Girlindis and Alpais: Telling the Lives of two Textile Fabricators in the Carolingian Empire
Valerie L. Garver
High status did not guarantee queens, abbesses, and other elite women, anymore than servile a place in the surviving texts from Carolingian Empire.1 As others have emphasized this volume already, traditional biography is only rarely way to tell stories of medieval even more so women.2 This chapter will trace picture two Girlindis Alpais, who lived western part Empire ninth century fabricated textiles, crucial activity Frankish women every status. Medievalists recently come appreciate importance textiles early Middle Ages, few recognized prominence cloth world, largely due paucity that survive time place. Given silence our sources about both individual fabrication, learning Alpais as individuals proves impossible. Examination wide variety sources, material textual, allows for glimpse their possible experiences when they do pertain directly question. Archaeology, instance, helps illuminate life while examining family members aids Alpais.3 Previous inattention makes it all desirable examine these textile fabricators well piece one produced.