Description
This Czech-language historical study examines how ritual forms of communication shaped the public actions of powerful figures in the Middle Ages. Long regarded as rigid ceremony or empty ritual, this form of communication has often been overlooked. Drawing on specific examples, including the rituals surrounding the fall of the Bavarian duke Tassilo and the self-abasement of Emperor Henry IV, Gerd Althoff traces its history and connects it with changes in the exercise of power. By viewing rituals as consciously constructed acts intended to produce particular effects, he offers a persuasive explanation of their function. Public rituals gave a hierarchical society all the information it needed for the proper exercise of power: they expressed rights and obligations, revealed the current relationship between the participants and communicated the existing social order. This innovative approach is essential to a modern understanding of the Middle Ages.
Information
Author: Althoff Gerd
Language: Czech
Publication date: July 1, 2024
Manufacturer: Nakladatelství Karolinum
Genres: Books, History and facts, Medieval and modern era
Type: Books - paperback
Pages: 260
ISBN/EAN: 9788024656298