Identities and Narratives in Medieval Europe and in European Historical Research

Abstract

In medieval Europe from the late antiquity onwards up to about 1500, social and political identities were constructed by learned men in order to legitimise current developments and prevailing situations. According to this point of view, the older a tradition could be claimed, the better it was suited to explain their own reality. Ancient kings and heroes as well as legendary figures helped to construct a historically based identity which was defined by dynastic continuity. Conflicts and concurrences first emerged from the process of ranking different dynasties within a social hierarchy. The obligation to differ between Christian and non-Christian, antique as well as pagan traditions forced the narrative of a Christian Occident to be rebuilt. Contact with Muslims outside or even in Europe and with Jews in European cities finally led to open questions on how to behave and how to deal with one’s own identity.