Religious Responses to Social Violence in Eleventh-Century Aquitaine
Steven D. Sargent
The late tenth and early eleventh centuries were a time of political anarchy social disorder in southern France. progressive partition Charlemagne's empire the impact Viking Muslim invasions had destroyed Carolingian authority administrative institutions. As subsided latter half century, state near prevailed as scions old ruling families local strongmen struggled to dominate one another extend their lordship over new lands peoples. hundreds castles they built enabled them seize economic control countryside. public justice system disintegrated, private warfare became endemic among warrior nobility, spreading destruction throughout society. Unable defend themselves lacking effective protectors, unarmed clergy peasantry suffered coercion, extortion, rapine at hands knights.1 lawlessness this era is graphically depicted Chronicle Ademar Chabannes (c. 988-1034), chief source for history Aquitaine century.2 monk St. Cybard (Eparchius) Angouleme, regarded spoliation monasteries particular ill his day.3 His narrative not uniformly pessimistic, however, Steven D. Sargent assistant professor Union College Schenectady , New York. specializations include popular religion high later Middle Ages medieval natural philosophy. most recent publication On Threshold Exact Science: Selected Writings Anneliese Maier on Late Medieval Natural Philosophy