Medieval Monarchy in Action: The German Empire from Henry I to Henry IV

Originally published in 1972, Medieval Monarchy in Action covers a period extending from the reign of Henry I to the early years of Henry IV. The book examines how the Saxon and Salian monarchs of the tenth and eleventh centuries built the foundations of the German Empire, this volume contains fifty documents which present the reader with the vivid picture of the imperial activities. The book contains original source material, including diplomas issued by the emperors, most of which have never before been published in English. Both the introduction and documents reveal the workings of the imperial chancery, the utilization of the Church as the foundation for building a strong monarchy, and the careful conscription of learned ecclesiastics into the royal bureaucracy. The period of Saxon-Salian dominance is an important area of study for papal-imperial relations in the Middle Ages and also for modern European history.