I was impressed by this book. It is a useful, workmanlike text on the misty conversion of what was once Gaul, into a functional post-Roman state. The time it discusses was one of great chaos and movement of peoples, so it is difficult to present a clear picture of this process. This was a very good introduction, but despite all its virtues I came away hungry to know more and frustrated that perhaps there might not be much more.
Perhaps the lack of that final star is related to the word "workmanlike." There's nothing wrong with a workmanlike job; still it is not a word that sings hosanna either.
Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World 1st Edition
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Patrick J. Geary
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Patrick J. Geary
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ISBN-13:
978-0195044584
ISBN-10:
0195044584
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Due Date: Dec 13, 2021
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Clear and concise survey."―James Grier, Yale University
"An excellent guide to the Merovingian world, especially for my beginning graduate students!"―Coor, University of Arkansas
"A history of the transformation of the Roman provincial world....All archaelogists will be grateful to the author for this large and beautifully produced work, since there has been no comparable publication...Geary is a gifted synthesizer."―Classical World
"A marvelous synthesis and competent survey of Northern Europe after the German tribes entered the Roman Empire...Geary wrote this clearly and simply which makes it valuable for both an undergraduate and graduate audience."―Louis Haas, Duquesne University
"Full of insights, related in clear and concise form, in a manner likely to appeal to and enlighten undergraduates. It will arouse a new interest in a period relatively neglected, even by medievalists."―Karen Nicholes, State University of New York, Oswego
"This is a reliable and readable synthesis that makes good sense of recent research."―T. N. Bisson, Harvard University
"A fine and important book. Geary really does know the literature in all the relevant languages. He is not merely a gifted synthesizer; he is one of the research scholars in the field. I would adopt it; I have been waiting for such a survey."―Edward Peters, University of Pennsylvania
"An excellent survey of the Merovingian period. The...integration of perspectives from political, social, and religious history along with material culture and archaeology explains Merovingian civilization clearly and ...brings the Merovingians to life."―Karen Gould, University of Texas at Austin
"The first book of its kind in English...very good. It steers a sensible course through minefields of controversy."―Thomas F.X. Noble, University of Virginia
"A very revealing yet succinct account of a topic long considered confused if not irrelevant. Geary's synthesis is based upon firm control of early medieval sources and modern scholarship."―Harry Rosenberg, Colorado State University
"Superb. The best summary of the migration period and the transformation of the Gallo-Germanic world I have seen. Recommended highly for all classes in early Europe, from Medieval surveys to advanced levels. It can be read with profit by those working in European archaeology!"―Bruce Kraig, Roosevelt University
"Offers a synthesis of the period of great originality and explanatory power....It goes without saying that the book will become a part of my syllabi, for both graduate and undergraduate courses. It was a great pleasure to read...and it will be a great pleasure to teach it in the years to come."―Barbara Rosenwein, Loyola University of Chicago
"An excellent guide to the Merovingian world, especially for my beginning graduate students!"―Coor, University of Arkansas
"A history of the transformation of the Roman provincial world....All archaelogists will be grateful to the author for this large and beautifully produced work, since there has been no comparable publication...Geary is a gifted synthesizer."―Classical World
"A marvelous synthesis and competent survey of Northern Europe after the German tribes entered the Roman Empire...Geary wrote this clearly and simply which makes it valuable for both an undergraduate and graduate audience."―Louis Haas, Duquesne University
"Full of insights, related in clear and concise form, in a manner likely to appeal to and enlighten undergraduates. It will arouse a new interest in a period relatively neglected, even by medievalists."―Karen Nicholes, State University of New York, Oswego
"This is a reliable and readable synthesis that makes good sense of recent research."―T. N. Bisson, Harvard University
"A fine and important book. Geary really does know the literature in all the relevant languages. He is not merely a gifted synthesizer; he is one of the research scholars in the field. I would adopt it; I have been waiting for such a survey."―Edward Peters, University of Pennsylvania
"An excellent survey of the Merovingian period. The...integration of perspectives from political, social, and religious history along with material culture and archaeology explains Merovingian civilization clearly and ...brings the Merovingians to life."―Karen Gould, University of Texas at Austin
"The first book of its kind in English...very good. It steers a sensible course through minefields of controversy."―Thomas F.X. Noble, University of Virginia
"A very revealing yet succinct account of a topic long considered confused if not irrelevant. Geary's synthesis is based upon firm control of early medieval sources and modern scholarship."―Harry Rosenberg, Colorado State University
"Superb. The best summary of the migration period and the transformation of the Gallo-Germanic world I have seen. Recommended highly for all classes in early Europe, from Medieval surveys to advanced levels. It can be read with profit by those working in European archaeology!"―Bruce Kraig, Roosevelt University
"Offers a synthesis of the period of great originality and explanatory power....It goes without saying that the book will become a part of my syllabi, for both graduate and undergraduate courses. It was a great pleasure to read...and it will be a great pleasure to teach it in the years to come."―Barbara Rosenwein, Loyola University of Chicago
About the Author
Patrick J. Geary is at University of California, Los Angeles.
