Die »Familie der Könige« im Mittelalter

Ein Diskussionsbeitrag zur Kritik eines vermeintlichen Erkenntnismodells

Abstract

The concept of »family of kings« was created by Franz Dölger and was intended to explain the relations between states and powers during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages in the sense of a juridical institution. This conception has been heavily criticized. First of all, the sources (of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages) mentioned by Dölger in his famous article of 1940 have been the object of a new analysis – with a negative result. There is no real proof for Dölger’s »family of kings«. In the second part of the present article the circumstances of the creation of Dölger’s article – the beginning of WorldWar II, Nazi rule in Germany – and the involvement of Dölger himself in Nazi ideology and his connection to important Nazi institutions (like the »Amt Rosenberg«) are brought together. Dölger’s »family of kings«, according to the present author, is dependent on discussions about future German rule in South- East Europe. Accordingly, this concept should not be used to explain developments in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.