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IV The Central Middle Ages (900–1200) (i) European History

1990, Annual bulletin of historical literature

General G. Holmes, The Oxford illustrcr/ed history of niedieval Eltrope (OUP, f17.50) is divided into six chapters to provide one chapter for northern and one for southern Europe for each of three periods; the relevant ones for this period are the work of the late D. Whitton and Rosemary Morris. Considerations of space make the treatment something of a gallop. For a studied attempt at periodization. see P. Delogu (ed.). Periodi e conrenuti de1 tiiedio evo (Rome: II ventaglio), which tries to categorize the early, central and late middle ages. Jacques Le Goff. Merlievol civilization (Basil Blackwell. f22.50) is a translation of La civilistition tle l'ocrideirt riifdiPval, which first appeared in 1964. when it shocked conservatives iind Catholics by its resolute aim of treating civilisation in its broadest sense of popular attitudes and how they were shaped rather than concentrating o n medieval Europe's finest achievements. Lively. though superficial and now somewhat dated. it is the only comprehensive overview of medieval mentalites in English. A. Gurevich. Medieval popiilur ciiltiirc (CUP. f27.50) attempts to work out popular attitudes to death and religion from didactic religious literature. More profound than Le Goff. it is also more muddled. On Europe and the wider world, see J.R.S. Phillips. Tire rriedievd exparision of Europe (OUP. f27.50). pbk f8.95). a useful introduction to the question. and the idiosyncratic L.N. Gumilev, Searches for an inicrginary kiiigdoiri: the legend of the kirigdoni offrester John (CUP. 1987, f37.50). Neither, alas. really tries to sort out modern scholarship on the Letter of Prester John. At last. a work which tries to set medieval money. usually purely the preserve of numismatists, in its wider context: P. Spufford. Money uiitl its iise in i~ietlievcrl Europe (CUP. f50.00) is extremely informative but not so strong on synthesis. with paragraphs too short to allow for any development of an argument. The twelfth century is passed over rather quickly. especially where France and Spain are concerned. H.W. Goetz. 'Gottesfriede und Gemeindebildung' (Zeit. der Savigtiy-Stiftung fiir Rechtsgeschichte. Gernianisrisckc Abteilitrig. 105) says that nascent communes used similar concepts to the Peace of God movement because they grew out of the Same background, rather than being directly derived from it. E. Patlagean. 'Europe, seigneurie. feodalite: Marc Bloch et les limites orientales d'un espace de comparaison' (Studi niedievuli. 29) attacks Bloch for assuming that eastern Europe wasn't feudal. M. Mitterauer, '"Senioris sui nomine". Zur Verbreitung von Fiirstennamen durch das Lehenswesen' (Mitteilungen des Institiits fiir osterreickische Geschichtsforschung, 96) attributes the diminution of the number of forenames in circulation to the practice of naming sons for one's lord. One of the most ambitious publications of the year was the proceedings of the 1986 Monumenta Germaniae f Iistorica conference on medieval forgeries. Fiilsclzctngen inz Mittelulter. Internationaler Kongress der Monumenta Germaniae Historica (5 vols., Hanover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung). The first volume deals with forgery in narrative sources. the second with the punishment of forgers (mostly dealing with the proscriptions of canon law), the third and fourth with forged charters and the 24 CENTRAL MlDDLE AGES 2s fifth (more details below) with letters. Out of over 150 articles at least half deal with the 10th-12th centuries. Ecclesiastical and papal history E-D. Hehl (ed.), Die Konzilien Deutschlands