This book offers a concise yet detailed political history of medieval Central Europe as it traces the history of the Medieval Empire from its inception as a kingdom during the early 10th century, to its formation as Roman Empire, its support of the papacy, its struggle with the papacy for supremacy, the shift of its centre of gravity to Italy and its demise into particularist parts by the middle of the 13th century. It surveys the three dynasties which ruled the Post-Carolingian Empire and follows the political emergence of a disjointed region through its crystallization into an independent...

As a sequel to the analysis of Romanesque church architecture as the Heavenly Jerusalem on earth, this book reviews the embellishing cloister arts during the Romanesque period in Central Europe. This book discusses the work in textiles, ivory, wood, precious metals, bronze, and illuminated manuscripts. Pertinent illustrations stress the themes common to those media, suggesting that the craftsmen knew one another’s work. Some may have worked in more than one medium.

Circumstances tended to preserve religious works. The book rests on the extensive use of detailed illustrative objects and...

This book seeks to offer a detailed survey of the Romanesque Architectural style preserved in Central Europe. It traces developments of the style from earliest examples of the post-Carolingian period to the height of sophistication during the transition to Gothic. It begins with a survey of the remains and reconstructions of the palaces of the mighty. It then offers a selection of castles, both as ruins or restored facilities as they can be found in Germany, Austria and Alsace. Where possible the emphasis rests on seeking out the artistic ornamentation with which the builders enhanced the...