Charles the Bald and the defence of the West Frankish kingdom against the Viking invasions, 840-877
The aim of this dissertation is to establish the nature and effectiveness of the defence of the West Frankish realm against the Vikings during the reign of Charles the Bald. The work is divided into three distinct but interrelated sections, which together build up a composite picture. The first section consists of a re-examination and reappraisal of the primary sources to produce a substantially revised history of the Scandinavian raids and the Frankish response between 840 and 877. The second section then considers the West Frankish armies which opposed the Vikings, evaluating their composition and organization, their armament, and their strategies and tactics. Charles the Bald is shown to have made strenuous efforts to organize resistance at both national and local levels, and the reasons for the Franks' repeated failure to exclude or expel the Vikings are considered in detail. The concluding section discusses the broader defensive strategies of tribute payment and fortification construction. The King's reasons for offering tributes, the methods employed to raise them and their military, political and economic consequences are all examined in chapter seven. The final chapter then demonstrates that Charles
Coupland, S. C.
History
Charles the Bald and the defence of the West Frankish kingdom against the Viking invasions, 840-877. The aim of this dissertation is to establish the nature and effectiveness of the defence of the West Frankish realm against the Vikings during the reign of Charles the Bald. The work is divided into three distinct but interrelated sections, which together build up a composite picture. The first section consists of a re-examination and reappraisal of the primary sources to produce a substantially revised history of the Scandinavian raids and the Frankish response between 840 and 877. The second section then considers the West Frankish armies which opposed the Vikings, evaluating their composition and organization, their armament, and their strategies and tactics. Charles the Bald is shown to have made strenuous efforts to organize resistance at both national and local levels, and the reasons for the Franks' repeated failure to exclude or expel the Vikings are considered in detail. The concluding section discusses the broader defensive strategies of tribute payment and fortification construction. The King's reasons for offering tributes, the methods employed to raise them and their military, political and economic consequences are all examined in chapter seven. The final chapter then demonstrates that Charles
charles defence west frankish kingdom viking invasion aim_establish nature_effectiveness defence west frankish realm vikings reign charles work_divide three_distinct interrelated section together build composite picture first_section consist re_examination reappraisal primary_source produce substantially revise history scandinavian raid frankish response second_section considers west frankish army oppose vikings evaluate composition organization armament strategy_tactic charles show make strenuous effort organize resistance national_local level reason repeated failure exclude expel vikings consider detail conclude section discus broader defensive strategy tribute payment fortification construction king reason offer tribute method_employ raise military political_economic consequence examine final demonstrates charles