International Conference!

Reflections of a Militarised World? Perceptions and conceptions of war and the military in the early Middle Ages (ca. 500–1000)

PROGRAMME

Since the end of Antiquity, the societies of western Europe underwent a continual process of militarisation. This process intensified during the early Middle Ages, and came to be a defining characteristic of the period. Militarisation can be identified by the lack of demarcation between the martial and civil spheres of the population, weapons becoming increasingly widespread and warlike attributes, activities, and values being widely recognised and respected. Militarisation also impacted on how members of early medieval societies perceived their worldly position.

Since January 2016 a project funded by the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung is conducted at the Freie Universität Berlin to study “The Militarisation of early medieval Societies. Nature, Control and Perception in a west-European Comparison”. It is a first attempt to comprehensively analyse this phenomenon during the formative period of the early Middle Ages, which is done by way of comparing Anglo-Saxon Britain, Lombard Italy and the Frankish kingdoms. For more information on the project, please visit our page: http://www.geschkult.fu-berlin.de/e/fmi/institut/arbeitsbereiche/ab_esders/Thyssen-Projekt/Thyssen-Projekt_GB.html.

In the framework of this project an international conference on “Reflections of a Militarised World? Perceptions and conceptions of war and the military in the early Middle Ages (ca. 500–1000)” will be held from September 19th to 21st 2017 in Berlin. The idea is to take a close look at contemporary ways to perceive and to think about war and the military and to discuss what conclusions may be drawn from these findings with regard to contemporary society. Questions that may be raised include but should not be limited to the concept and significance of war and peace, the terminology used to refer to praiseworthy and blameworthy qualities and abilities in a (potential) fighting man, the concept of maleness, heroism and warriorhood, the significance and legitimacy of military participation and the symbolism of weaponry.