by Ellora Bennett (Editor), Guido M. Berndt (Editor), Stefan Esders (Editor)
The societies of ancient Europe underwent a continual process of militarisation, and this would come to be a defining characteristic of the early Middle Ages. The process was neither linear nor mono-causal, but it affected society as a whole, encompassing features like the lack of demarcation between the military and civil spheres of the population, the significance attributed to weapons beyond their military function and the wide recognition of martial values. Early medieval militarisation assembles twenty studies that use both written and archaeological evidence to explore the phenomenon of militarisation and its impact on the development of the societies of early medieval Europe. The interdisciplinary investigations break new ground and will be essential reading for scholars and students of related fields, as well as non-specialists with an interest in early medieval history.
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The societies of ancient Europe underwent a continual process of militarisation, a process that intensified during the early Middle Ages and came to be a defining characteristic of the period. It encompassed features like the lack of demarcation between the military and civil spheres of the population, the significance attributed to weapons beyond their military function and the wide recognition of martial values.
This book uses the term 'militarisation' to refer to a process that is neither linear nor mono-causal but impacts on a society as a whole. The underlying concept provides a means to study corresponding societal transformations in their full complexity by taking into account several factors of change at the same time. Assembling twenty-one studies by established and emerging scholars, the book makes original use of both written and archaeological evidence to explore the phenomenon of militarisation and its impact on developments in early medieval England, the Frankish world, Spain, Italy, Scandinavia and Byzantium. Early medieval militarisation applies modern approaches to structural history and the history of mentalities. It offers a wide-ranging alternative to conventional military histories and will be of interest to students and scholars of related fields.Author Biography
Ellora Bennett is an independent scholar
Guido M. Berndt is an independent scholar
Stefan Esders is Professor of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages at the Freie Universität Berlin
Laury Sarti is Lecturer at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg