Customer Reviews

The Crucible of Europe: The Ninth and Tenth Centuries in European History

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The ninth and tenth centuries are too frequently overlooked by historians, and consequently history readers. Historians tend to focus way too much on that boring old Renaissance, and not at all to all the neat stuff that led up to it: wars, plagues, familial infighting, church infighting, economics, Vikings, Magyars, Saracens!

In Dr. Barraclough's little book the reader will get a pretty good idea of what was going on in France, Germany, Italy, and to a lesser extent, England, during the 9th and 10th centuries.

He takes a Pirenne/La Touche approach to economics etc.; or in other words, there is an essential outlook that says that 'Rome was a Mediterranean focused society-economy, while the new Europe was more focused to the north'.

Chapter Headings follow for your perusal:

Prelude to Charlemagne: the Frankish ascendancy
The Carolingian legacy
The decline and fall of the Carolingian empire
The impact of invasion
Feudal France: origins
Italian society from Charlemagne to Otto I
The rise of the German monarchy
The Anglo-Saxon achievement
The new Europe: promise and problems

There is an excellent bibliography.


Four Stars. An academic read (no Latin, but not a page turner-lol). My particular book has held together but I wouldn't describe it as sturdy. 58 Interesting illustrations and pictures (b&w). 3 Maps. Plenty to think about. [The discussion of the development of feudalism is poignant and interesting.]