Home Region: Western Europe (Europe)

Carolingian Empire I

752 CE 840 CE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 fr_carolingian_emp_1 / FrCarlE

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

687 CE 751 CE Proto-Carolingian (fr_merovingian_emp_3) [continuity]

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

840 CE 987 CE Carolingian Empire II (fr_carolingian_emp_2) [continuity]

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General Description

Members of the Carolingian Dynasty had served as mayors of the palace under the Merovingian kings from the late 7th century CE onwards, wielding substantial power behind the throne. In 752 CE, however, Childeric III (last of the Merovingian rulers) was deposed and they seized outright control of the Frankish realm. ^[1] ^[2] With the new dynasty the capital moved east: Aachen, or Aix-la-Chapelle, became the main royal residence of the Carolingian monarchs until the empire began to disintegrate in the 9th century. ^[3]
Charlemagne was the most powerful Carolingian king, but after his death in 811 CE, the empire stopped expanding. The year 811 also marked the beginning of a rise in sociopolitical instability that resulted ultimately in a complete split of the kingdom. After the 843 CE Treaty of Verdun, the Carolingian lands were partitioned among Louis the Pious’ sons: Charles took the west, Louis the German the east, and Lothair took the Frankish territory between these two regions. ^[4] The Treaty of Meerssen (870 CE) resulted in the absorption of the central Frankish realm into West and East Francia, forming a boundary that even now endures as the border between France and Germany. ^[5] The empire was briefly reunited from 884 to 887 under Charles the Fat, ^[6] but as a rule the Frankish lands remained politically fragmented from the mid-9th century to 987 CE, when power passed to the Capetian Dynasty. ^[7]
This polity represents the early period of Carolingian rule, from 752 to 840 CE.
Population and political organization
In the Carolingian era, the lands under Frankish control grew considerably and an administrative system was developed in order to govern this large territory. ^[8] One official position that first appeared in this period was the missus dominicus (king’s representative), who could be sent out from the court to inspect the counties and pass on the king’s decrees. ^[9] Decrees were sometimes set down in documents called capitularies. ^[9] However, capitularies post-dating 843 CE are only found in West Francia, and they stopped being produced there too after the death of Charles the Bald in 877. ^[9] ^[10] This might suggest that the office of missus dominicus did not exist beyond that date and did not survive the rise in instability.
The Carolingian kings ruled in an essentially decentralized fashion like the Merovingians before them. Control over the regions was delegated to fief holders, often hereditary vassals of the king. ^[11] The king ruled by decree ^[9] and under Charlemagne (r. 800-814 CE) counties were established as the basic unit of governance. ^[9] Counts were responsible for enforcing local laws, dispensing justice and setting taxes. ^[9] By 850 CE, almost every county in West Francia also had a viscount, who assisted the count in his duties. ^[12]
During Charlemagne’s reign, the population of Gaul probably reached 5 million ^[13] but levels of urbanization were low in these supposed ’dark ages’ of medieval France: no town reached over 10,000 inhabitants between the 8th century and 1000 CE. ^[14]

[1]: (Wood 1994, 292) Wood, Ian. 1994. The Merovingian Kingdoms 450-751. London: Longman. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/ARUIRN35.

[2]: (Morby and Rozier 2014) Morby, John E., and Charlie Rozier. 2014. Dynasties of the World. 2nd ed., online edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/acref/9780191780073.001.0001. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/3C5IVS6E.

[3]: (Chazelle 1995, 31) Chazelle, Celia. 1995. “Aix-La-Chapelle.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 31-32. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/J93C7T3S.

[4]: (Chazelle 1995, 332) Chazelle, Celia. 1995. “Carolingian Dynasty.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 328-34. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/F3ZBDZSD.

[5]: (Chazelle 1995, 332-33) Chazelle, Celia. 1995. “Carolingian Dynasty.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 328-34. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/F3ZBDZSD.

[6]: (Chazelle 1995, 333) Chazelle, Celia. 1995. “Carolingian Dynasty.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 328-34. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/F3ZBDZSD.

[7]: (Bouchard 1995, 312) Bouchard, Constance B. 1995. “Capetian Dynasty.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 312-17. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/2SNRCJVG.

[8]: (Chazelle 1995, 329-30) Chazelle, Celia. 1995. “Carolingian Dynasty.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 328-34. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/F3ZBDZSD.

[9]: (Chazelle 1995, 330) Chazelle, Celia. 1995. “Carolingian Dynasty.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 328-34. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/F3ZBDZSD.

[10]: (Chazelle 1995, 318) Chazelle, Celia. 1995. “Capitulary.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 318-19. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/K3U2V585.

[11]: (Nicolle 1995, 18) Nicolle, David. 2005. Carolingian Cavalryman AD 768-987. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/QHXZFXS3.

[12]: (Boulton 1995, 1822) Boulton, D’A. Jonathan D. 1995. “Viscount/Viscounty.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 1822-23. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IZK522AK.

[13]: (Percy, Jr. 1995, 1415) Percy, Jr., William A. 1995. “Population and Demography.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 1415-17. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/QI73FMSM.

