The object of this article are the measures taken by the Carolingian princes to confront the alimentary crises, as found in three capitularies published by Charlemagne between the end of the 8th and the beginning of the 9th century: the Capitulare Episcoporum (c.779), the Capitulaire de Francfort (794) and the Capitulaire de Nimègue (806). At first glance very disparate, the measures anticipated by these texts were not, up until now, object of an analysis as a single group. Through this group viewpoint, we will attempt to go beyond the acknowledgment of the “despair” that would have inspired them, and ponder on whether or not there could have been a common guideline in the treatment of the problem of famine under the Carolingians. Key words: Famine, Moral Economy, Carolingians, Capitularies, Commerce.