excavations, as well as contemporary images, most prominently the Bayeux Tapestry.
The book will appeal to scholars and students of medieval history, as well as those interested in military history. (CS1097).
Introduction
Part 1: Narrative Works
1. B. Bachrach, "Gregory of Tours as a Military Historian," in The World of Gregory of Tours, ed. Kathleen Mitchell and Ian Wood (Leiden, 2002), 351-363.
2. D. Bachrach and B. Bachrach, "Nithard as a Military Historian of the Carolingian Empire, c. 833-c.843," Francia 44 (2017), 29-55.
3. B. Bachrach and D. Bachrach, "Saxon Military Revolution, 912-973?: Myth and Reality," Early Medieval Europe 15 (2007), 186-222.
4. D. Bachrach, "Early Ottonian Warfare: The Perspective from Corvey," Journal of Military History 75.2 (2011), 393-410.
5. D. Bachrach, "Memory, Epistemology, and the Writing of Early Medieval Military History: The Example of Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg (1009-1018)," Viator 38 (2007), 63-90.
6. B. Bachrach, "Dudo of Saint Quentin as a Historian of Military Organization," The Haskins Society Journal 12 (2002, appeared in 2003), 155-185.
7. B. Bachrach, "Ademar of Chabannes as a Military Historian," in Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Essays on Medieval Europe in Honor of Daniel F. Callahan, ed. Michael Frasseto, Matthew Gabriele, and John D. Hosler (Leiden, 2014), 42-62.
8. D. Bachrach and B. Bachrach, "Bruno of Merseburg’s Saxon War: A Study in Eleventh-Century Germany Military History," Journal of Military History 81.2 (2017), 341-367.
9. D. Bachrach, "Feudalism, Romanticism, and Source Criticism: Writing the Military History of Salian Germany," Journal of Medieval Military History 15 (2015), 1-25.
10. B. Bachrach and D. Bachrach, "Ralph of Caen as a Military Historian," in Crusading and Warfare in the Middle Ages: Realities and Representations, Essays in Honour of John France, ed. Nicholas Morton (Aldershot, 2014), 87-99.
Part 2: Material Sources and Images
11. D. Bachrach and B. Bachrach, "Landscapes of Defense: At the Nexus of Archaeology and History in the Early Middle Ages," Francia 42 (2015), 231-252.
12. B. Bachrach and D. Bachrach, "The Costs of Fortress Construction in Tenth-Century Germany: The Case of Hildagsburg," Viator 45.3 (2014), 25-58.
13. B. Bachrach, "Some Observations on the Bayeux Tapestry," Cithara 27 (1987), 5-28.
14. D. Bachrach, "Henry I of Germany’s 929 Military Campaign in Archaeological Perspective," Early Medieval Europe 21.3 (2013), 307-337.
Biography
David S. Bachrach is Professor of Medieval History at the University of New Hampshire. His publications include Religion and the Conduct of War c. 300-c.1215 (2003) and Warfare in Tenth-Century Germany (2012).
Bernard S. Bachrach is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Minnesota. His publications include Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire (2001) and Charlemagne’s Early Campaigns (768-777) (2013).
