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Medieval Europe
A spirited and thought-provoking history of the vast changes that transformed Europe during the 1,000-year span of the Middle Ages
The millennium between the breakup of the western Roman Empire and the Reformation was a long and hugely transformative period—one not easily chronicled within the scope of a few hundred pages. Yet distinguished historian Chris Wickham has taken up the challenge in this landmark book, and he succeeds in producing the most riveting account of medieval Europe in a generation.
Tracking the entire sweep of the Middle Ages across Europe, Wickham focuses on important changes century by century, including such pivotal crises and moments as the fall of the western Roman Empire, Charlemagne’s reforms, the feudal revolution, the challenge of heresy, the destruction of the Byzantine Empire, the rebuilding of late medieval states, and the appalling devastation of the Black Death. He provides illuminating vignettes that underscore how shifting social, economic, and political circumstances affected individual lives and international events. Wickham offers both a new conception of Europe’s medieval period and a provocative revision of exactly how and why the Middle Ages matter. https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks...
The millennium between the breakup of the western Roman Empire and the Reformation was a long and hugely transformative period—one not easily chronicled within the scope of a few hundred pages. Yet distinguished historian Chris Wickham has taken up the challenge in this landmark book, and he succeeds in producing the most riveting account of medieval Europe in a generation.
Tracking the entire sweep of the Middle Ages across Europe, Wickham focuses on important changes century by century, including such pivotal crises and moments as the fall of the western Roman Empire, Charlemagne’s reforms, the feudal revolution, the challenge of heresy, the destruction of the Byzantine Empire, the rebuilding of late medieval states, and the appalling devastation of the Black Death. He provides illuminating vignettes that underscore how shifting social, economic, and political circumstances affected individual lives and international events. Wickham offers both a new conception of Europe’s medieval period and a provocative revision of exactly how and why the Middle Ages matter. https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks...
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First published November 29, 2016
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About the author
Chris Wickham
36 books199 followers"Chris Wickham is Chichele Professor of Medieval History, and Faculty Board Chair 2009-12.
I have been at Oxford since 2005. Previously, I was Lecturer (1977), Senior Lecturer (1987), Reader (1988), and from 1995 Professor of Early Medieval History, University of Birmingham; and I was an undergraduate and postgraduate at Keble College, Oxford, from 1968 to 1975.
I am a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, and a socio of the Accademia dei Lincei."
I have been at Oxford since 2005. Previously, I was Lecturer (1977), Senior Lecturer (1987), Reader (1988), and from 1995 Professor of Early Medieval History, University of Birmingham; and I was an undergraduate and postgraduate at Keble College, Oxford, from 1968 to 1975.
I am a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, and a socio of the Accademia dei Lincei."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews
July 18, 2023
The strength of local, cellular, politics, plus the extension of literate practices to ever-wider social groups, plus a continuing high-equilibrium economic system, plus a newly intrusive state, made possible by taxation, communications and, once again, literacy, helped to create political systems across Europe which allowed engagement, nearly everywhere. This marks the last century of the middle ages, not the supposedly late medieval features which mark so many textbooks: crisis, or anxiety, or the Renaissance, or a sense that the continent was, somehow, waiting for the Reformation and European global conquest. And it is one of the main elements that the medieval period handed on to future generations.
This feels like a landmark history of the medieval world, and one that I'll be coming back to for a good long time. A really great, broad survey of the medieval world was from 500-1500 ad, with a lot of retrograde views stripped away.
This feels like a landmark history of the medieval world, and one that I'll be coming back to for a good long time. A really great, broad survey of the medieval world was from 500-1500 ad, with a lot of retrograde views stripped away.
June 11, 2019
A historical masterpiece. It is the best history book I've read in the past few years! If you must read one book about the medieval West, this is the one, period.
First, lector caveat: this book is full of details and microscoped socio-economical analysis. If you just want to get the 'big picture' and ignore how the big picture is constructed and on what basis it is supported, then this is not the book for you. Chris Wickham does not write a popular history reader, but a history book that is set up to academic standards.
Chris Wickham is being extremely honest here, as a first-rate scholar should be. If he does not have enough data to make a definite conclusion, he tells it so. He does not pretend that by waving hands he can get by with a 'big picture'. Whenever concrete data is possible, he cites it and bases his arguments on the data.
The only criticism about this book I can give, though, is that it focuses too much on the medieval Latin West. While it can be argued, especially by traditional historians, that the medieval Latin West is the immediate prodecessor of Renaissance, hence the ancestor of the modern West, too much focus on the Latin West might give an inexperienced reader the impression that the West developed itself without too much 'foreign' influence. Of course, if one were to write a comprehensive book about global medievality, the book might triple its size as it is now. For this reason, you really can't criticize this book on this aspect too much. After all, no book is comprehensive, and one needs to read many books, by many great historians from different research fields and traditions, to have a thorough, unbiased knowledge about any historical period.
First, lector caveat: this book is full of details and microscoped socio-economical analysis. If you just want to get the 'big picture' and ignore how the big picture is constructed and on what basis it is supported, then this is not the book for you. Chris Wickham does not write a popular history reader, but a history book that is set up to academic standards.
Chris Wickham is being extremely honest here, as a first-rate scholar should be. If he does not have enough data to make a definite conclusion, he tells it so. He does not pretend that by waving hands he can get by with a 'big picture'. Whenever concrete data is possible, he cites it and bases his arguments on the data.
The only criticism about this book I can give, though, is that it focuses too much on the medieval Latin West. While it can be argued, especially by traditional historians, that the medieval Latin West is the immediate prodecessor of Renaissance, hence the ancestor of the modern West, too much focus on the Latin West might give an inexperienced reader the impression that the West developed itself without too much 'foreign' influence. Of course, if one were to write a comprehensive book about global medievality, the book might triple its size as it is now. For this reason, you really can't criticize this book on this aspect too much. After all, no book is comprehensive, and one needs to read many books, by many great historians from different research fields and traditions, to have a thorough, unbiased knowledge about any historical period.
November 6, 2021
Идеальная, на мой взгляд, научно-популярная книга по истории, так как автор не столько сыплет фактами и именами (хотя этого тоже достаточно, равно как и карт и схем), сколько анализирует, в том числе и в связи с современностью. Именно анализа и понятных выводов я жду от специалиста: иначе для чего еще непрофессионалу читать историю, если не в печальных попытках осмыслить настоящее.
