Publisher Description

'Awe-inspiring ... stunning ... no review can really do this book justice- it is a superlative work' Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph'The Penguin History of Europe series ... is one of contemporary publishing's great projects' New StatesmanThe world known as the 'Dark Ages', often seen as a time of barbarism, was in fact the crucible in which modern Europe would be created.Chris Wickham's acclaimed history shows how this period, encompassing peoples such as Goths, Franks, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, was central to the development of our history and culture. From the collapse of the Roman Empire to the establishment of new European states, and from Ireland to Constantinople, the Baltic to the Mediterranean, this landmark work makes sense of a time of invasion and turbulence, but also of continuity, creativity and achievement.

Notes

Subtitled, A History Of Europe From 400 To 1000. Although known as the Dark Ages, this was in fact the crucible in which modern Europe was created. Wickham examines the Goths, Franks, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings to trace the development of our history and culture.

Author Biography

Chris Wickham is Chichele Professor of Medieval History at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of All Souls College. His book Framing the Middle Ages, which was published in 2005, won the Wolfson Prize, the Deutscher Memorial Prize and the James Henry Breasted Prize of the American Historical Association. He taught for many years at the University of Birmingham and is a Fellow of the British Academy.

Review

A work of tremendous authority and breadth. With this book, as with Charlemagne's empire, one feels that an extraordinary range of things have been brought together -- Noel Malcolm * Sunday Telegraph *
Intensely rewarding -- Jonathan Sumption * Spectator *
Almost every page is full of arresting details and insights ... and a sharp eye for a revealing anecdote, illuminating even the murkiest corners of the so-called Dark Ages -- Dominic Sandbrook * Daily Telegraph *
The Penguin History of Europe series ... is one of contemporary publishing's great projects * New Statesman *
With five volumes now out, the Penguin History of Europe series ... is shaping up to be the best general account available, superseding all previous ones * Economist *

Review Text

A work of tremendous authority and breadth. With this book, as with Charlemagne's empire, one feels that an extraordinary range of things have been brought together

Review Quote

The Penguin History of Europe series ... is one of contemporary publishing's great projects

Promotional "Headline"

'Awe-inspiring ... stunning ... no review can really do this book justice- it is a superlative work' Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph

Details