Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000, Second Edition (History of Europe (St. Martins)) [Paperback]

Roger Collins (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312218869 | ISBN-13: 978-0312218867 | Publication Date: July 30, 1999 | Edition: 2nd

This book offers a fascinating account of Europe from the fall of the Roman Empire through to the end of the tenth century. In its wide-ranging coverage of the period, it takes into account social, economic and political changes as well as the important cultural changes, including the rise of Islam and the recreation of a western empire under the Cardingians.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Busy professors seeking fresh lecture material and graduate students wanting a sound synthesis of early medieval history will find this book useful. It traces the history of Western Europe from the Roman Empire's political and economic difficulties of the 4th century down to the intellectual renaissance associated with the Ottonian kings in the 10th century; emphasis is on the traditional areas of political and religious change; there is very little social history. For so highly detailed a narrative, the book is written with unusual verve, and all parts of the Latin West and Byzantine East receive fair attention. The lengthy historiographical discussions will excite the scholar but bore American undergraduates. For general collections.
- Bennett D. Hill, George town Univ., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for the second edition: 'The historical spectrum covered is astonishingly extensive, and, because of this, the volume will be useful as a reference work.' - Professor Albrecht Classen, University of Arizona, USA Review of first edition: 'A large and intricate body of fundamental research on the narrative sources, deployed with clarity and expertise for which many readers will be extremely grateful.' - Times Higher Education Supplement --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 2nd edition (July 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312218869
• ISBN-13: 978-0312218867
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,031,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mary, Mary, quite contrary..., September 4, 2003

By 

F. P. Barbieri "Fabio Paolo Barbieri" (London UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000, Second Edition (History of Europe (St. Martins)) (Paperback)

In writing an overall account of history such as this, what matters is the capacity for synthesis and re-interpretation, and Roger Collins certainly has both. But he also has the faults of his virtues. He manages to cover all important features of the enormous period under observation; he is familiar with modern scholarship; he is an excellent writer; and he is constantly questioning his material and searching for new interpretation. On a number of issues, his views are not only interesting but revelatory; take for instance his account of the barbarity and self-serving mendacity of Charles Martel, or of the real role of Aetius in the end of the Western Empire. However, his constant questioning of the issues can take the form of being contrary for its own sake; and some of his preconceptions are unacceptable. In particular, he pushes the issue of Roman influence on the conquering Germanic war bands so far that, in effect, any notion of Teutonic cultural autonomy vanishes into a phantom, and we are left wondering why, if everything of importance from monarchy to law-codes had been borrowed by the Teutons from the Romans, the political structures of the Dark and Middle Ages are so different from the Roman one - not only in scale, but in kind. This is a fine and thoughtful account of a large area of our history, but I would not take it without taking in some contrary views as a balance.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strong narrative, December 8, 2005

By 

Michael J. Warby "lorenzo" (Kingsville, VIC Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000, Second Edition (History of Europe (St. Martins)) (Paperback)

A good narrative history of the transition from late antiquity to the medieval. I enjoyed the intelligent scepticism about the available written sources and the way Collins analysed historical actors in terms of the problems actually facing them (rather than some teleological notion of how they "should" have acted or be seen to have acted). Found the lack of consideration of the underlying structures of (changing) societies a bit frustrating, though I realise there are major evidence difficulties. Still, there seemed to be an underlying story just out of reach.

Collins sees the central drama of the period, the "Fall" of the Western Roman Empire, as mainly consisting in the disappearance of the first the Western Roman Army and then the capping Imperial authority as the result of various choices made by said authority under mounting military pressure with most of the underlying structures remaining. There is much to be said for this characterisation. However, the evidence of a long-term demographic and economic decline extending from about 300AD to about 750AD suggests that these processes were themselves the results of deeper underlying causes (which they may, of course, have then aggravated). Similarly, Collins seems a little over-impressed by the survival of the Eastern Roman Empire (p.98). Yes, that state did survive for another 1000 years, but it also lost half its own territory in the period 650-710AD.

Which is not to say it is other than a useful and informative book. The political and military struggles of the period are laid out in a clear narrative, particularly the rise and decline of the Carolingian empire, and there is plenty of information to assist in building a better sense of the period.

31 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars dense but illuminating, March 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000, First Editon (Palgrave History of Europe) (Paperback)

This is a subject that is almost impossible to write about coherently. Collins has moments where he uses a difficult style that can seem impenetrable on a first reading (perhaps this is an american point-of-view). But often on a second reading, his points become exceptionally clear and well grounded. Not being an expert, though, I sometimes wonder if he's not a bit too sure of his analyses. Keeping that in mind, this is still a good, strong book with a great deal of historiographical landmarks to support his major premises.