'... there has remained a general acceptance of the narrative presented by Rimbert’s Life of Ansgar. What has hindered many scholars who would pursue a more skeptical line has been the daunting task of grappling with the diplomatic evidence. Eric Knibbs has not only engaged with this evidence to great effect but also communicates his findings with a clarity that makes their logic readily apparent even to those not deeply learned in the study of diplomas... This book is extremely valuable to anyone interested in the history of the Church in Scandinavia and Germany in the early-medieval period.' Catholic Historical Review '... a careful and critical rereading of the relevant ninth-century texts... this book makes an important contribution to the history of the later Frankish empire and the early church in German lands... The more technical chapters are not an easy read, but the payoff comes at the end, when one realizes just how much Knibbs has brought to light and revised with his analysis.' German Studies Review 'From an historical perspective, [Ansgar, Rimbert and the Forged Foundations of Hamburg-Bremen] paints a fascinating picture of two men, Ansgar and Rimbert, desperate to make themselves and their see appear a lot more important than they and it really were. Their reworking of recent history, especially when set alongside the audacity with which they hoodwinked successive emperors, popes and arch bishops is quite remarkable, and Knibb’s free-flowing and energetic narrative does much to illuminate this process.' Mediaevistik 'Knibbs’ book displays clever detective work and careful analysis certainly of interest to graduate students and scholars of ecclesiastical history.' Religious Studies Review 'This is a valuable and thought-provoking book that will make historians of the Carolingian church and of the Frankish missions to Scandinavia in the ninth century re-evaluate some of their basic assumptions.' English Historical Review 'Crucially, Knibbs’
