Octopuses and Ottonians: The Possibilities of Biological Systems Theories for Historical Inquiry

What can octopuses teach us about history? And what did the Ottonians, the tenth-century Saxon dynasty that founded and ruled what would become known as the Holy Roman Empire, have in common with them? The application of biological systems models to certain elements of the Middle Ages provides an opportunity to see them with a fresh perspective and achieve new insights. Biological adaptive systems focus on how organisms relate to their environments. Recent literature in the sciences addresses natural security systems and the possibilities they might offer for modern state security systems, like U.S. Homeland Security. I propose that these systems offer opportunities for historians as well. The adaptive systems of octopuses and how they respond to threats and solve security problems evolved as a specific species survival strategy. Octopuses respond to rapidly changing circumstances using multiple semi-independent agents that can solve problems as they arise. Natural systems such as this "decentralize, adapt, and cooperate." The Ottonians' ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment, to manipulate uncertainty, and to create symbiotic relationships with former competitors, all key elements of an octopus's adaptive toolbox for survival, were key factors for the Ottonians, too, in determining their success. Using the model provided by the octopus to frame research questions about the Ottonians allows a new kind of assessment of their rule, and challenges the universality and applicability of certain paradigms that we use for understanding the early and central Middle Ages, namely that of the "feudal revolution." This paper will present the Ottonians as a case study for the application of biological systems models in historical inquiry, and suggest other possibilities and opportunities that these systems might offer for historians.