Matthew Gabriele, a professor and co-author of "Oathbreakers," and David M. Perry, also co-author of the same work, delve into the tumultuous legacy of the Carolingians. They discuss the brutal Battle of Fontenoy in 841 AD, pitting Charlemagne’s grandsons against each other. The conversation explores the fragile power dynamics, the church's role in the conflict, and how these medieval struggles shaped modern European identities. Their insights reveal the complicated aftermath of a fractured empire.
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Fontenoy: An Unlikely Battlefield
The Battle of Fontenoy, a seemingly insignificant village, became the site of a major civil war battle in 841 AD.
This battle involved Charlemagne's grandsons fighting over the empire's future.
insights INSIGHT
Carolingian Collapse
The Carolingian empire, reaching its peak under Charlemagne, surprisingly collapsed within two generations.
This rapid decline highlights the inherent instability despite the Franks' narrative of unity.
insights INSIGHT
A Question of Power, Not Overthrow
The Battle of Fontenoy wasn't about overthrowing Emperor Lothar.
It centered on the extent of Lothar's power and control over the territories within the empire.
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The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe
Matthew Gabriel
Dr. David M. Perry
Oathbreakers is the dramatic history of the brutal, turbulent time of the Carolingian Civil War. Medieval historians David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele illuminate what happens when a once unshakeable political and cultural order breaks down and long suppressed tensions flare into deadly violence. Drawn from rich primary sources, the book features a wide cast of characters and is packed with dramatic twists and turns, rivaling the greatest fictional epics. It explores the consequences of disagreeing on facts and reality, the sacredness of royal oaths, and the bloody conflicts that shaped the trajectory of medieval Europe.
History is full of dysfunctional families, but few more so than the Carolingian ruling clan. The empire was at the height of its power under renowned ruler Charlemagne. But just two generations later, in the year 841 AD, his grandsons were locked in a vicious contest for power and control. This jockeying culminated in the bloody pitched battle of Fontenoy – a key moment in a civil war that shattered an empire and reshaped Europe, according to Professor Matthew Gabriele and David M Perry in their new book, Oathbreakers. David Musgrove spoke to them to find out more about the shocking aftermath of this crisis.
(Ad) Matthew Gabriele and David M Perry is the author of Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe (HarperCollins, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oathbreakers-Brothers-Shattered-Empire-Medieval/dp/0063336677/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.
The Carolingian king Lothar II was embroiled in a scandal that destroyed his reign and ended his kingdom – Professor Charles West shares the story: https://link.chtbl.com/v2GgAvSP.
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