 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (June 2020) |
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| Author | Arthur J. Zuckerman |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Columbia University studies in Jewish history, culture, and institutions, no. 2 |
| Subject | Jewish history in Carolingian Empire |
| Genre | academic research, medieval history |
| Published | 1972 |
| Publisher | Columbia University Press |
| Publication place | USA |
| Pages | 490 |
| ISBN | 0-231-03298-6 |
A Jewish Princedom in Feudal France, 768–900 is a book about Frankish medieval history by Arthur J. Zuckerman (published 1972 by Columbia University Press).
According to Zuckerman's thesis presented in the book, a vassal Jewish princedom was established in Narbonne (Septimania) by the Carolingian king Pepin as a reward for Jewish cooperation in the Frankish conquest of the city in 759 CE from Muslim Al-Andalus. The dynasty of Jewish rulers was later also confirmed by Pepin's son Charlemagne and endowed with significant lands and privileges. He views later counts and dukes of Toulouse (Aquitaine) and Barcelona (Hispanic Marches) under the Carolingians as scions of these Jewish rulers. The first ruler was Makhir of Narbonne, a likely descendant of the Babylonian exilarch Bostanai, of the 7th century CE.
Zuckerman argues that the Princedom played an important role as a buffer zone in the border area between the Muslim caliphate south of the Pyrenees and the Christian Frankish Empire in the north. Its counts played influential roles in the imperial military campaigns in the Hispanic Marches, Aquitaine, and at the Carolingian court in Aachen.[1][2]
Zuckerman's thesis has been contested by several scholars and criticized for its conjecture and lack of reliable evidence, particularly when identifying presumably Christian Carolingian nobles with Jewish members of the House of Exilarchs.[3][4][5]
- ^ Zuckerman, Arthur J. (1972). A Jewish princedom in feudal France, 768-900. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-03298-6. OCLC 333768.
- ^ Zuckerman, Arthur J. (1965). "The Nasi of Frankland in the Ninth Century and the "Colaphus Judaeorum" in Toulouse". Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research. 33: 51–82. doi:10.2307/3622409. JSTOR 3622409.
- ^ "Book reviews". The Historian. 35 (4): 641–698. 1 August 1973. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6563.1973.tb00519.x. ISSN 0018-2370.
- ^ Bachrach, Bernard S. (1973). "Review--Arthur J. Zuckerman, A JEWISH PRINCEDOM IN FEUDAL FRANCE, 768-900". American Historical Review. 78: 1440–1441. doi:10.2307/1854120. ISSN 0002-8762. JSTOR 1854120.
- ^ Chazan, Robert (April 1973). "Review of 'A Jewish Princedom in Feudal France, 768–900', by Arthur J. Zuckerman". Jewish Social Studies. 35 (2): 163–165.