Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry --280 pages
The brothers mentioned in the subtitle were the grandsons of Charlemagne and the inheritors of the Carolingian empire. The two younger surviving brothers fought against the eldest, who had inherited the title of emperor, at the battle of Fontenoy in modern France in the year 841. The feuding brothers eventually compromised on dividing their areas of rule, and these events were a significant step in the evolution of western Europe into recognizable states. The authors' tone was a bit flippant and cynical of the main figures' motives, considering the scarcity of sources from the time period. Their summaries of modern French and German historians' views of the battle and its aftermath were enlightening.
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