The Memory of the Living: Political Commemorations of Allies by Two Tenth-Century Royal Women
Megan Welton
In the early Middle Ages, public commemoration of recently deceased persons served to shape immediate political future. royal and noble circles, creation issuance charters in wake death helped stave off potential discord by forging new bonds publicly confirming legal transfer significant holdings. This article analyzes this dynamic postmortem two tenth-century kingdoms, late Carolingian Francia Ottonian Empire. these realms, Queen Gerberga Empress Adelheid advocated for dead allies ensure their memory persisted through intercessions interventions confirmation charters. doing so, women used deaths fideles both within and, more intriguingly, outside family circles shore up own aims consolidate futures. Examining moments crisis illuminates how medieval queens empresses acted as agents indispensable earliest stages commemoration. It equally demonstrates rulers seized on afterlives perpetuate existing networks social relations promote belief justice rule.
Viator