Struggle for Empire: Kingship and Conflict under Louis the German, 817–876

by Eric J. Goldberg

Struggle for Empire explores the contest for kingdoms and power among Charlemagne's descendants that shaped the formation of Europe. It examines this pivotal era through the reign of Charlemagne's grandson, Louis the German (826–876), one of the longest-ruling Carolingian kings. Eric J. Goldberg's book brings the enigmatic Louis to life and makes a vital contribution to recent reevaluations of the late Carolingian age. In the Treaty of Verdun of 843, Louis inherited the eastern territories of the Carolingian empire, thereby laying the foundations for an east Frankish kingdom. But, as Goldberg emphasizes, Louis was never satisfied with his realm beyond the Rhine. Louis was a skilled and cultured ruler who modeled himself on Charlemagne, and he aspired to rebuild his grandfather's empire. This ambition to reunite Europe brought Louis into repeated conflict with other rulers: Carolingian kings, Byzantine emperors, Bulgar khans, Roman popes, and Slavic warlords. While Louis ultimately failed to reunify the empire, his fifty-year reign produced a period of remarkable political consolidation and cultural creativity in central Europe. By highlighting the ways in which dynastic rivalries, aristocratic rebellions, diplomacy, and warfare shaped Louis's reign, Struggle for Empire uncovers the dynamism and innovation of ninth-century kingship. To trace Louis's evolving policies, Goldberg moves beyond the evidence traditionally used to study his reign―the Annals of Fulda―and exploits the visual arts, liturgy, archeology, and especially charters. The result is a remarkably comprehensive and colorful picture of Carolingian kingship in action.

Genres: History, Medieval History

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2006

Reviews

[Ben Wand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent study on the reign of Louis the German, a grandson of Karl der Grosse. Louis had a particularly long reign and used the time to fortify an eastern Frankish kingdom. This effort involved conflicts with his brother Charles in the west, relatives in Italy, and with Byzantium over church rights in the east. This is an important book for those interested in not the Carolingian period, but also the later centuries, since political moves made in this period helped set up future kingdoms in France, Burgundy, Italy, and Germany.

[Comes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biography covering the life of Louis the German and his struggle with his brothers for dominance. By the time he died, Louis had spent fifty years at war. With his father, his brothers, their sons and even his own sons as well as rising powers around Frankia ready to challenge them. This book is an excellent narrative of these conflicts from the perspective of Louis and East Frankia. There are considerable sections discussing political, religious and scholarly culture as well.

[Joseph Leake]

n.b. "Scholarship and Literary Production," pp.165-185.