March 6, 2017
I have not read a solid overview of the time between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, and this book does an admiral job of providing a survey of the time period, with more detail on what used to be called the "dark ages" than I have come across. That said, it was quite a slog to get through, as much as I am interested in the information. The writing is overly cumbersome at times and hard to digest.
I would love to have him as a professor, though.
My favorite parts where the chapters on the early Middle Ages (formerly dark ages), and my favorite chapter was chapter 10 - defining society: gender and community in late medieval Europe. Sounds like a college class I never took.
I also found out I love Iceland.
Here are some random notes/quotes from chapter 10 that I want to remember:
Account on peasant thought worlds. Europe of Middle Ages has a myriad of different peasant societies, each with distinct value systems, which in the future might be, as so far they have not been, properly compared
Icelandic saga narrative - no form of government except regular assemblies.
On medieval Iceland:
The reason for this attention to character was that, in a relatively economically equal society like this one, personal strengths and weaknesses and reputation, could determine success and failure almost totally. This was a non aristocratic society whose self-representation was indeed aspirational, but here the aspiration was only in part focused on honor, for honor in such a society was available to nearly everyone if they had the character and skill to maintain it; p 204-205
But if there ever was a medieval society in which we know a great deal about individual identity it is Iceland, for particular reasons: because in this peasant environment it was individual character which determines success and failure, more completely than almost anywhere else in medieval Europe
Centralized power leads to hostility to out-groups
And the conclusion: the strength of local, cellular, politics, plus the extension of literate practices to ever-wider groups, plus a continuing high-equilibrium economic system, plus a newly intrusive state, made possible by taxation, communications, and once again literacy, helped to create political systems across Europe which allowed engagement, nearly everywhere. This marks the last century of the Middle Ages, not the supposedly late medieval features which mark so many textbooks: crisis, or anxiety, of the Renaissance, or a sense that the continent was, somehow, waiting for the reformation and European global conquest. And it is one of the main elements that the medieval period handed on to future generations.
I would love to have him as a professor, though.
My favorite parts where the chapters on the early Middle Ages (formerly dark ages), and my favorite chapter was chapter 10 - defining society: gender and community in late medieval Europe. Sounds like a college class I never took.
I also found out I love Iceland.
Here are some random notes/quotes from chapter 10 that I want to remember:
Account on peasant thought worlds. Europe of Middle Ages has a myriad of different peasant societies, each with distinct value systems, which in the future might be, as so far they have not been, properly compared
Icelandic saga narrative - no form of government except regular assemblies.
On medieval Iceland:
The reason for this attention to character was that, in a relatively economically equal society like this one, personal strengths and weaknesses and reputation, could determine success and failure almost totally. This was a non aristocratic society whose self-representation was indeed aspirational, but here the aspiration was only in part focused on honor, for honor in such a society was available to nearly everyone if they had the character and skill to maintain it; p 204-205
But if there ever was a medieval society in which we know a great deal about individual identity it is Iceland, for particular reasons: because in this peasant environment it was individual character which determines success and failure, more completely than almost anywhere else in medieval Europe
Centralized power leads to hostility to out-groups
And the conclusion: the strength of local, cellular, politics, plus the extension of literate practices to ever-wider groups, plus a continuing high-equilibrium economic system, plus a newly intrusive state, made possible by taxation, communications, and once again literacy, helped to create political systems across Europe which allowed engagement, nearly everywhere. This marks the last century of the Middle Ages, not the supposedly late medieval features which mark so many textbooks: crisis, or anxiety, of the Renaissance, or a sense that the continent was, somehow, waiting for the reformation and European global conquest. And it is one of the main elements that the medieval period handed on to future generations.
January 7, 2021
"Wickham is the most ambitious and provocative of medieval historians" (Peter Thonemann, TLS)
"Fascinating, judicious, authoritative" (Paul Freedman, Yale)
"Writing with great wit, style and clarity" (John Arnold, Cambridge)
"a model of clarity and accessibility...that remains compelling throughout...engages his reader in his arguments, choices and interpretations and keeps them on their toes" (Mayke de Jong, Utrecht)
These are just some of the raving reviews found on the dust jacket of this incredibly dry book. It sometimes made me wonder if I had actually bought a book with a different dust jacket.
Not that there is anything wrong with the book. It is, to repeat Paul Freedman, 'judicious' in the sense of having careful judgements, as there is nothing groundbreaking, shocking or even mildly exciting. It is the classic case of academic writing being so guarded that conclusions are omitted and neutrality preserved at all costs. This is the Switzerland of history books: "in Italy for 30 years, under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love. They had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock!" (Graham Greene, The Third Man)
But the book is judicious in another way. It is so focused of government (and nearly all government function in the Middle Ages was judicial, aside from war) that other major trends are only given a rather superficial treatment, especially the Church (and the associated Crusades, Inquisition, Cathars, Mendicants) and the economic scope is limited to "government" function (Kings and aristocrats).
The book begins with the necessary but mundane discussion of what constitutes the Medieval period, and adds nothing earth-shattering which would alter the traditional 500-1500 framework; despite Professor Wickham's continuous reminders that "Europe" in the "Middle Ages" was not uniform, either across geography or chronology.
Then Professor Wickham spends the next ten chapters discussing what amounts to the fact that as taxation grows, so does government. In the early period, fiscal taxation was rarer than payment in kind to the local lord (with the exception of Byzantium and Umayyad Spain). This lack of fiscal prowess by western lords retarded the growth of the government and centralization of power. Which is clearly a bad thing for Wickham despite his 11th hour protest in penultimate chapter "It must be stressed that this is a structural conclusion, not a moral judgement. The view that a rich and autocratic king, who extracts a lot of money from his subjects, is somehow 'better' (even worse, more 'modern') that a king who has to face a powerful aristocracy cannot be justified in any sensible way" (p.233)
Professor Wickham is at his best discussing Eastern Europe, where he allows the narrative to flow. His schoolboy crush on Byzantium does not unfairly alter the chapter on it, but he offers little evidence to support his simultaneous enamourment with Muslim Spain. But the Catholic Church, papal power, monasticism and the rise of the mendicant orders is given short shrift. This could be forgiven if the book wasn't so focused on the rise of central government, which is intricately linked to Vatican bureaucracy, the inquisitorial judicial system and centralism in power deligation.
"Fascinating, judicious, authoritative" (Paul Freedman, Yale)
"Writing with great wit, style and clarity" (John Arnold, Cambridge)
"a model of clarity and accessibility...that remains compelling throughout...engages his reader in his arguments, choices and interpretations and keeps them on their toes" (Mayke de Jong, Utrecht)
These are just some of the raving reviews found on the dust jacket of this incredibly dry book. It sometimes made me wonder if I had actually bought a book with a different dust jacket.
Not that there is anything wrong with the book. It is, to repeat Paul Freedman, 'judicious' in the sense of having careful judgements, as there is nothing groundbreaking, shocking or even mildly exciting. It is the classic case of academic writing being so guarded that conclusions are omitted and neutrality preserved at all costs. This is the Switzerland of history books: "in Italy for 30 years, under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love. They had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock!" (Graham Greene, The Third Man)
But the book is judicious in another way. It is so focused of government (and nearly all government function in the Middle Ages was judicial, aside from war) that other major trends are only given a rather superficial treatment, especially the Church (and the associated Crusades, Inquisition, Cathars, Mendicants) and the economic scope is limited to "government" function (Kings and aristocrats).
The book begins with the necessary but mundane discussion of what constitutes the Medieval period, and adds nothing earth-shattering which would alter the traditional 500-1500 framework; despite Professor Wickham's continuous reminders that "Europe" in the "Middle Ages" was not uniform, either across geography or chronology.
Then Professor Wickham spends the next ten chapters discussing what amounts to the fact that as taxation grows, so does government. In the early period, fiscal taxation was rarer than payment in kind to the local lord (with the exception of Byzantium and Umayyad Spain). This lack of fiscal prowess by western lords retarded the growth of the government and centralization of power. Which is clearly a bad thing for Wickham despite his 11th hour protest in penultimate chapter "It must be stressed that this is a structural conclusion, not a moral judgement. The view that a rich and autocratic king, who extracts a lot of money from his subjects, is somehow 'better' (even worse, more 'modern') that a king who has to face a powerful aristocracy cannot be justified in any sensible way" (p.233)
Professor Wickham is at his best discussing Eastern Europe, where he allows the narrative to flow. His schoolboy crush on Byzantium does not unfairly alter the chapter on it, but he offers little evidence to support his simultaneous enamourment with Muslim Spain. But the Catholic Church, papal power, monasticism and the rise of the mendicant orders is given short shrift. This could be forgiven if the book wasn't so focused on the rise of central government, which is intricately linked to Vatican bureaucracy, the inquisitorial judicial system and centralism in power deligation.
April 16, 2021
The now that becomes our history never moves to something it only comes from something. Today’s experiences become the history for tomorrow and we use our understanding of today to explain where we came from as if we knew all along that we were meant to be here. We do that for our own lives, and we do that as we try to understand our history as a nation, civilization, or as a culture. Pernicious teleology warps our understanding and Wickham (the author) does everything in his power to keep the reader from falling in to that trap.
I used to think that history was static and learning it would be dead-end since after you learn it once that was all there was. Wickham shows me why that is always wrong. We are always re-framing our truths about the past as we learn more about the events of the past or as we experience new things from today and learn to re-frame the past.
The author doesn’t mince words. There is a truly awful book which I recently read by Pagden called Worlds at War: The 2,500-Year Struggle Between East and West. Its theme is that the Western World (Christian) was always superior and owes nothing to the Eastern World (Islam). Wickham characterize that kind of thinking as ‘nonsense’. I always appreciate short shrift to what I think of as nonsense too.
This book is free (unbelievable!) from Audible for those who are Audible members. There is an incredible amount of complexity to the way the author tells his story, but I do have a policy, when in doubt always read Wickham especially when the book is free since he will give you insights in to the ever-changing understanding, we thought we knew about the past until we think we understand something else. Our understanding for history is dynamic and is not static as it is often taught in high schools or undergraduate studies and Wickham brings it alive with his complex telling.
I used to think that history was static and learning it would be dead-end since after you learn it once that was all there was. Wickham shows me why that is always wrong. We are always re-framing our truths about the past as we learn more about the events of the past or as we experience new things from today and learn to re-frame the past.
The author doesn’t mince words. There is a truly awful book which I recently read by Pagden called Worlds at War: The 2,500-Year Struggle Between East and West. Its theme is that the Western World (Christian) was always superior and owes nothing to the Eastern World (Islam). Wickham characterize that kind of thinking as ‘nonsense’. I always appreciate short shrift to what I think of as nonsense too.
This book is free (unbelievable!) from Audible for those who are Audible members. There is an incredible amount of complexity to the way the author tells his story, but I do have a policy, when in doubt always read Wickham especially when the book is free since he will give you insights in to the ever-changing understanding, we thought we knew about the past until we think we understand something else. Our understanding for history is dynamic and is not static as it is often taught in high schools or undergraduate studies and Wickham brings it alive with his complex telling.
December 14, 2017
I read for fun, and dreaded picking this up to continue the slog. I felt relieved every time I could get off the bus or metro and stop reading. Somewhere buried deep inside is a good book; thematically it is excellent, and the author has clearly done reams of research. But my God I have never been so bored reading a book before.
November 25, 2022
What to say?
I've given this book the stars I did because of the obvious research the author did. It's astonishing. It really is. It lost stars because if I see the words "political and fiscal system" together any time soon, I might cry. Really, that is all this book is concerned with- the political and tax systems of the Medieval Europe. Sure, wars crop up from time to time, but only in relation to how the evolving tax system could support them and how they impacted the political power of Kings. The Black Death makes an appearance, but again, only how it affects the fiscal system of a region. There were times where the author would start to make a point about a particular country, then state he would pick the point up in another chapter. Poland stands out as a prime example. A point about the political system was begun in chapter 5 and only picked up in chapter 11, by which time I had nearly forgotten about it.
Overall, a long academic paper and a good addition to a reference library.
I've given this book the stars I did because of the obvious research the author did. It's astonishing. It really is. It lost stars because if I see the words "political and fiscal system" together any time soon, I might cry. Really, that is all this book is concerned with- the political and tax systems of the Medieval Europe. Sure, wars crop up from time to time, but only in relation to how the evolving tax system could support them and how they impacted the political power of Kings. The Black Death makes an appearance, but again, only how it affects the fiscal system of a region. There were times where the author would start to make a point about a particular country, then state he would pick the point up in another chapter. Poland stands out as a prime example. A point about the political system was begun in chapter 5 and only picked up in chapter 11, by which time I had nearly forgotten about it.
Overall, a long academic paper and a good addition to a reference library.
March 19, 2020
Good book, not the easiest read, tends to wash through complicated issues quickly, but due to the quality of the writing and scholarship it manages not to lose the reader entirely. Still requires intense concentration, however! Interesting subject matter.
December 5, 2021
5 stars, everyone should read this book. Even if you have no interest in history and are not of European heritage, you should still read this.
Chris Wickham is one of my favorite history authors. His writing is direct, he tells you ahead of time what he considers to be the important points, he tells you the important points and then he reviews the important points. He is very clear about his bias and he refers respectfully to people who disagree with him. Some people don't like the repetition, but I think it's good communication.
His specialty is early medieval Europe so he's stretching outside his comfort zone, but he does a great job. He is clear about the 'fall' of Rome, he thinks it happened at different times in the different areas of Western Europe. Wickham is clear about his other beliefs and he does a good job mentioning the opposition and giving references.
Without turning this into a book report, his major themes are: The Roman way of doing things broke down eventually. Europe developed into a network of cellular powers, which although the broad strokes look homogenous, they cover a lot of local variation, which continues to this day. The biggest development was that citizens felt they had a say in how to run their own community, which was reflected in the growth of parliamentary politics. He also points out that Europe had formed its new boundaries, which would last until the eighteenth century, and some continue until this day.
Although he claims this is not a text book it could work as one for upper-level college students or first year graduate students. However, an educated layperson could read it, as long as you remember this covers 1,000 years so there’s a lot of people mentioned.
I read this as an ebook. The illustrations are ok, the maps are a bit fuzzy.
Chris Wickham is one of my favorite history authors. His writing is direct, he tells you ahead of time what he considers to be the important points, he tells you the important points and then he reviews the important points. He is very clear about his bias and he refers respectfully to people who disagree with him. Some people don't like the repetition, but I think it's good communication.
His specialty is early medieval Europe so he's stretching outside his comfort zone, but he does a great job. He is clear about the 'fall' of Rome, he thinks it happened at different times in the different areas of Western Europe. Wickham is clear about his other beliefs and he does a good job mentioning the opposition and giving references.
Without turning this into a book report, his major themes are: The Roman way of doing things broke down eventually. Europe developed into a network of cellular powers, which although the broad strokes look homogenous, they cover a lot of local variation, which continues to this day. The biggest development was that citizens felt they had a say in how to run their own community, which was reflected in the growth of parliamentary politics. He also points out that Europe had formed its new boundaries, which would last until the eighteenth century, and some continue until this day.
Although he claims this is not a text book it could work as one for upper-level college students or first year graduate students. However, an educated layperson could read it, as long as you remember this covers 1,000 years so there’s a lot of people mentioned.
I read this as an ebook. The illustrations are ok, the maps are a bit fuzzy.
April 21, 2019
I LOVED the emphasis on tracing the socioeconomics of the region and era before one can look at anything else, most especially the Church. The treatment of women and gender could have used a bit more of a focus on how the patriarchy was structured and what it gained by the systemic subjugation of the female 51% of the population, but maybe other medievalists have tackled that? IDK. I'm also curious about how colonialism/empire worked, but that's probably in another book too.
The overuse of the word "underpin" would make a super toxic drinking game, and also makes me think of women's foundation garments every single time, but his argument is valid and speaks to my structuralist heart of hearts. You can't understand a culture or an era or a continent without first studying how its most basic needs were framed and met.
Docking stars for some truly oblique prose, the attempt to cover far too much material in too few pages (bad publisher, give more pages), and for my wanting more on Eastern and non-Italian Southern Europe.
The overuse of the word "underpin" would make a super toxic drinking game, and also makes me think of women's foundation garments every single time, but his argument is valid and speaks to my structuralist heart of hearts. You can't understand a culture or an era or a continent without first studying how its most basic needs were framed and met.
Docking stars for some truly oblique prose, the attempt to cover far too much material in too few pages (bad publisher, give more pages), and for my wanting more on Eastern and non-Italian Southern Europe.
December 17, 2017
Covers a thousand years and a huge geographic tapestry in a surprisingly brisk treatment. Bracingly no-nonsense and occasionally contrarian, but Wickham plays fair and lets you know when he's submitting a minority report. A lot of the popular stories of the middle ages, defenestrations and royal eccentricities and the like, are conspicuous by their absence, but Wickham is probably correct in thinking that just because something is famous and well documented doesn't necessarily mean it was all that important.
I'm surprised that many GR reviews found it a dull text -- I thought it was pretty zippy by any fair large-canvas standard. I learned a lot. What more could you ask for?
I'm surprised that many GR reviews found it a dull text -- I thought it was pretty zippy by any fair large-canvas standard. I learned a lot. What more could you ask for?
September 20, 2021
El libro tiene una propuesta bastante peculiar, pues el autor desde un inicio, nos deja claro que no va resumir los acontecimientos que sucedieron en la Edad Medía, puesto que ya hay varios libros que lo hacen. Por el contrario, la apuesta gira entorno a los cambios, procesos y estructuras que se desarrollaron en todo el Medioevo, desde el 500 d.c hasta el 1500.
El capítulo inicial, es muy bueno, ya qué Wickham expone de una manera más clara la importancia de la Edad Media, dejando de lado esas visiones negativas que se le han dado, o por el contrario, mostrar este periodo como un preludio para la denominada "modernidad". Los tres acontecimientos que marcan el fin de esta época, son bastantes debatibles para el autor; la reforma, la conquista de América y la caída de Constantinopla.
El legado romano es claro en el mundo medieval, se continuó mucho del proceso de imperio romano de occidente, aunque Claro también su derrumbe propiciaría muchos cambios; no obstante, el imperio romano de Oriente, bizantino, fue el que más siguió el legado romano, siendo incluso, por varios siglos, uno de sistemas políticos y económicos más fuertes de la región.
