THE EMPERORS AND THE PILLARS OF THEIR POWER - From Charlemagne to Frederick Barbarossa - Landesmuseum ...

THE EMPERORS AND THE
                                                    PILLARS OF THEIR POWER
                                                    From Charlemagne to Frederick Barbarossa

               STATE EXHIBITION
                                               21
                     09 Sep. 2020 – 18 April 20
                     Mainz State Mu  seu m
HLB Fulda, sign. D 11 (Weingartner Welfenchronik)

Mainzer Adlerfibel
(GDKE, Mainz State Museum)

Frederick Barbarossa‘s Bulla Aurea
             (Worms City Archive, Dept. 1 A I No. 07)

Rudolf of Rheinfelden’s Adelheidkreuz /Imperial Cross
(Gerfried Sitar, Benedictine Monastery St. Paul Lavant Valley)

Captivating Middle Ages
Discover the intrigue of the Middle Ages, perceived by some
as a dark epoch full of fear, hunger, and lack of freedom, by
others as colourful, intense, and often romanticised era. Science,
however, sheds light on this fascinating time in a much more
nuanced way.

It is best to form your own opinion. We invite you to visit one
of the core landscapes of European history. The area from Mainz
to Speyer is considered one of the most innovative regions of
the Middle Ages. As the chronicler Otto von Freising noted in
the 12th century, it was the seat of the “Empire’s greatest power”.

Look forward to 2020, when
the entire region will be domi-
nated by the Middle Ages, and
set out on a tour of historical dis-
covery. The “Kaiserdome” cathe-
drals, for instance, are unique.
Where else, but along the Rhine,
would you find three such im-
posing church buildings within a
span of 50 kilometres? They are
enduring symbols of the impor-
tance of the cities of Speyer,
Worms, and Mainz from an eco-
nomic, political, religious, and       Great Heidelberg Book of Song /
cultural point of view. The Arch-      Codex Manesse (Heidelberg University
bishop of Mainz saw himself as         Library, Cod. Pal. germ. 848, fol. 399r)

the Pope’s representative north
of the Alps.

Visit original sites of German and European history. Inform
yourself in exhibitions about the different aspects of medieval
life through cultural testimonies of the time, and share the
“medieval experience” with other people in a variety of “living
history” productions and performances.

Emperors On Display
The highlight of the Kaiserjahr 2020 is the state exhibition,
“The Emperors and the Pillars of their Power – from Charlem-
agne to Frederick Barbarossa” at the State Museum in Mainz,
under the patronage of Rhineland-Palatinate’s Minister President,
Malu Dreyer.

From Charlemagne’s coronation in 800 to the imperial power
of the high Middle Ages – the exhibition sheds light for the first
time on the dynamic network of relationships between rulers
and subordinates, between the powerful and powerless, as well
as presents imperial personalities and their ideas of rule, and
shows how a new political and social order emerged over the
time of the Carolingians, Ottonians, Salians, and the Staufers.

For over five centuries they shaped the destinies of half of
Europe: they were glorious emperors, representatives of God,
influential rulers, and skilful politicians. But they succeeded in
this only because of a complex interplay between the pillars
of their power: secular and religious rulers, bishops, Jewish
communities, citizens of the newly strengthened cities, and
the notion of chivalry. Only
through these networks was
imperial rule possible.

Where was this political
rule staged? What role did
the territories on both sides
of the Rhine play? Why did
the region remain a seat of
power even for ruling dynas-
ties whose power was not
based here? Questions that
will be asked and answered
in the course of the exhibi-
tion time and again. One
                                  Frederick Barbarossa and his sons,
thing is certain: European        Weingartner Welfenchronik
history was written here.         (HLB Fulda, Sign. D 11)

Magnificent Contemporary
Witnesses – Outstanding
Exhibits
A unique exhibition with top-class exhibits from national and
international collections awaits you, with loans that have never
been seen before in this compilation and probably never will
again. Look forward to the famous Heidelberg Book of Song
Codex Manesse, the arm reliquary of Charlemagne from the
Paris Louvre and the temporary return of the Mainz Golden Bull
to its place of origin.

                                                  Photo: Andreas Lechtape

               Cappenberg’s Barbarossa Head
               (Selm, Catholic Parish of St. Johannes)

Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz
Mainz State Museum
Große Bleiche 49 – 51
55116 Mainz
Tel. +49 6131 28 570
landesmuseum-mainz@gdke.rlp.de
www.kaiser2020.de
www.landesmuseum-mainz.de

Supporting programme, guided tours,
and lecture series on the state exhibition
available via www.kaiser2020.de

An exhibition in cooperation with:
                                                    June 2020

We bring history to life.