1. Henri Pirenne ( )
Pirenne Thesis

2. Pirenne Thesis:
Breaking of European economic unity came with
rise of Islam. Mediterranean as frontier
This led to Europe turning inward to own
resources, leading to rise of European
states
“Without Mohammed, Charlemagne
would have been inconceivable.”
Henri Pirenne, Mohammed and
Charlemagne (1935)

3. Signs of Decline (according to Pirenne):
1. Change in mercantile class and markets
2. Replacement of gold with silver
coinage under Pippin III (r )
and Charlemagne (r )
3. Simplification of Carolingian
fiscal system

4. Mechanisms of exchange/perceptions of value:
Markets and informal barter
Honores (honours), donations, in return
for “gifts” and support
“Gifts” in exchange for “protection”
Multifaceted nature of exchange and
perceptions of value

5. Map Link: Europe at the Death of Charlemagne, 814:
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maps/map038.jpg>

6. c. 700 Emergence of emporia on North Sea
Late 8th/early 9th c. High point of emporia
Exports: wine, pottery, millstones
Imports: amber, ivory, furs, cloth, slaves
9th c. Decline of emporia

7. Involvement in politics
The Vikings:
Impact of raids
Viking traders
Involvement in politics
Map Link: Journeys of the Vikings:
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8. Decline of the emporia:
Viking impact
Development of commercial centres
inland, often under patronage

9. Early 8th c. Low point in Mediterranean trade
c. 800 Re-establishment of trans-Mediterranean
trade, and land route through Balkans
Imports: luxuries, e.g. silk, spices Venice
Exports: furs, textiles, weapons, slaves(?)
Early 9th c. Conflict in Mediterranean
Muslim conquest of Sicily

10. Map Link: Invasions in the 9th-10th Centuries:
<
Chuck%20Boening/western%20civ/Invasions%
20of%20the%20Ninth%20and%20Tenth%20
Centuries.jpg>