Internet Medieval Sourcebook Selected Sources: Crisis? Collapse? Recovery?
Contents
External Attacks: Vikings: Magyars: Arabs Vikings - Claudia Rapp and Johannes Prieser-Kapeller, eds..Mobility and Migration in Byzantium; A Sourcebook [At Vr-elibrary.de] PDF [Internet Archive versionhere]
Five hundred pages of translations into English on sources about migration in Byzantium. Includes both internal migration, and sections on Jews, Slavs, Armenians, Varangians (Norse), Catalans, Turks, and in relation to the Crusades. Gender-related migration is also covered. - Viking and Hungarian Raiders late 9th Cent. [Internet Archive, was at Hillsdale]
- Ibn Fadlan.Risala 921 CE [At VikingAnswerLady] [Internet Archive versionhere]
Ibn Fadlan was an Arab chronicler. In 921 C.E., the Caliph sent Ibn Fadlan with an embassy to the King of the Bulgars of the Middle Volga. Ibn Fadlan wrote an account of his journeys with the embassy, called aRisala. This Risala is of great value as a history, although it is clear in some places that inaccuracies and Ibn Fadlan's own prejudices have slanted the account to some extent. - Ibn Fadlan and the Rusiyyah, trans of the Risala by James E. Montgomery,Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies 3 (2000) PDF [Internet Archive versionhere]
- Yāqūt’s Quotations From The Book of Ibn Faḍlān Arabic and English, by James E. Montgomery, fromMission to the Volga by Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān, translated by James E. Montgomery [At Library of Arabic Literature] [Internet Archive versionhere]
- A Hispano-Muslim Embassy to the Vikings in 845: An Account of al-Ghazal’s Journey to the North, 845, trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive versionhere]
- Al-Tartushi:Reports on his visit to Hedeby in the tenth century. [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Othere's report on his travels. [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- The Account given by Ohthere of the Northlands to King Alfred, from The Old English Orosius [At Anglo-Saxon Archeology] [Internet Archive versionhere] + A PDF of theAnglo-Saxon Text with English Translation (1773)
- Description of Northern Europe in the Anglo-Saxon translation of the History of Orosius. [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- The Account given by Wulfstan of the Northlands to King Alfred, from The Old English Orosius [At Anglo-Saxon Archeology] [Internet Archive versionhere] + A PDF of theAnglo-Saxon Text with English Translation (1773)
- Wulfstan's report on his travels. [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Alcuin:Letter to Higbald [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Annals of St. Bertin [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Beowulf, lines 229-257, translated by Seamus Heaney. [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus,De administrando imperio [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Halldórr inn ókristni,Eiriksflokkr [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- The Jelling Monument [At Danish National Museum]
- The Battle of Maldon [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Rimbert:The Life of Anskar, the Apostle of the North, 801-865. See alsoCatholic Encyclopedia: St Anschar
- Rimbert:The Life of Anskar, the Apostle of the North, 801-865. PDF [Internet Archive]
- Rimbert,Life of Ansgar [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- The Rök Stone [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Royal Frankish Annals 777-828 [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Ruotger of Cologne,Life of Archbishop Bruno of Cologne 40
- Skúli Þorsteinsson,Flokkr
- Theoderic the Monk:The Ancient History of the Norwegian Kings 7-14 [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Thietmar of Merseburg,Chronicle 694-95 [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- Widukind,The Deeds of the Saxons 3.65 [Internet Archive, was at Yale]
- The Collapse of Security
- A Castellan Revolution
- Viking Adventures
- Initiation of a Warrior: Going Berserk,Volsunga Saga chapters 7-8. [At Internet Archive, was at Eliade Page]
- Abbo of Fleury:The Martyrdom of St. Edmund, King of East Anglia, 870, trans. Kenneth Cutler
- The Discovery of North America by Leif Ericsson, c. 1000 from The Saga of Eric the Red, (1387)
- Eirik the Red's Saga [At Project Gutenberg]
- Vikings in America: L'Anse Aux. [At Internet Archive, was at Pitt]
- Fotevikens Museum
A maritime archaeological museum concentrated on research and inventory of shipping, ships and maritime relics - Jessica A. Browner:"Viking" Pilgrimage to the Holy Land fram! fram! cristmenn, crossmenn, konungsmenn! (Oláfs saga helga, ch. 224.). Essays in History 34 (1992)
- The Viking World
Arabs Magyars
Feudalism? The usefulness offeudalism as a term is at present under intense discussion among historians of the middle ages, with the majority of experts now rejecting the term.Feudalism was not a word used in the middle ages. It has had two quite distinct meanings in recent usage. The first meaning - promoted by radicals during the French Revolution and developed by Marxist historians - refers toa social system based on a society in which peasant agriculture is the fundamental productive activity; in which slavery is non-existent or marginal but peasants are tied to the land in some way; and in which a small elite defined by military activity dominates.. This is probably the most important meaning in modern popular usuage. For most of the 20th-century, professional medievalists have given the term a quite different meaning [see F. Ganshof,Feudalism for a classic summary]. For medieval historians the term has come to meana system of reciprocal personal relations among members of the military elite, which lead ultimately to parliament and then Western democracy. For many recent historians of the middle ages, the older "Lord and peasant" model was subsumed in the concept ofmanoralism. It is not clear if this near consensus among medievalists ever really made it on to the larger stage of common culture, or even to other departments within a university (or even to non-medievalists within a history department)! Building on work of Elizabeth Brown, the historian Susan Reynolds, in herFiefs and Vassals, systematically attacked the basis of the professional medievalists' version offeudalism [although she did not tackle the older social and economic, or Marxist, model]. Reynolds argued that recent historians had been too ready to read back 11th- and 12th-century legal texts (which do usefeudal) terminology onto a much more variated 9th- and 10th century society and had ended up creating a "feudal world" which simply did note exist, or which, at most, described small parts of France for short periods. Most reviewers have found Reynold's arguments compelling. [See, for instance, the very informative comments of Steven Lane:Review of Susan Reynolds,Fief and Vassals, [At TMR]. As a result teachers can no longer teach "feudalism" without severe qualifications. The texts here have traditionally been used to explain the "feudal system". They may be better read and discussed, perhaps, as examples of how people created a variety a social and personal bonds in a society with few stable and accessible legal or governmental authorities. They do not represent a "system". - Online Reviews of Fiefs and Vassals
- Oaths and Contracts
- Methods of Land Transfer
- Inheritance
- Codex Justinianus:Violation of the Thracian Land Law, c. 530 [XI.52.i.]
