Charlemagne's Early Campaigns (768-777)
Bernard S. Bachrach
Charlemagne's Early Campaigns is the first book-length study of Charlemagne at war and its focus on period 768-777 makes clear that topic, for his forty-six year reign, immense. The neglect campaigns diplomacy undergirded them has truncated our understanding creation Carolingian empire great success enjoyed by leader, who ranks with Frederick Great Napoleon among Europe's best. critical deployment here numerous narrative documentary sources combined systematic use immense corpus archaeological evidence, much which result excavations undertaken since World War II, applied here, in detail, time order to broaden military strategy campaign tactics. advisers emerge as very careful planners, a thorough Roman thinking, were dedicated overwhelming force win whenever possible without undertaking bloody combat. emerges from this study, paraphrase observation attributed Scipio Africanus, commander not warrior.