Changing Perspectives on England and the Continent in the Early Middle Ages, by Anton Scharer
Ingrid Rembold
In the course of his career, Anton Scharer has made numerous important contributions to study early medieval diplomatic, ideas rulership, and conversion Christianisation. This Variorum collection, which gathers fifteen articles from across last three decades, brings into focus common themes wide-ranging scholarly output: notably, importance networks in reconstructing cultural shifts (chs. I, III, V, VII, X), influence ideology creation political communities identities (IV, VI, VIII, XI, XIII, XIV), mechanisms top-down socio-political religious change (I, and, above all—shared among all contained this volume—the rich interconnections between England Continent. volume does a great service making Scharer’s work more accessible Anglophone readers by presenting papers translation. Only two remain German: re-examination various factors—political, religious, ideological economic—which contributed unification Anglo-Saxon (V), seminal 1988 on royal styles diplomas, persuasively argued for involvement construction titles further reconstructed contexts kings assumed promulgated such order legitimate their rule (VI). Four articles, meanwhile, have been translated English original German, or, one case, French. These include comparative analysis kings, decisive role played social (be they marriages, alliances or amicitiae) facilitating fundamental realignment (I); an interesting against-the-grain reading Bede’s erudite Latinate Ecclesiastical History, reveals ultimate vernacular pastoral ends (II); identification so-called ‘Lombard ordo’ as document dating end Alfred’s reign, coronation insignia exposes still contact Continent (IX, 2000 monograph Herrschaft und Reprӓsentation: Studien zur Hofkultur Kӧnig Alfreds des Grossen, with many will be familiar); extended revised version 2011 article, implicitly built upon explore how Carolingian, Ottonian, Salian manner similar counterparts, consciously shaped own memoria charters (XI).
The English Historical Review