"...[W]ell written in clear, and often elegant, prose...This book makes an important contribution to the growing body of newer scholarship on the Carolingian Empire...It deserves to be considered in equal measure by historians interested in the connection between monastic reform movements and the transformation of territorial lordships and familial self-perception in the eleventh century." -John Eldevik, Pomona College, Canadian Journal of History "Hans Hummer's book is a noteworthy addition to the work of historians focusing on the regional history of the Medieval West, particularly during the Carolingian period." -Boris Todorov, Comitatus "Hummer's book is an important addition to our knowledge of east Francia." -John B. Freed, Illinois State University, Journal of Medieval Studies