This book is the first English translation of one of the most significant chronicles of the Middle Ages. Written in Bamberg at the end of the eleventh century, Frutolf of Michelsberg’s Chronicle offers a lively and vivid account of the great struggle between the German emperors and the papacy known today as the Investiture Contest. Together with numerous continuations written in the first quarter of the twelfth century, Frutolf’s Chronicle offers an engaging and accessible snapshot of how medieval people reacted to a conflict that led to civil war in Germany and Italy, and fundamentally altered the relationship of church and state in Western society.

This book is a detailed study of Hugh of Flavigny and his chronicle, which is widely recognised as one of the most important narratives of a crucial period of European history, that is, the Investiture Contest. Hugh's Chronicon is significant in a number of ways: as a unique source-book for some of the most important primary documents (especially papal letters) generated by the Investiture Contest; as a rare autograph manuscript which gives an important insight into contemporary modes of composition and compilation; as an important history of the 'local' effects of the Investiture Contest in the dioceses of Verdun and Autun; and as a striking autobiography of the author, Hugh of Flavigny. All these aspects are covered in this study by Patrick Healy. Other chapters investigate the context of the work in terms of ecclesiastical politics and use an analysis of the political and theological sources to illustrate the intellectual make-up of a contemporary monk, publicist - and polemicist.

Three of the most important chronicles of eleventh-century Germany were composed in the south-western duchy of Swabia. The chronicles reveal how between 1049 and 1100 the centripetal attraction of the reform papacy became the dominant fact of intellectual life in German reformed monastic circles. In the abbey of Reichenau Herman 'the Lame' composed a chronicle of the reign of Emperor Henry III (1039-56). His pupil, Berthold of Reichenau, continued his master's work, composing a detailed account of 1076-1079 in Germany. Bernold, a clergyman of Constance, continued the work of Herman and Berthold in a text containing the fullest extant account of 1080-1100. Herman’s waning enthusiasm for the monarchy and growing interest in the newly reformed papacy were intensified in Berthold’s chronicle, and writing in the new context of the reformed monasteries of south-western Germany, Bernold preached total obedience to the Gregorian papacy. The Swabian chronicles are an indispensable resource to the student of the changing loyalties and conflicts of eleventh-century Germany.

Debating medieval Europe serves as an entry point for studying and teaching medieval history. Rather than simply presenting foundational knowledge or introducing sources, it provides the reader with frameworks for understanding the distinctive historiography of the period, digging beneath the historical accounts provided by other textbooks to expose the contested foundations of apparently settled narratives. It opens a space for discussion and debate, as well as providing essential context for the sometimes overwhelming abundance of specialist scholarship. Volume I addresses the early Middle Ages, covering the period c. 450–c. 1050. The chapters are organised chronologically, and cover such topics as the Carolingian Order, England and the ‘Atlantic Archipelago’, the Vikings and Ottonian Germany. It features a highly distinguished selection of medieval historians, including Paul Fouracre and Janet L. Nelson.

In Warfare and the Miraculous in the Chronicles of the First Crusade, Elizabeth Lapina examines a variety of these chronicles, written both by participants in the crusade and by those who stayed behind. Her goal is to understand the enterprise from the perspective of its contemporaries and near contemporaries. Lapina analyzes the diversity of ways in which the chroniclers tried to justify the First Crusade as a “holy war,” where physical violence could be not just sinless, but salvific. The book focuses on accounts of miracles reported to have happened in the course of the crusade, especially the miracle of the intervention of saints in the Battle of Antioch. Lapina shows why and how chroniclers used these miracles to provide historical precedent and to reconcile the messiness of history with the conviction that history was ordered by divine will. In doing so, she provides an important glimpse into the intellectual efforts of the chronicles and their authors, illuminating their perspectives toward the concepts of history, salvation, and the East. Warfare and the Miraculous in the Chronicles of the First Crusade demonstrates how these narratives sought to position the crusade as an event in the time line of sacred history. Lapina offers original insights into the effects of the crusade on the Western imaginary as well as how medieval authors thought about and represented history.

Alongside annals, chronicles were the main genre of historical writing in the Middle Ages. All chronicles raise such questions as by whom, for whom, or for what purpose they were written, how they reconstruct the past, or which literary influences are discernible in them. Their significance as sources for the study of history, literature, linguistics, and art is widely appreciated. The series The Medieval Chronicle, published in cooperation with the Medieval Chronicle Society (medievalchronicle.org), provides a representative survey of on-going research in the field of chronicle studies, illustrated by examples from a wide variety of countries, periods, and cultural backgrounds.