Review of Gillis, M. B. (ed.) Carolingian Experiments. Interdisciplinary Studies in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

Abstract

One of the most recent volumes devoted to the study of Carolingian society is ‘Carolingian Experiments’, published by Brepols in 2022, edited by Matthew Gillis (University of Tennesee Knoxville, Department of History), a specialist in the cultural and intellectual history of the early Middle Ages. The volume, which brings together the works of ten authors, became the result of the conference held in 2017 at the Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the University of Tennessee. The studies are based on the interpretation of Chris Wickham, who defines the Carolingian era as a bold experiment by the ruling dynasty, aimed at the reorganization of power and society (Gillis 2022: 9). The authors themselves stated their aim as an attempt to present the Carolingian era from an unexpected, unusual angle and to develop the idea of ‘experimentation’ in a wider research field in various spheres of public life (Gillis 2022: 11–12). The formulation of research questions often looks very provocative, and the results are bold and sometimes even far-fetched, but this is precisely what allows medievalists to reconsider the perception of this historical period.