Product details
- Publisher : Oxford University Press; 1st edition (February 25, 1988)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 272 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0195044584
- ISBN-13 : 978-0195044584
- Item Weight : 8.1 ounces
- Dimensions : 8 x 0.54 x 5.38 inches
-
Best Sellers Rank:
#605,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #682 in Ancient History (Books)
- #1,042 in Ancient Roman History (Books)
- #1,475 in European History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
38 global ratings
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Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2017
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Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2016
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The period between the fall of Rome and the emergence of medieval Europe gets short shrift in the popularly available literature. This book fills that gap, and in doing so show just how overdrawn is the "fall of Rome" view of European history. Geary shows convincingly that late Roman ways and relationships persisted for centuries, gradually evolving into what we recognize as early medieval culture. Or at least they did in the place that is very much the author's focus: Merovingian France. (The title may be somewhat misleading: this book is almost entirely about what went on to the west of the Rhine). In France, a Gallo-Roman provincial aristocracy persisted and remained powerful after the Franks established control over much of what is now France and the Low Countries, and late Roman culture persisted along with that. Moreover, the Franks themselves had been heavily Romanized, serving in Roman armies and becoming subject to Roman law. The Merovingian kings worked with the Gallo Roman power structure rather than attempting to supplant it. Given just how few Franks there may have been (Geary cites a "guess" of 150-200,000 spread out in a Gallo-Roman population of 6-7,000,000) they probably had little choice. The author ends with a chapter summing up the importance of the Merovingians, and argues convincingly that much of their poor reputation (les rois faineants) may be due to Carolingian propaganda.
All in all, this is an illuminating and enjoyable read. There is one section on the later Merovingian kings where the number of unpronounceable names becomes a real stumbling block, and the genealogical chart in the Kindle edition is not much help -- it appears to have been divided in two. But I learned a lot, and enjoyed doing so.
All in all, this is an illuminating and enjoyable read. There is one section on the later Merovingian kings where the number of unpronounceable names becomes a real stumbling block, and the genealogical chart in the Kindle edition is not much help -- it appears to have been divided in two. But I learned a lot, and enjoyed doing so.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2003
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In his own words, Geary's purpose was "not to launch some new theory about the origins of European civilization, but to make available the vast literature on late antiquity and the early Middle Ages which has, for a variety of reasons, seldom been presented in a manner accessible to a broader audience, particularly to an English-reading one."
Understanding that the intent was to synthesize a much larger body of work, it is important to also understand that Geary's focus is laser-beam tight on the Merovingian dynasty within the Frankish kingdoms of the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th centuries. For those without some familiarity to the period, I would suggest reading a couple of chapters from a more general work such as "Medieval Europe" (Hollister & Bennett) even if just not to be surprised when the early Carolingians start showing up on the page. (Geary assumes you'll instantly know who "Pippin" was.)
My one reservation about the book lies in the torrent of names that take up about forty pages towards the end. That is probably a curse of writing about Merovingians in the 8th century, period, but I found it impossible to keep my Nantechildis separate from my Flaochad while keeping a mental finger on Clothar II, Grimoald, and Childebert (along with many more).
Otherwise, I found the book quite engaging, particularly with respect to the early merger of the Franks into Roman-Gallo society and its reporting on the differing roles and influences that the bishops, monks, and eventually the Roman Benedictines assumed and exercised within the early Frankish kingdoms.
Understanding that the intent was to synthesize a much larger body of work, it is important to also understand that Geary's focus is laser-beam tight on the Merovingian dynasty within the Frankish kingdoms of the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th centuries. For those without some familiarity to the period, I would suggest reading a couple of chapters from a more general work such as "Medieval Europe" (Hollister & Bennett) even if just not to be surprised when the early Carolingians start showing up on the page. (Geary assumes you'll instantly know who "Pippin" was.)
My one reservation about the book lies in the torrent of names that take up about forty pages towards the end. That is probably a curse of writing about Merovingians in the 8th century, period, but I found it impossible to keep my Nantechildis separate from my Flaochad while keeping a mental finger on Clothar II, Grimoald, and Childebert (along with many more).
Otherwise, I found the book quite engaging, particularly with respect to the early merger of the Franks into Roman-Gallo society and its reporting on the differing roles and influences that the bishops, monks, and eventually the Roman Benedictines assumed and exercised within the early Frankish kingdoms.
36 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2013
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I have owned this book only a few weeks and have already started rereading it. I am pretty well educated in the history of Europe from Charlemagne through the end of the 12th Century. But the founding of "Francia" and the rule of the Merovingians was always muddy to me. This book has been enormously helpful. Well organized and clearly written, it has bridged the gap in my understanding and, as a result, shed new light on what I thought I understood about later periods.
Very highly recommended.
Very highly recommended.
7 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2009
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I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It has the best synopsis of the decline of the Roman Empre that I have ever read. The author helps us understand how so few Franks could take over such a large part of the Western Empire with so little trouble. The key thought, that the author presents admirably, is that they were essentially already there. They had been handling the Empire's security in the region for a long time. Apparently, some had already settled there, and the Gallo-Roman society had already evolved from the image we have of the Roman Empire. I hope it is not too much of a stretch to imagine that the Gallo-Roman aristocrats decided to pay the Franks directly for security, instead of first paying the Empire, who would then pay, or not pay, the Franks for the same job. One can also get an understanding of how the Merovingian society fragmented under the ambitions of the aristocrats and the Church to form smaller "duchies", and ultimately countries. I must say that my thinking has changed considerably since I first read Edward Gibbon and A.H.M Jones several years ago.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
Carie Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent purchase
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2016Verified Purchase
The book came early and proved to be immaculate. I am very pleased with it.
One person found this helpful
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kamen andonov
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2014Verified Purchase
very good condition, very good supply
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