Networks and places of power in Midwestern Gaul during the first Middle Ages (400-900)

• Grant number: 16/14336-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2016
• End date: August 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - Ancient and Medieval History
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Cândido da Silva
• Grantee: Adrien Bayard
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this project is to explore the process of construction and organization of territories by early medieval powers in the Southwestern Gaul, especially for the bishoprics of Angoulême and Saintes from fifth to tenth century. To carry out this study, an interdisciplinary approach is needed. We must add to traditional methods of analysis of texts and archaeological data a theoretically informed reflection on physical and social space, drawing on insights from Geography and Anthropology. The concept of places of power is the good illustration of this research field. Indeed, the goal of those places where the elites (since the local lords to the delegates of the Visigoth and Frankish kings) construct discourses aiming to justify, express and perpetuate their power, both material and symbolic. The period is of great interest because it witnessed intense social recombining, resulting in heightened competition between the elites, a group trying to define itself at precisely this time. This work will insist particularly on the spatial and economical manifestations of these phenomena. In examining individual episodes of domination of the elites, we will try to characterize the place or the zones where power is exerted (especially for the link with the sacred) and identify the actors involved in the formation of elites. (AU)