Carolingian training

[Erpingham]

Nice short intro piece from David Bachrach on Carolingian training here.

These are quite good examples of a problem with the Carolingians. They were very influenced by the Romans.  Did this mean they just liked imitating Roman fashion, art and literature, or did they actually attempt to fight like Romans?

It's also a good example of the Bachrach style, which you need to watch as it is prone over step the evidence. He clearly implies that Rabanus' troops have a training regime based on Vegetius based on this phrase

"I have enclosed certain chapters that were excerpted from the little work of Flavius Vegetius Renatus regarding the training of Roman soldiers, and regarding those things which are done among our trainees, .."

Compare this to the version in Professor Charles West's translation linked in the article

"I have also added some chapters excerpted from a small work of Flavius Vegetius Renatus on the training of the Roman army, describing how recruits were trained among them,.."

Small difference but total change in meaning. In the Bacharach version, Rabanus is recommending a training method he has in use to the king.  In the West version, he encourages the king to heed the wisdom of the Romans on making war. The woes of translations (Justin would love it  ).

Then we have

"Chapter 6, in particular, offers detailed instructions for the training of men to serve in an infantry phalanx—the dominant formation used by Carolingian forces on the battlefield."

 He is talking of the second chapter 6 (for some reason the text we have has two of them). However, this says nothing about formation fighting - these sections are about individual combat skills and weapon handling.  Not arguing that the Carolingian didn't fight in phalanxes (in the general sense of close order infantry formations) but this text doesn't tell us that. A case of making the evidence fit the theory?

Anyway, interesting if read with caution.  I recommend the Charles West blog page linked for a different view - Rabanus' epitome is very short.

[Imperial Dave]

Nice find. Really enjoyed that piece

[stevenneate]

Thanks for this information. Coverage of the early Frankish kingdoms is spartan to say the least. Whilst Anglo-Saxons get examined in minute detail in Slingshot, their European mainland contemporaries are, IMHO, relatively completely overlooked.

I have a Carolingian 15mm awaiting my paintbrush (lovely Peter Pig figures reviewed recently in Slingshot) but it looks to be a 2026 project now. It gets too hot to paint figures in summer here unless the air conditioning is set to flat-out!