Abstract The paper discusses how it is apparent that the three kings analyzed in this study reflect the "Romanized" values of early European monarchical government. The writer proposes that by understanding the military, religious and legal aspect of life in the courts of Theodoric, Chiperic and Clovis, one can understand why Roman respect in matters of government were respected. The paper further discusses how the longevity and lasting Christian power of the Romans, diminished by the middle of the first millennium, appeared to still be intact in the Burgundian, Frankish, and Ostrogoth kingdoms that followed in post-Roman Gaul.
Abstract This paper examines the nature of succession and the physical role of annointing in the coronation ceremony. It looks at the conferment of the sacred character and subsequent 'making' of the king and the numerous political, social and theological benefits. Also examined is the relationship of annointing and Carolingian propaganda as well as strategies of royal protection and succession disputes.
From the Paper "Inauguration rituals in early medieval Europe represented the fundamental rites by which kings were made. No Carolingian or Merovingian king simply succeeded to his kingdom as a matter of route and it is to this end that the process of anointment has been interpreted as a highly significant aspect of Carolingian kingship. Indeed the increasing regularity and apparent quasi-institutionalisation of royal anointments from the mid-eighth century onwards suggests an importance in itself. Pippin's anointment at Soissons in 751 preceded the anointments of his young sons in 754, the anointing of Charlemagne's sons in 781 and 800 and ultimately set in motion a wave of such inauguration rituals for much of the ninth century. Early medieval rule was to an extent, defined by ritual and symbolic emblems."
Abstract This paper explains that, originating in Scandinavia, the Vikings were water-born warriors of Denmark, Norway and Sweden who conquered much of the British Isles, pillaged the coast of France, sacked Paris, drove the Frankish overlords from Normandy, traveled the great rivers of Europe, overwhelmed the Slavs in Russia, took command of Kiev and even battled with the Greeks at the doorstep of Constantinople. The author points out that many scholars believe that the Vikings were far more than barbarians whose only aim was to plunder and burn their way through Europe. The Vikings greatly influenced many cultures and countries, much like the ancient Romans during their days of glory and power almost one thousand years earlier. The paper concludes that, when the Vikings power came to the end, conquered through much violence and bloodshed, their property was broken up into contesting kingdoms, such as the Franks, the Burgundians, the Visigoths, the Anglo-Saxons and the Lombards.
From the Paper "In 885 A.D., a huge naval fleet of Viking ships sailed up the River Seine and thus penetrated the very essence of France. In command of this vast naval raid was Sigfred and Orm, two Viking chieftains who had been instrumental in the earlier raids in the Frankish kingdoms. Before long, the Viking fleet, raiding and pillaging as they proceeded, were within eyesight of the walls of Paris, but in order to sake this great city, they Vikings had to first take two fortified bridges that spanned the River Seine. Charles the Fat, the dominant ruler of Paris and the great-grandson of Charlemagne, appears to have ignored this Viking threat, due to being concerned with other more local skirmishes which in effect left the city of Paris without any substantial defense."
