The European World 400-1450

Medieval & Early Modern World

by Barbara A. Hanawalt

As the Roman Empire began to crumble and lose its long-held dominance over Europe, new civilizations were emerging to fill the void. Germanic tribes like the Goths, the Franks, and the Vandals, as well as the Huns and Visigoths all fought for control of the land. Christianity became a more acceptable religion throughout Europe, while the Islamic religion was born in the Middle East and quickly spread, eventually making its way into Europe. The blending and conflict of cultures and beliefs helped to create what we now call the Middle Ages.

Fascinating new characters were also rising in Europe like the emperor and empress of the Byzantine Empire Justinian and Theodoraambitious leaders who made one final push to recapture the west and regain the past glory of the Roman Empire. Meanwhile in the west Charlemagne had come to power by crowning himself emperor. A popular leader he spent much of his time travelling through his land on horseback accompanied by an entourage that often included an elephant!

Vikings from Scandinavia began raiding parts of Europe until eventually they were stopped by Alfred the king of Wessex in England. By 1066, however, the Scandinavians got their revenge when William the Conqueror invaded England and took over.

Filled with intrigue, conflict, power struggles, and colorful characters and based on primary source materials Barbara Hanawalt's The European World is an adventure at every turn. From Attila the Hun to Joan of Arc, from the fall of Rome to the Plague this pivotal moment in history comes alive.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, School

189 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

A specialist in medieval English social history, Barbara Hanawalt is Emeritus Professor of History at Ohio State University. . She received her PhD from University of Michigan in 1970, and taught at Indiana University and the University of Minnesota before moving to Ohio State University in 1999. She has served as President of the Medieval Academy of America and President of the Social Science History Association.

Reviews

[Rachael Stoldt]

Middle Ages history book. It was pretty good and interesting.

[Karen]

Ellie read for AO Y7 she rates it 2 stars. She prefers to learn history 1 person at a time (biography) instead of a whole bunch of people at once...krb 3/10/21
Jacob read last year and rates it a 3 as does mom.

[Julia Elkins]

For its genre, this book was great. I read it for school. The information was great, and the only thing I didn’t like was the formatting on a few of the pages (it cut out mid-sentence to interject a sidebar).

[Tabi]

This book is filled with interesting information. I liked how it touched on the events going on in all of Europe during the Medieval Ages plus the surrounding regions, to put everything into perspective. For example, in the beginning you not only learn about the Romans and the Germanic Tribes, but you also learn about the Arabs and a bit on the Huns.


There were two stories in this book that particularly stood out to me. One was about a Lombard king who carried around the skull of a rival chieftain, who was also his father in law, and made his wife drink from it to his health. (page 37). The second was when the church ordered the bones of the already deceased John Wycliffe, having been convicted as a heretic, to be "dug up and burned for good measure." (page 170) If you find those snippets interesting you'll want to read the whole book!

[Jenevieve]

Check out all my reviews on My Blog

Here's my review from 3 years ago:

Middle school history. This covers the basics of what was happening in Europe between 400-1450CE. While there were a few interesting tidbits of political and religious points that affected things that I learned, the rest was a decent covering of the era without any new major insight although I think that is due in part because it's an era of history I actually enjoy studying. Thankfully my 7th grader enjoyed it and learned lots and that is what really matters.

Can't really add much to it. It does it's job decently enough.

[Laura The Book Reader]

This was a middle school textbook that did a good job of covering medieval history. Having lots of interesting pictures, the chapters weren't too long and it went along nicely with some books we read that were in the medieval time period.

[Melody]

Solid, beautifully illustrated overview of a period in history I find more fascinating all the time. Aimed at young adults, recommended for anyone.

[Amy]

Quick read. boring, textbook style, but with nice pictures and documents. Decent glossary and timeline at end of book.

[Janna Rice]

A little simplified but exactly what I wanted - an overview of the Middle Ages.