History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages, Vol. 4, 1003-1199 [Paperback]

Ferdinand Gregorovius (Author), Annie Hamilton (Author), David S. Chambers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002

This Volume (volume 4) is in two parts (bound separately): Part 1 includes Book Seven of Gregorovius’ History, which treats the relations of the Emperor and Pope to Rome; the rise of civic offices; the career of John Crescentius and the Tusculans; the rule of Benedict VIII; the attempts at church reform; the rise of Hildebrand, his reign as Gregory VII, and the Investiture Conflict; the influences of Peter Damiani and the Countess Matilda; Robert Guiscard, the Normans, and the destruction of Rome; the reign of Emperor Henry IV; the popes and anti-popes from Sylvester II to Urban II; Rome and the Crusades; music, monasteries, letters, and libraries in the eleventh century.

Part 2 includes Book Eight, which covers the Twelfth Century. It treats the continuing conflict over investiture and the Concordat of Worms; the reign of Emperor Henry V; the rise of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily; the communal revolution of 1143 and the rebirth of the Senate; the history of the Capitoline; the life and death of Arnold of Brescia; the popes and anti-popes from Paschal II to Celestine III; Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and Pope Alexander III; the war between Rome and Tusculum and the Battle of Monte Porzio; the fall of the Tusculans; Henry VI; the development of the rioni and contrade; Roman families: the Frangipani, the Pierleoni and the Colonna; law, the Mirabilia and other literature, and architecture of the twelfth century.

Also includes an introduction to Gregorovius and his work by David S. Chambers of the Warburg Institute, London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 792 pages
• Publisher: Italica Pr (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934977763
• ISBN-13: 978-0934977760
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,754,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on the history of Rome, September 13, 2005

By 

Dandi Roberto "Roberto D." (Roma, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages, Vol. 4, 1003-1199 (Paperback)

I know. It's a VERY long book (in several volumes!). But you don't have to read it all in one month. I am tasting it piece by piece since two years. It is really the best book I can suggest on the history of Rome.

Ferdinand Gregorovius, despite his name, was a German who happened to be living in Rome during the end of the papal Government of the Heternal City (second half of XIX Century). He was so fascinated by this magnificent city - ok, I admit that I was born in Rome, but it IS a magnificent city - that he decided to write a history of it, from the fall of the Roman Empire untill the XVI Century. After that, he wrote, nothing special happened to the City, at least accourding to his artistic and historicist taste.

In the first volume of the book, I enjoyed mostly the description of the Gothic Wars, between Goths and the Eastern Roman Empire during the first half of the VI Century. It is really a fascinating story, it would be a wonderful script for a historical movie. I was so intrigued that I read the story from the original witness of the time, Procopius, a delightful reading as well.

Gregorovius was a histroian, but also a German of the time, and you can tell that just by reading how he describes (and defends) the Goths (followers of the arianism) and the German barbarians. While the late Romans are described as lost in lust and viciuos, barbarians have "fresh blood" and righteus morale. This nationalistic view had some fortune until our days, just remember what nazis thought of arians...

But the protagonist is Rome of course. If you read this book you will know pretty much everything about this city, at least until the end of the Middle Age. If you are interested in Rome this book CANNOT be missed. Every single historian of the city of Rome has to deal with it. The good news is that it is so well written and the content is so fascinating, that even the general public can be delighted by this book.