
Past Convictions
The Penance of Louis the Pious and the Decline of the Carolingians
Courtney M. Booker(Author)
University of Pennsylvania Press
Published on 9. September 2009
Book
Hardback
432 pages
978-0-8122-4168-6 (ISBN)
Description
How do people, in both the past and the present, think about moments of social and political crisis, and how do they respond to them? What are the interpretive codes by which troubling events are read and given meaning, and what part do these codes play in suggesting specific strategies for coping with the world? In Past Convictions Courtney Booker attempts to answer these questions by examining the controversial divestiture and public penance of Charlemagne's son, the Emperor Louis the Pious, in 833.
Historians have customarily viewed the event as marking the beginning of the end of the Carolingian dynasty. Exploring how both contemporaries and subsequent generations thought about Louis's forfeiture of the throne, Booker contends that certain vivid ninth-century narratives reveal a close but ephemeral connection between historiography and the generic conventions of comedy and tragedy. In tracing how writers of later centuries built upon these dramatic Carolingian accounts to tell a larger story of faith, betrayal, political expediency, and decline, he explicates the ways historiography shapes our vision of the past and what we think we know about it, and the ways its interpretive models may fall short.
Historians have customarily viewed the event as marking the beginning of the end of the Carolingian dynasty. Exploring how both contemporaries and subsequent generations thought about Louis's forfeiture of the throne, Booker contends that certain vivid ninth-century narratives reveal a close but ephemeral connection between historiography and the generic conventions of comedy and tragedy. In tracing how writers of later centuries built upon these dramatic Carolingian accounts to tell a larger story of faith, betrayal, political expediency, and decline, he explicates the ways historiography shapes our vision of the past and what we think we know about it, and the ways its interpretive models may fall short.
Reviews / Votes
"Booker is not content to question prevailing interpretations of a single set of events. Instead, he revises at least two centuries' worth of ways of knowing about them. Past Convictions will have paradigmatic significance for scholars seeking to know how various interpretations assumed their adamantine forms." (Thomas F. X. Noble, University of Notre Dame) "The book makes two impressive contributions to medieval history. First, Booker's careful analysis of a thousand-year-long historiographical tradition sounds a warning about the dangers of relying on reified traditions. Second, he cleverly recovers stifled voices from the ninth century, ones well worth remembering for their power in deposing an emperor. . . . An important read for anyone interested in historiography or Carolingian history." (Religious Studies Review)More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Pennsylvania
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paper over boards
Illustrations
11 illus.
Dimensions
Height: 243 mm
Width: 166 mm
Thickness: 41 mm
Weight
868 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8122-4168-6 (9780812241686)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Courtney M. Booker
Past Convictions
The Penance of Louis the Pious and the Decline of the Carolingians
E-Book
02/2012
1st Edition
University of Pennsylvania Press
€77.49
Available for download
Person
Courtney M. Booker teaches history at the University of British Columbia.
Content
Introduction
PART I. REMEMBERING
Chapter One. Telling the Truth About the Field of Lies
Chapter Two. The Shame of the Franks
Chapter Three. Histrionic History, Demanding Drama
PART II. JUSTIFYING
Chapter Four. Documenting Duty's Demands
Chapter Five. Forgotten Memories
PART III. DISCOURSING
Chapter Six. Eloquence in Equity, Fluency in Iniquity
Epilogue: Convictions Past and Present
Appendix
List of Abbreviations
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
PART I. REMEMBERING
Chapter One. Telling the Truth About the Field of Lies
Chapter Two. The Shame of the Franks
Chapter Three. Histrionic History, Demanding Drama
PART II. JUSTIFYING
Chapter Four. Documenting Duty's Demands
Chapter Five. Forgotten Memories
PART III. DISCOURSING
Chapter Six. Eloquence in Equity, Fluency in Iniquity
Epilogue: Convictions Past and Present
Appendix
List of Abbreviations
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments