Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800-1056

by Timothy Reuter

The first volume chronologically in a new multi-volume History of Germany, Timothy Reuter's book is the first full-scale survey to appear in English for nearly fifty years of this formative period of German history -- the period in which Germany itself, and many of its internal divisions and characteristics, were created and defined. Filling an important gap, the book is itself a formidable scholarly achievement.

Genres: History, Germany, Medieval History, Medieval, Nonfiction

362 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1991

About the author

Timothy Alan Reuter, Medieval historian whose career included teaching at the university of Exeter, working at the Monumenta Germaniae Historica in Munich before becoming Professor of History at the University of Southampton.

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really interesting to read this after reading a history of the Carolingians. It was seeing the Franks from a different perspective.

[Robert Monk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book because I felt that there was a gap in my knowledge of early Medieval Europe. I know an awful lot about Britain in that time, and I know a fair amount about the Carolingians, but as Charlemagne's empire disintegrated over the next hundred or so years, the stuff I've read has tended to focus on its western half, France. So I was looking for a source specifically on the Ottonians, and came up with this. And it's not bad. It's a bit dry, and it tries to cover so much ground that it doesn't go into great detail about any of it. But it does explain some of the differences in medieval Germany, as compared with points further west. (Serfdom didn't take hold to the same extent, for one, which is kind of what got me looking for sources.) I'd still like a good book about Otto the Great, but in the meantime, this gave me some more information.

[S.M.Y Kayseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I simply could not explain my obsession with the Germanic world. Perhaps the Germanic world is THE quintessential feudal world, aside from the French. But the dynamicity of the Germanic world makes it more interesting to study; the intricateness, the entangled web of successions and crises- everything of it, compared to the relatively more idyllic France.

[Olly Colluphid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy it but it was heavy going at times!

It is a text book not a popular history.

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dry, but very comprehensive.

[Pieter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of a period that is normally not so well covered, the early Middle Ages of Germany. The age basically starts with Charles the Great and ends around Canossa. Luckily an appendix with maps and genealogical tables completes the book. The different dynasties would be otherwise too difficult to keep track of. The author also spends sufficient time to outline the complicated relationship between church and state. Charles the Great was crowned by pope Leo III, but his successors would not mind to nominate bishops and popes themselves. Until 1077...