Con la expansión musulmana, el imperio bizantino sufriría su primer revés, haciendo que esté tenga que adaptarse a las nuevas circunstancias, con la cruzada de 1202, este imperio empezaría a desmoronarse, y con su caída a manos de los Otomanos, se sellaria su fin definitivo, los primeros, igualmente, seguirían el legado de los bizantinos. Cabe señalar acá que el autor es enfático en señalar lo subvalorado que esta este reino.
El experimento carolingio y la expansión del cristianismo, traerían consigo los primeros cambios que marcaría a la Europa feudal, donde el poder político empezaría a estar en manos de señores feudales y la religión Católica será el dogma que controle muchos aspectos de la vida.
Antes de la peste negra, Europa presenció un boom económico caracterizado por una mayor circulación de monedas, más poder para los señores feudales, más comercio y un aumento en las primeras ciudades. La política también sufriría un cambio, al esta tener más información documental empezó a llevarse por todos los caminos europeos. La guerra, la justicia y funcionarios del rey serán elementos que empiezan a surgir.
La crisis del feudalismo ha sido achacada a tres acontecimientos: la peste negra, la guerra de los cien años y el cisma de occidente, aunque son importantes, Wickham, deja claro que tampoco presentarán un gran cambio, muchas continuarán.
El libro también muestra aspectos culturales interesantes como el papel de la mujer, como es el conocimiento y moralidad en el mundo medieval,con ello el autor concluye que el siglo XI es el verdadero pionero de los grandes cambios de Europa, tanto a nivel económico como político.
En fin, el libro es bueno. Eso sí, difícil de leer, muchos párrafos pueden tener una extensión de una página, la propuesta está abierta a que nuevos Libros históricos se basen más en la interpretación, que en la narración.
El capítulo inicial, es muy bueno, ya qué Wickham expone de una manera más clara la importancia de la Edad Media, dejando de lado esas visiones negativas que se le han dado, o por el contrario, mostrar este periodo como un preludio para la denominada "modernidad". Los tres acontecimientos que marcan el fin de esta época, son bastantes debatibles para el autor; la reforma, la conquista de América y la caída de Constantinopla.
El legado romano es claro en el mundo medieval, se continuó mucho del proceso de imperio romano de occidente, aunque Claro también su derrumbe propiciaría muchos cambios; no obstante, el imperio romano de Oriente, bizantino, fue el que más siguió el legado romano, siendo incluso, por varios siglos, uno de sistemas políticos y económicos más fuertes de la región.
Con la expansión musulmana, el imperio bizantino sufriría su primer revés, haciendo que esté tenga que adaptarse a las nuevas circunstancias, con la cruzada de 1202, este imperio empezaría a desmoronarse, y con su caída a manos de los Otomanos, se sellaria su fin definitivo, los primeros, igualmente, seguirían el legado de los bizantinos. Cabe señalar acá que el autor es enfático en señalar lo subvalorado que esta este reino.
El experimento carolingio y la expansión del cristianismo, traerían consigo los primeros cambios que marcaría a la Europa feudal, donde el poder político empezaría a estar en manos de señores feudales y la religión Católica será el dogma que controle muchos aspectos de la vida.
Antes de la peste negra, Europa presenció un boom económico caracterizado por una mayor circulación de monedas, más poder para los señores feudales, más comercio y un aumento en las primeras ciudades. La política también sufriría un cambio, al esta tener más información documental empezó a llevarse por todos los caminos europeos. La guerra, la justicia y funcionarios del rey serán elementos que empiezan a surgir.
La crisis del feudalismo ha sido achacada a tres acontecimientos: la peste negra, la guerra de los cien años y el cisma de occidente, aunque son importantes, Wickham, deja claro que tampoco presentarán un gran cambio, muchas continuarán.
El libro también muestra aspectos culturales interesantes como el papel de la mujer, como es el conocimiento y moralidad en el mundo medieval,con ello el autor concluye que el siglo XI es el verdadero pionero de los grandes cambios de Europa, tanto a nivel económico como político.
En fin, el libro es bueno. Eso sí, difícil de leer, muchos párrafos pueden tener una extensión de una página, la propuesta está abierta a que nuevos Libros históricos se basen más en la interpretación, que en la narración.
October 23, 2017
So....why didn't I like this book more than I did.
It isn't just that I'm giving it a mere three stars. It's that I really like this author. Seven years ago I read his "Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages" about Europe from 400-1000 and thought it was fantastic. I got a lot out of it. This one? Well, there's good stuff here, but I can't say it made a big difference to me.
Two related issues explain it: 1) I know more than I did then, and 2) this book covers twice as many years in about half as many pages as the previous one did. When I picked up "Inheritance" it was because the early Medieval period was a weak spot. I didn't know much about it. As a result, that sucker really helped give me a much better understanding of that time period. In the last seven years, I've made a serious effort to bone up on it and so a definite law of diminishing returns kicks in. I am by know means any kind of leading expert, but a brief general history is only going to get me so far. Much of it was a refresher, or just polished in some details. Frankly, though, I'd need to look over my notes to figure out what I got out of the book, because off the top of my head, I don't recall. That's not a great sign.
Also, Wickham is clearly an academic writing - which I mean in the best and worst ways. In the best way because he knows his stuff in detail, and in the worst way because .... lordy, is this ever dry stuff to read. (I think that's related to why I'd have to look at my notes to see what I got out of it).
Not a bad book, but not one that did much for me.
It isn't just that I'm giving it a mere three stars. It's that I really like this author. Seven years ago I read his "Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages" about Europe from 400-1000 and thought it was fantastic. I got a lot out of it. This one? Well, there's good stuff here, but I can't say it made a big difference to me.
Two related issues explain it: 1) I know more than I did then, and 2) this book covers twice as many years in about half as many pages as the previous one did. When I picked up "Inheritance" it was because the early Medieval period was a weak spot. I didn't know much about it. As a result, that sucker really helped give me a much better understanding of that time period. In the last seven years, I've made a serious effort to bone up on it and so a definite law of diminishing returns kicks in. I am by know means any kind of leading expert, but a brief general history is only going to get me so far. Much of it was a refresher, or just polished in some details. Frankly, though, I'd need to look over my notes to figure out what I got out of the book, because off the top of my head, I don't recall. That's not a great sign.
Also, Wickham is clearly an academic writing - which I mean in the best and worst ways. In the best way because he knows his stuff in detail, and in the worst way because .... lordy, is this ever dry stuff to read. (I think that's related to why I'd have to look at my notes to see what I got out of it).
