A History of the Dark Ages - From the Triumph of Constantine to the Empire of Charlemagne

by John Bagnell Bury

An excellent, massive history covering the period known as the "Dark Ages". Spanning from the rise and triumph of Constantine, through the Fall of Rome and the subsequent collapse of the Western Roman Empire, to the attempted restoration of the Byzantines in the West and the conquests of the Islamic Arabs, culminating in the imperial coronation of Charles the Great and the laying of the foundation of the medieval period. This is a history of war and terror, of faith and ignorance, of the collision of peoples and leaders bent on nothing more than complete conquest and domination. This is the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire, and the beginning of the end for the Byzantines. This is the history of a critical age of humankind, where the light of learning was a tiny glimmer in an ocean of darkness. The seeds of thought that would push the peoples of Europe out of anarchy and chaos and into the feudal stage would be sown by the conquests of a magnificent warrior king, and a holy church that refused to abandon the power it had so skillfully gained.This is a history of...the Dark Ages.

Genres: History

2164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2015

About the author

John Bagnell Bury (often published as J.B. Bury) was a classical scholar, historian, and philologist. He held the chair in Modern History at Trinity College, Dublin, for nine years, and also was appointed Regius Professor of Greek at Trinity, and Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University.

Reviews

[Gary Engle · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of information badly in need of reorganization. Kept jumping back and forth in time and could be vastly improved with maps, a time line, a glossary of names & places, and brevity. I sincerely tried to read the entire book several times, but failed to do so. I am using it as a reference.