Charlemagne's Mustache: And Other Cultural Clusters of a Dark Age

The New Middle Ages

by Paul Edward Dutton

Charlemagne's Mustache and Other Cultural Clusters of a Dark Age presents the reader with seven engaging studies of cultural life and thought in the Carolingian world: Why did Charlemagne have a mustache and why did hair matter? Why did the king own peacocks and other exotic animals? Why was he writing in bed and could he write at all? How did medieval kings become stars? How were secrets kept and conveyed in the early Middle Ages? Does the world age with the aged? And why did early medieval peoples believe in storm- and hailmakers? The answers, Dutton finds, are often surprising.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval History

295 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2004

About the author

Paul Dutton is a professor of Humanities at Simon Fraser University (BC, Canada).

Reviews

[Adam McPhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essay on hair politics during the Merovingian/Carolingian changeover and the one on weather magic both blew my mind. Although it's a shame he didn't bring up La Chanson de Floovants, a geste whose plot is kicked off when the royal heir shaves his sleeping tutor's ducal beard as a prank and is exiled form the kingdom. It's from a later time period but it's looking back on that era. All the stuff on animals and the literary side of the Carolingian renaissance ruled too.

I think what makes these essays so good is they give in to speculation, which people like Dutton who actually know what they're talking about are usually reluctant to do. Or to admit they're doing, so much of this period's history really is just trying to suss out clues from the annals and chronicles. I dunno. All I'm saying is I really enjoyed this.

[Adam Marischuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heavy, dense look at a few historical/cultural topics from the Carolingian age, but providing genuine insight for the dedicated reader. However, just because it is cultural cluster history does not mean it is light material. Professor Dutton writes in the preface the best summary of the book I can think of:

My hope in what follows is to explore but a few of the cultural clusters of the Carolingian age. I would not claim that they were the most important such assemblages, and indeed know that they were not, but thinking about them may help us cast a weak light into still obscure corners of the Carolingian experience. (xiv)

Charlemagne's Mustache: And Other Cultural Clusters of a Dark Age is comprised of seven articles (and three appendices) on "cultural clusters", things that are often overlooked in Medieval studies. Professor Dutton, from the time I knew him at Simon Fraser University, combines depth of scholarship with passion and a little unapologetically nerdy-obsession to bring history to life in these pages, much like in his lectures.

The chapter/articles (which all can stand alone) are as follows:

1. Charlemagne's Mustache (A look at the importance and significance of facial (and other) hair in the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, tracing back to Biblical and Classical Antiquity. I can't help but feel this chapter was shaped by Professor Dutton's own meticulously crafted mustache)

2. Charlemagne, King of Beasts (About the symbolism of animals, both domestic and wild, local and apocraphal, and Charlemagne's royal "zoo", including the elephant Abul Abaz, gifted by Harun)

3. Karolus Magnus Scriptor (About the rumours of Charlemagne's literacy or illiteracy, from Einhart and Gibbon. It explores productive language, forms of writing, and the levels thereof)

4. Of Carolingian Kings and Their Stars (Concerning astronomy/ology at the Carolingian court, both scholarly and amature, Biblical, Classical and Pagan and its representation in art)

5. Whispering Secrets to a Dark Age (The difficult task of recreating secrets, spying and court intrigue, things meant to be concealed at the time rarely come to further light as centuries progress)

6. A World Grown Old with Poets and Kings (How states age is a timeless preoccupation and this chapter deals with poets reflecting senescence in the Carolingian, and particularly Charlemagnian, kingdom. If the world was old then, imagine now.)

7. Thunder and Hail over the Carolingian Countryside (Much like the chapter on astrology/astronomy, this chapter deals with the balance between paganism and Christianity, superstition and religion, magic and science and the mind of the medieval peasant and Bishop Agobard)

Appendix 1: The Name of the Elephant
Appendix 2: The Collection of Biblical Citations Sent to Emperor Lothar I
Appendix 3: Carolingian Royal Life Spans

As a farrago of 'cultural clusters' this book naturally lacks much of a coherent whole, and is completely unbound by chronology. Regardless, this doesn't necessarily detract from the inherent value and pleasure in reading it. Professor Dutton is, to my mind, the master of all things Carolingian and he explores new nooks and crannies to bring the era to life. But a familiarity with the era, the main characters, the political map and maybe even latin is necessary to fully appreciate the book.

Just like a selection of short stories, these chapters will appeal to different audiences to differing degrees, but it is still possible to objectively rank them for a broad audience. The chapter which provides the title, 'Charlemagne's Mustache, is the magnum opus, followed in my estimation by 'Thunder and Hail' as it provides profound insights into the theme of superstition, knowledge, human behaviour and human motivation. 'King of Beasts' is something of a children's faery tale, instilling an appreciation of Carolingian art and zoological knowledge along with a peasants amazement at the exotic beasts. It is tied with 'Scriptor', a living inquiry/investigation into the nature of literacy for the good King and the relative improtance thereof. To my mind, both 'Stars' and 'Whispers' lay the groundwork for something of a very interesting discussion of cosmology and espionage, but fail to fully deliver on the promise of the topics. 'Old' is the densest and likely the driest chapter (if paper density can refer to something other tan weight) though it has one of my favourite passages, which reminds me of one of Chesterton's paradoxes, "Senescence is a special topos, since it is a subset of the organic metaphor, the metaphor most frequently applied to the state. Whenever we find the state compared to a diseased body, a poisoned body, or a body naturally growing old, we are in the presence of this metaphor...Historians, however, need occasionally to remind themselves that the state is not a body" (p. 153)

[Kristian Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, easy read dealing with some lesser-known aspects of the Carolingian World. Highly recommend.

[Bryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a medievalist or a historian or a scholar and yet I really enjoyed this collection of essays by Dutton about little cultural clouds around Charlemagne's court. Could Charlemagne, famous encourager of learning and books, actually read and/or write? What did the various kingly hairstyles mean, and why did they change when they did? How was astronomy/astrology actually used and understood by the Merovingians? These are not questions I would have asked, I know nothing about this period but the names, yet Dutton's writing in answering them is so enjoyable and fascinating; I came away from the book with my intellectual curiosity fed.

[Mick de Waart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kind of book that only someone with extensive expertise can write. Dutton is invested into the subject matter so deeply that he can recognize intricate patterns on interesting subjects that aren’t often highlighted. He thereby offers a unique glimpse into a time about which relatively little is known. As if that weren't enough, he skillfully describes highly scholarly texts in an engaging and sometimes even humorous manner. Highly recommended to those interested in the Carolingians.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

NOt as good as I had hoped, learned very little, kind of a rambling nothing on the obivous, attempting to relate to the time of Charlemagne, but more a reflection of the authors musings.