Not a bad book, but not one that did much for me.
July 12, 2022
A lot of complex information to produce within 360 pages. The author, a university professor builds his description and analysis of that long period by adopting a theme based approach. You have to pay attention because of the density of the data and the unconventional story telling. But it is rewarding as some preconceived ideas are shattered and the natural confusion and complexity of the period becomes clearer. Culture, communications, politics , economics, fiscality, conflicts, values, religions, beliefs all play a role in this universe; a bit like looking at a huge puzzle with thousands of moving pieces. A remarkable and rewarding book of a period that is anything but static.
February 4, 2020
Das Mittelalter war düster und traurig, die Menschen sind ständig gestorben und keiner war glücklich. So in etwa wird das "Finstere Mittelalter" meistens geschildert. Chris Wickham räumt damit nun auf. Seine Aussage: Es gab viel Schlechtes, aber auch viel Gutes. Genau wie heute. Die Menschen lebten ihr Leben. Wie wir heute auch.
Wickham schildert anhand wichtiger Punkte und Veränderungen, welchen Einfluss welche Entscheidungen auf die mittelalterliche Welt hatten. Immer wieder nimmt er Vorurteile zur Hand und widerlegt diese aufgrund der neuesten Forschungsergebnisse. So entsteht ein aktuelles Bild des Mittelalters.
Ich war fasziniert von den Schilderungen des Autors und auch vom Index, der an die 200 Seiten umfasst. Hier wurde gründlich recherchiert und aktuelles Wissen gesammelt. Ja, es ist ein eurozentrisches Buch, da alles andere den Rahmen gesprengt hätte, aber ist es auch gerade deswegen wichtig, unser Wissen zu aktualisieren und zu überdenken. Wickham trägt mit seinem gelungenen Werk schon einmal sehr viel dazu bei.
Wickham schildert anhand wichtiger Punkte und Veränderungen, welchen Einfluss welche Entscheidungen auf die mittelalterliche Welt hatten. Immer wieder nimmt er Vorurteile zur Hand und widerlegt diese aufgrund der neuesten Forschungsergebnisse. So entsteht ein aktuelles Bild des Mittelalters.
Ich war fasziniert von den Schilderungen des Autors und auch vom Index, der an die 200 Seiten umfasst. Hier wurde gründlich recherchiert und aktuelles Wissen gesammelt. Ja, es ist ein eurozentrisches Buch, da alles andere den Rahmen gesprengt hätte, aber ist es auch gerade deswegen wichtig, unser Wissen zu aktualisieren und zu überdenken. Wickham trägt mit seinem gelungenen Werk schon einmal sehr viel dazu bei.
February 6, 2023
this earns its 2 stars purely for the sheer amount of research that went into this book. my god i’m glad to see an author is passionate about their subject matter but this was unbelievably dry and difficult to get through. he focussed almost entirely on the political and tax systems of seemingly every medieval society; societies that i’m sure had really rich cultures that i learnt absolutely nothing about from reading this book. this would be brilliant to use as a reference textbook if i were writing an essay on governmental structure and fiscal systems in medieval europe - but i’m not, so this bored me half to death.
March 9, 2018
A textbook on how to suck all the life and juice out of a rich and fascinating topic. Maybe it's just that the reader sounds like he's having a hard time staying awake--but more likely it's the author's focus on large social trends and economic generalities that left me totally not caring that my loan period (borrowed it from the library) ran out before reaching the end.
January 14, 2022
I know very little about this history, and I'm not a historian, so I cannot independently judge his claims. However, this is a very interesting book that really whet my appetite to learn more on the topic. There's so much interesting that went on, and it is quite well written (I actually listened to the audiobook).
Wickham describes overall themes, trends, dynamics, to help explain not just what happened, but why — on a macro as well as micro scale. He does so without making his exposition too simple and neat.
I liked his critical engagement with other historians, and by extension (if not directly) with pop attitudes towards the medieval period. I, at least, was certainly guilty of some such predjudice.
There was, for example, an interesting account of some Christianity tendancies with very extreme ideas and lifestyles. One tendancy did not recognise the papacy and its organisations, while another tendancy was almost exactly identical in lifestyle, but did recognise the legitimacy of the (proto-)Catholic lifestyles — and the two camps were worst enemies. This puts much modern talk about religion beyond "organised religion" into context, and also the charicature of the left — in particular — hating those politically closest to us.
He builds up one persuasive central argument:
"The strengh of local, cellular politics, plus the extension of literarate practices to ever wider social groups, plus a continuing high-equilibrium economic system, plus a newly intrusive state, made possible by communications, taxation, and once again literacy, helped to create political systems across Europe which allowed engagement nearly everywhere. This marks the last century of the middle ages, not the supposedly late medieval features which mark so many text books: crisis, or anxiety, or the renaissance, or the sense that the continent was somehow waiting for the reformation or European global conquest. And it is one of the main elements that the medieval period handed on to future generations."
Wickham describes overall themes, trends, dynamics, to help explain not just what happened, but why — on a macro as well as micro scale. He does so without making his exposition too simple and neat.
I liked his critical engagement with other historians, and by extension (if not directly) with pop attitudes towards the medieval period. I, at least, was certainly guilty of some such predjudice.
There was, for example, an interesting account of some Christianity tendancies with very extreme ideas and lifestyles. One tendancy did not recognise the papacy and its organisations, while another tendancy was almost exactly identical in lifestyle, but did recognise the legitimacy of the (proto-)Catholic lifestyles — and the two camps were worst enemies. This puts much modern talk about religion beyond "organised religion" into context, and also the charicature of the left — in particular — hating those politically closest to us.
He builds up one persuasive central argument:
"The strengh of local, cellular politics, plus the extension of literarate practices to ever wider social groups, plus a continuing high-equilibrium economic system, plus a newly intrusive state, made possible by communications, taxation, and once again literacy, helped to create political systems across Europe which allowed engagement nearly everywhere. This marks the last century of the middle ages, not the supposedly late medieval features which mark so many text books: crisis, or anxiety, or the renaissance, or the sense that the continent was somehow waiting for the reformation or European global conquest. And it is one of the main elements that the medieval period handed on to future generations."
June 20, 2025
Dense and dry, but excellent at explaining the political economy of the era.
