Bloodfeud and Lawmaking in the Early Middle Ages
Laura Wangerin, Department of History, Seton Hall University
April 20, 2018
7:30 pm
CUNY Graduate Center
Room 5114
Laura Wangerin, Department of History, Seton Hall University
April 20, 2018
7:30 pm
CUNY Graduate Center
Room 5114
The Ottonians, the
tenth-century German dynasty that founded what would become known as the Holy
Roman Empire, produced almost no written law. And yet written law was a key
element of early medieval kingship. It featured prominently in the rule of
kings and emperors who preceded the Ottonians, as well as in that of their contemporaries,
such as the Anglo-Saxons in England. That the Anglo-Saxons were prodigious
producers of written legislation, and the Ottonians producers of almost none,
begs the question: why did the English Anglo-Saxon kingdom have so much
legislation and the German Ottonian empire so little? This dearth of Ottonian
legislative activity has puzzled historians, especially since the Ottonians
were the successors and emulators of the Carolingians, who recorded the laws of
the Germanic kingdoms they incorporated into their empire as well as legislated
themselves. How can we account for this disparity not only between the
Anglo-Saxons and the Ottonians, but also between the Ottonians and their
predecessors? Comparing royal engagement with feuding behaviors in Anglo-Saxon
England and Ottonian Germany suggests that the explanation can be found in
the link between feud and written law. It will also suggest new ways
of understanding medieval kingship and power structures.