- The Ripuarian Law:Inheritance of Allodial Land, c. 450
- Law of The Visigoths:Succession to Inheritance, c. 475
- Gregory I the Great (r.590-604):Succession to Tenant Holdings on Church Land, c. 600
- Law of The Visigoths:Succession to Inheritance, c. 475
- The Ripuarian Law:Inheritance of Allodial Land, c. 450
- The Lombard Law of Rothari:Succession of Legitimate and Natural Sons, c. 643
- Canute, King of the English:Inheritance in Case of Intestacy, c. 1016-1035
- St. Omer:The Inheritance Law of 1128
- Count Alberto of Tuscany:An Oral Grant of Inheritance, 1210
- Abbot Samson of Bury St. Edmunds:Denial of Claims to Hereditary Right, 1191
- Grants
- Fiefs
- Methods of Supporting an Army
- William I: Summons for Military Service, 1072,copyrighted
- William II: Writ for Collection of Relief 1095/96,copyrighted
- Henry I: Grant Concerning Scutage 1127,copyrighted
- Charter of Homage and Fealty, 1110.
- Methods of Government
- Development of the Later Legal Terminology of "Feudalism"
- Laws of Henry I,copyrighted
- Robert Palmer: Law and Courts Before Common Law [Was At Univ. Houston, now Internet Archive] for texts, plus discussion, with case examples.
- Glanvil texts?
- Modus Faciendi Homagium & Fidelitatem (The Manner of Doing Homage & Fealty), c. 1275
English common law document. - Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu:Book XXX. Theory of the Feudal Laws among the Franks in the Relation They Bear to the Establishment of the Monarchy andBook XXXI. Theory of the Feudal Laws among the Franks, in the Relation They Bear to the Revolutions of their Monarchy, from theSpirit of the Laws, [Was At Constitution.org, not Internet Archive]
- French National Assembly: Decree Abolishing Feudalism, 11 August 1789. [At Hanover]
Although not a medieval text, this decree of the French Revolutionary assembly is significant in determining what the modern termfeodalisme meant.
- A Militarized Society
- Monetization of Military Activity
The Ottonian Dynasty and After- King Henry the Fowler (c.876-r.919-d.936):Grant of Freedom to the Priest Baldmunt from Slavery, 11 Aug 962 [At After Empire] [Internet Acrhive versionhere]
- Widukind of Corvey (d.c. 1004):The Coronation Oath of Otto I (963-973)
- The Quedlinburg Annals:The Foundation of Quedlinburg 936/937 [At After Empire] [Internet Acrhive versionhere]
- Widukind (c. 925 - after 973):The Battle of Lechfeld 955, from Deeds of the Saxons, or Three Books of Annals
- Liutprand of Cremona (c.922-c.972):Report on Mission to Constantinople, 963. full text
- Liutprand of Cremona (c.922-c.972):Report on Mission to Constantinople, 963, excerpts.
- Liutprand of Cremona:The Works of Liudprand of Cremona, trans F.A. Wright (1930), full text PDF [At Internet Archive] Includes Antapodosis, Liber de Rebus Gestis Ottonis, Relatio de Legatione Constantinopolitana.
- The Parts of a Tenth Century Charter [At After Empire] [Internet Archive versionhere]
- Otto I: Edict of Pavia on Single Combat 971, trans. William North. PDF [At Carleton] [Internet Archive version here]
- Fragment of a lost history about Duke Arnulf the Bad of Bavaria. 935, circa: [AtSalutemmundo] [Internet Archive backup of index pagehere]
- The Life of Burchard Bishop of Worms, trans. William North, 1025
- Otto I provides for resolution of disputes over property by judicial combat.
- Indiculus Loricatorum 981 trans William North.PDF [At Carleton] [Internet Archive version here]
Otto II summons armored knights from episcopal, abbatial, and lay contingents. - Otto III:Capitulary on Doing Justice c.996-1002, trans.William North. PDF [At Carleton] [Internet Archive version here]
- The Penance of Arduin, or the Roman Synod of 999 , trans. William North. PDF [At Carleton] [Internet Archive version here]
Describes the penance imposed on Arduin for leading the murderers of Bishop Peter of Vercelli.
The Y1K Problem: The Year 1000
NOTES: copyrighted means the text is not available for free distribution. Links to files at other site are indicated by [At some indication of the site name or location]. No indication means that the text file is local. indicates a link to one of small number of high quality web sites which provide either more texts or an especially valuable overview.
TheInternet Medieval Sourcebook is part of theInternet History Sourcebooks Project.The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at theHistory Department of Fordham University, New York. The Internet Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at theFordham University Center for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University. Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.
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