Wickham does a remarkable job of condensing 1000 years (and a wide span of Europe) into just a few hundred pages, while insisting throughout on the variety of local political arrangements along the larger trends that swept across the (sub-)continent.
What you don’t get is a fun, narrative history; this will be a deal-breaker for many. Wickham will often highlight the bigger events—along with others carefully chosen to illustrate his more abstract points. But he simply doesn’t have the room to construct a narrative with the detail and nuance required to accurately capture all the weirdness of medieval life, and often points out the many reductive ways other historians have tried to do so.
With the scope of the book, and the way many of the bigger questions are still struggling with an incomplete or confusing historical record, Wickham often detours into historiography about the subject. I personally love it when historians do this, setting out the contours of the debate and laying out the reasoning, but again: probably not for everyone.
But man, the wealth of thought and detail here about how medieval society functioned for hundreds of years… truly incredible stuff, and a fantastic (if very difficult) way to tackle a historical blind-spot for me.
Wickham does a remarkable job of condensing 1000 years (and a wide span of Europe) into just a few hundred pages, while insisting throughout on the variety of local political arrangements along the larger trends that swept across the (sub-)continent.
What you don’t get is a fun, narrative history; this will be a deal-breaker for many. Wickham will often highlight the bigger events—along with others carefully chosen to illustrate his more abstract points. But he simply doesn’t have the room to construct a narrative with the detail and nuance required to accurately capture all the weirdness of medieval life, and often points out the many reductive ways other historians have tried to do so.
With the scope of the book, and the way many of the bigger questions are still struggling with an incomplete or confusing historical record, Wickham often detours into historiography about the subject. I personally love it when historians do this, setting out the contours of the debate and laying out the reasoning, but again: probably not for everyone.
But man, the wealth of thought and detail here about how medieval society functioned for hundreds of years… truly incredible stuff, and a fantastic (if very difficult) way to tackle a historical blind-spot for me.
January 6, 2026
這是我第二次閱讀克里斯‧威克姆(Chris Wickham)的作品，前一本是《企鵝歐洲史》中的《羅馬帝國的遺產》。作者是英國牛津大學的退休教授，專業在社會經濟史，特別是“古代晚期到中世紀早期”這個領域，使用改良後的馬克思主義來進行研究與分析。他撰寫過的作品中，有翻譯成中文的還有一本《夢遊進入新世界》，講中世紀義大利公社，個人興趣還好。我比較想看他沒有引進的，更早的兩本：《Framing the Early Middle Ages》與《The Donkey and the Boat》，是談論早期跟中晚期中世紀歐洲經濟史。不過，其實這些書的內容，在這本《中世紀歐洲》也有討論到：比較簡略的形式。
本書的厚度普通，要在這短短的篇幅中講述漫長的中世紀史，作者也承認這是個挑戰，而肯定也不會是一般的那種敘事史。威克姆的寫作方式是認定讀者已經具備了基礎的常識，在這個點上直接展開「對話」，他描述的是自己對於中世紀的各種觀察結果，如果沒有底子，是無法產生共感。這種寫法，在已經故去的霍布斯邦的《十九世紀三部曲》以及《極端的年代》系列，也可以見到。他對讀者的素質是有一定的要求(作者自述是寫給「大學生」，但我想霍老那個時代的跟如今當下的水準可能不一致吧)，可讀性也很高。
把中世紀視為一個黑暗的時代，已經是逐漸被主流棄若敝屣的陳舊觀點了 (例如，最近就出了一本《光明時代：中世紀新史》)。而在威克姆看來，這段時間，則有「起承轉合」的意義。作者把本書的寫作重心放在三點：政治秩序的分裂與重組、生產工具的掌握與不同地區的各自狀況的描述。羅馬帝國初崩解的時候，王權並不是就像碎了的玻璃那樣散成一片，事實上，大部分的繼承國仍維持相當大的舊統治體系。而查理曼就是在這種架構中試圖重建，他企圖用法律 (派出巡迴法庭與檢察官) 塑造出集會與公共責任，以及宗教道德來架構整個統治。但這個實驗失敗了。
作者指出，有些觀點認為是因為查里曼的帝國那些軍事貴族因為沒了征伐的紅利，失去了對皇室的效忠。他不這麼認為，那些既得利益者對皇帝/國王的人參依附依舊，也需要這個權威來維繫。關鍵還是在於法蘭克人的諸子繼承制，不斷分裂的結果造成貴族們各自站隊後的撕裂。而到了最後更慘的是皇室的子裔日趨單薄。除此之外，個人認為還有後來的維京人的入侵，加速了這種破壞。按照作者的說法，就是權力的細胞化：裂解到村鎮、城市跟小領主。後來隨著西歐的經濟復甦，特別是貨幣的重新廣泛流通，政府收的到稅了，可以組織官僚跟軍隊，就有力量對抗諸侯，重振王權，然後進入下一個時代。隨著「競逐富強」，開始出現近代化的專制政府，這就是作者說的「起承轉合」。
不過這主要是西歐的狀況。在東半部，拜占庭(東羅馬)帝國保持著穩定的官僚體系跟統治，一直是鄰近諸國王的楷模，直到十三世紀被十字軍攻破首都為止。而北歐、西班牙等，也都有自己的道路。
總而言之，這本《中世紀歐洲》比較像是作者研究成果的「總集篇」，如果想要了解更詳細的內容，還是得去讀他的其他作品。如前所述，這本對於一些基礎知識的要求也頗高，建議先去弄一本中世紀的通史來看會比較好。威克姆對於經濟史的描述有其獨到的地方，是本書值得一看的亮點。
本書的厚度普通，要在這短短的篇幅中講述漫長的中世紀史，作者也承認這是個挑戰，而肯定也不會是一般的那種敘事史。威克姆的寫作方式是認定讀者已經具備了基礎的常識，在這個點上直接展開「對話」，他描述的是自己對於中世紀的各種觀察結果，如果沒有底子，是無法產生共感。這種寫法，在已經故去的霍布斯邦的《十九世紀三部曲》以及《極端的年代》系列，也可以見到。他對讀者的素質是有一定的要求(作者自述是寫給「大學生」，但我想霍老那個時代的跟如今當下的水準可能不一致吧)，可讀性也很高。
把中世紀視為一個黑暗的時代，已經是逐漸被主流棄若敝屣的陳舊觀點了 (例如，最近就出了一本《光明時代：中世紀新史》)。而在威克姆看來，這段時間，則有「起承轉合」的意義。作者把本書的寫作重心放在三點：政治秩序的分裂與重組、生產工具的掌握與不同地區的各自狀況的描述。羅馬帝國初崩解的時候，王權並不是就像碎了的玻璃那樣散成一片，事實上，大部分的繼承國仍維持相當大的舊統治體系。而查理曼就是在這種架構中試圖重建，他企圖用法律 (派出巡迴法庭與檢察官) 塑造出集會與公共責任，以及宗教道德來架構整個統治。但這個實驗失敗了。
作者指出，有些觀點認為是因為查里曼的帝國那些軍事貴族因為沒了征伐的紅利，失去了對皇室的效忠。他不這麼認為，那些既得利益者對皇帝/國王的人參依附依舊，也需要這個權威來維繫。關鍵還是在於法蘭克人的諸子繼承制，不斷分裂的結果造成貴族們各自站隊後的撕裂。而到了最後更慘的是皇室的子裔日趨單薄。除此之外，個人認為還有後來的維京人的入侵，加速了這種破壞。按照作者的說法，就是權力的細胞化：裂解到村鎮、城市跟小領主。後來隨著西歐的經濟復甦，特別是貨幣的重新廣泛流通，政府收的到稅了，可以組織官僚跟軍隊，就有力量對抗諸侯，重振王權，然後進入下一個時代。隨著「競逐富強」，開始出現近代化的專制政府，這就是作者說的「起承轉合」。
不過這主要是西歐的狀況。在東半部，拜占庭(東羅馬)帝國保持著穩定的官僚體系跟統治，一直是鄰近諸國王的楷模，直到十三世紀被十字軍攻破首都為止。而北歐、西班牙等，也都有自己的道路。
總而言之，這本《中世紀歐洲》比較像是作者研究成果的「總集篇」，如果想要了解更詳細的內容，還是得去讀他的其他作品。如前所述，這本對於一些基礎知識的要求也頗高，建議先去弄一本中世紀的通史來看會比較好。威克姆對於經濟史的描述有其獨到的地方，是本書值得一看的亮點。
