Pitying the Desolation of Such a Place: Rebuilding Religious Houses and Constructing Memory in Aquitaine in the Wake of the Viking Incursions
Anna Trumbore Jones
This article examines the consequences of ninth-century Viking incursions for religious houses in southwest France, and portrayal those raids contemporary later medieval sources. Focusing on three particular—Saint-Hilaire Saint-Maixent Poitou Saint-Cybard Angoulême—the author uses both narrative diplomatic evidence to make two arguments. First, charter record these indicates that although did cause damage, which was often exacerbated by opportunistic predation locals, recovery took place relatively quickly. Second, accounts tenth-century texts, contrast evidence, evoke more persistent destruction at houses. disjunction occurred because authors shaped their portrayals Vikings serve purposes such as glorifying a restorer or emphasizing reform observance.
Viator