Lordship in ninth-century Francia: the case of Bishop Hincmar of Laon and his followers

Lordship is a concept of increasing prominence for those studying power in the Middle Ages. This article addresses the question of whether Carolingian Francia too was characterised by practices of lordship, as has recently been suggested. Drawing on material from ninth-century Laon, set in a wider geographical and chronological context, it argues that, while there is compelling evidence for the importance of interpersonal and unequal relations in the Carolingian period, the concept of lordship may not in fact be the best way of approaching them, and it concludes with an alternative suggestion.