[14]: (Percy, Jr. 1995, 1739) Percy, Jr., William A. 1995. “Towns.” In Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, edited by William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, Lawrence Earp, and John Bell Henneman, Jr., 1739-40. New York: Garland Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/Z3F9HKUJ.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

3 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Scale of Supracultural Interaction

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

2 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

Religion

1 Religion Genus

1 Religion Family

1 Religion

1 Alternate Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Population of the Largest Settlement

1 Polity Territory

2 Polity Population

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

1 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Merit Promotion

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

1 Examination System

Law

1 Professional Lawyer

1 Judge

1 Formal Legal Code

1 Court

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Food Storage Site

1 Drinking Water Supply System

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

1 Canal

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

1 Mines or Quarry

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Nonwritten Record

1 Non Phonetic Writing

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Practical Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Paper Currency

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

1 Article

Information / Postal System

1 Postal Station

1 General Postal Service

1 Courier

Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

1 Wooden Palisade

1 Stone Walls Non Mortared

1 Stone Walls Mortared

1 Settlements in a Defensive Position

1 Modern Fortification

1 Moat

1 Fortified Camp

1 Earth Rampart

1 Ditch

1 Complex Fortification

1 Long Wall

Military use of Metals

1 Steel

1 Iron

1 Copper

1 Bronze

Projectiles

1 Tension Siege Engine

1 Sling Siege Engine

1 Sling

1 Self Bow

1 Javelin

1 Handheld Firearm

1 Gunpowder Siege Artillery

1 Crossbow

1 Composite Bow

1 Atlatl

Handheld weapons

1 War Club

1 Sword

1 Spear

1 Polearm

1 Dagger

1 Battle Axe

Animals used in warfare

1 Horse

1 Elephant

1 Donkey

1 Dog

1 Camel

Armor

1 Wood Bark Etc

1 Shield

1 Scaled Armor

1 Plate Armor

1 Limb Protection

1 Leather Cloth

1 Laminar Armor

1 Helmet

1 Chainmail

1 Breastplate

Naval technology

1 Specialized Military Vessel

1 Small Vessels Canoes Etc

1 Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.

Power Transitions

4 Power Transition

Instability Events

28 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1) was in:
(752 CE 839 CE)	Paris Basin

Home NGA: Paris Basin

General Variables

Identity and Location Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	32 U	752 CE 840 CE
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Original Name	Carolingian Empire I	752 CE 840 CE
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Capital	Aachen [Aix-la-Chapelle]	752 CE 840 CE
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Alternative Name	Francia	752 CE 840 CE
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Alternative Name	Kingdom of the Franks	752 CE 840 CE
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Alternative Name	Regnum Francorum	752 CE 840 CE
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Temporal Bounds Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	811 CE
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Duration	[752 CE ➜ 840 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Supracultural Entity	Latin Christendom	752 CE 840 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Carolingian Empire II	752 CE 840 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	17,000,000 km²	752 CE 840 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity	752 CE 840 CE
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Preceding Entity 687 CE 751 CE	Proto-Carolingian (fr_merovingian_emp_3) [continuity]
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Succeeding Entity 840 CE 987 CE	Carolingian Empire II (fr_carolingian_emp_2) [continuity]
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Degree of Centralization	unitary state	752 CE 840 CE
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Language Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Indo-European	752 CE 840 CE
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Language	Latin	752 CE 840 CE
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Religion Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Christianity	752 CE 840 CE
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Religion Family	Catholic	752 CE 840 CE
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Religion	Roman Catholic	752 CE 840 CE
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Alternate Religion	Uncoded Undecided	752 CE 840 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	[20,000 to 30,000] people	752 CE 840 CE
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Polity Territory	1,100,000 km²	752 CE 840 CE
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Polity Population	15,000,000 people Disputed	811 CE
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Polity Population	20,000,000 people Disputed	811 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	3	752 CE 840 CE
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Religious Level	[6 to 7]	752 CE 840 CE
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Military Level	[4 to 5]	752 CE 840 CE
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Administrative Level	4	752 CE 840 CE
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Professions Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Merit Promotion	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Examination System	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Law Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Judge	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Court	Absent Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Irrigation System	Absent Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Food Storage Site	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Port	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Canal	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Bridge	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Information / Writing System Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Script	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Sacred Text	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Practical Literature	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Philosophy	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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History	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Fiction	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Calendar	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Information / Money Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Paper Currency	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Article	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Information / Postal System Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Absent Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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General Postal Service	Absent Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Courier	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Information / Measurement System Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Moat	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Fortified Camp	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Ditch	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Complex Fortification	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Long Wall	absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Military use of Metals Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Iron	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Copper	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Bronze	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Projectiles Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Sling	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Self Bow	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Javelin	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Crossbow	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Composite Bow	Absent Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Atlatl	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Handheld weapons Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Absent Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Sword	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Spear	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Polearm	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Dagger	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Battle Axe	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Animals used in warfare Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Elephant	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Donkey	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Dog	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Camel	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Armor Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present Inferred	752 CE 840 CE
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Shield	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Scaled Armor	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Plate Armor	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Limb Protection	Unknown Suspected	752 CE 840 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Laminar Armor	Absent	752 CE 840 CE
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Helmet	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Chainmail	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Breastplate	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Naval technology Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Present	752 CE 840 CE
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Human Sacrifice Carolingian Empire I (fr_carolingian_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More