The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians [Paperback]

J. B. Bury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 2000

The classic study of how the Roman Empire gradually succumbed to barbarian encroachment.

In print for more than thirty years, this book has long served as a standard text on the Germanic penetration of the Roman Empire. Bury's history is indispensable to anyone who seeks to understand the connection between the barbarian migrations of the third to the ninth century and the framework of modern Europe.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J. B. Bury taught history for many years at the University of Cambridge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (August 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393003884
• ISBN-13: 978-0393003888
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Concise, Compelling Chronicle of an Eventful Era, April 7, 2002

By 

George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians (Paperback)

Bury tells of the dismantling of the Roman Empire in the West by the Germanic tribes. This book is based on a series of lectures delivered by Bury at Cambridge University. He begins with a description of German life in the forests outside the Empire and then tells how population pressures and migrations eventually ruptured the border of the Roman Empire, letting in tribe after tribe of German warriors.

They came as federates, seldom thinking of themselves as conquerors, seeking to partake of the goodness of Roman civilization, not destroy it. Seen in this light, the Western Empire didn't so much fall as fade away under the successive waves of migrating tribes.

Most history books date the fall of the Western Empire from the date on which Odovacer deposed the last Western Emperor, Romulus Augustulus. Bury makes the point that Odovacer and his successors, the Ostrogoths, recognized the authority of the Eastern Emperor. It wasn't until the Lombard invasion that a completely independent German state was set up in Italy.

My misconception always was that the Germans were pagan invaders. The major tribes of the invasion were all Christians. They weren't Catholic, they subscribed to the heretical doctrine of Arianism. Bury makes a compelling case that the Ostrogothic kingdom's short existence was caused by the fact that Italy was largely Catholic and hostile to their heretical overlords.

It is interesting that the first lasting Germanic kingdom was established by the Frankish king, Clovis, who converted to Catholicism. Bury makes the case that Clovis converted to Catholicism, not because of a battlefield prayer for victory and a sign from heaven, but because of a calculated decision of statecraft by a shrewd politician. Clovis correctly discerned that his rule would be more lasting if he adopted the religion of most of his subjects.

A compelling chronicle of a turbulent time peopled with remarkable protagonists. And it is told in masterful fashion. The only shortcoming of the book is the absence of maps. The reader can easily get lost in the arcane geographical references.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent account of the barbarian invasions, June 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians (Paperback)

This is an excellent book that goes into great detail of how the barbarians went into the Roman Empire. It looks at how they were successful in establishing themselves as federates and how they basically became a part of the Roman Empire. It goes into great detail about many of the different barbarian groups. For example, it discusses the Visigoths, the Ostragoths, the Lombards, the Huns, Gepids, and many more. In conclusion, the book shows the side of the barbarians. Too often the barbarians are looked at from the Roman side because that is where most historians get the records from. However, J. B. Bury takes it from the Barbarian side and shows why they wanted to come into the Roman Empire. They really didn't want to destroy it, they just wanted a better way of living. Bury is an easy writer to read and it is written to a way you could teach it because it is broken up into 15 lectures. Highly recommended if you want to learn about the barbarians that invaded the Roman Empire and its outcome.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard-hitting history, the way it was meant to be [Non-P.C.], June 9, 1998

By 

Bob Lehner (Saginaw, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians (Paperback)

From a day when authors did not have to worry about offending people, and history could be truly nigh objective, J. B. Bury gives us a compilation of 15 of his most delicious lectures on the decline of Rome in the West between 375 and 575 A.D. He goes into great detail about the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Franks, Lombards, Vandals, and the Huns. I found this book to be an easy read; the lectures have been conveniently divided into sub-categories, making it even easier to understand the main points of each chapter. The book, while very entertaining, did become VERY boring in one of the Ostrogothic lectures, and I shall warn you, the beginning is moderately slow and boring. Fret not! It goes somewhere, and somewhere very interesting, I shall like to add. Great read, buy it today!