August 17, 2022
Na tentativa de estudar com mais profundidade a história da Igreja e os primeiros séculos do cristianismo na Europa, senti uma defasagem no meu domínio sobre a história europeia medieval de uma maneira geral. Esse livro foi a minha tentativa de rapidamente relembrar a História da Idade Média e adquirir mais contexto para as leituras mais acadêmicas e detalhadas do período.
No geral, o livro cumpriu bem seu papel. o que antes era um quebra-cabeça desmontado e embaralhado na minha cabeça rapidamente se tornou algo que pelo menos se parece com uma imagem. Alguns aspectos foram extremamente bem levantados, ironicamente com a cristianização da Europa sendo um deles, e com destaque especial para o argumento acerca da correlação entre estrutura fiscal e poder político-militar das potências europeias ao longo do período retratado. Senti falta da proposição de trends mais generalistas, fios de raciocínio que ajudassem a explicar com mais amplitude os principais acontecimentos da era medieval. Sei que essa tendência corre o risco de se tornar estritamente teleológica e que um livro assim seria mais interpretativo do que científico. Mas para um interessado não-acadêmico como eu, isso fez falta.
O resultado disso, recapitulando a metáfora do quebra-cabeça, é que o que antes era um amontoado de peças embaralhadas ganhou ao menos bordas, formas, divisão de cores, e vários encaixes fundamentais para a montagem final da imagem que é a Idade Média na Europa. Saio consciente da complexidade dessa montagem, mas também satisfeito com a imagem, ainda que esburacada e um pouco borrada, que pude formar com essa leitura.
No geral, o livro cumpriu bem seu papel. o que antes era um quebra-cabeça desmontado e embaralhado na minha cabeça rapidamente se tornou algo que pelo menos se parece com uma imagem. Alguns aspectos foram extremamente bem levantados, ironicamente com a cristianização da Europa sendo um deles, e com destaque especial para o argumento acerca da correlação entre estrutura fiscal e poder político-militar das potências europeias ao longo do período retratado. Senti falta da proposição de trends mais generalistas, fios de raciocínio que ajudassem a explicar com mais amplitude os principais acontecimentos da era medieval. Sei que essa tendência corre o risco de se tornar estritamente teleológica e que um livro assim seria mais interpretativo do que científico. Mas para um interessado não-acadêmico como eu, isso fez falta.
O resultado disso, recapitulando a metáfora do quebra-cabeça, é que o que antes era um amontoado de peças embaralhadas ganhou ao menos bordas, formas, divisão de cores, e vários encaixes fundamentais para a montagem final da imagem que é a Idade Média na Europa. Saio consciente da complexidade dessa montagem, mas também satisfeito com a imagem, ainda que esburacada e um pouco borrada, que pude formar com essa leitura.
October 19, 2021
Audible.
I really enjoyed this. I've wanted an integrated overview for some time as I was a bit confused how all the different national histories fitted together; this provided what I needed.
I do have one complaint which I have shared with the author: I'm rather tired of reading summary histories of Jews which are only really about what Christians did to us. Jews were a minority, but in urban areas we were often a substantial minority, yet we don't exist in these general works except as victims. We aren't really there. I can't help thinking it's because modern European gentiles grew up around hardly any Jews (for obvious reasons). In the UK we are less than 1% of the population. So it is hard for these historians to imagine a past in which we were a visible, cultured, and vocal part of the urban landscape.
I really enjoyed this. I've wanted an integrated overview for some time as I was a bit confused how all the different national histories fitted together; this provided what I needed.
I do have one complaint which I have shared with the author: I'm rather tired of reading summary histories of Jews which are only really about what Christians did to us. Jews were a minority, but in urban areas we were often a substantial minority, yet we don't exist in these general works except as victims. We aren't really there. I can't help thinking it's because modern European gentiles grew up around hardly any Jews (for obvious reasons). In the UK we are less than 1% of the population. So it is hard for these historians to imagine a past in which we were a visible, cultured, and vocal part of the urban landscape.
December 16, 2019
I enjoyed this look at what forces were emerging after the fall of Rome. It is fascinating to think that after such an advanced and highly organized empire fell, Europe fell back to such a disorganized existence. I enjoyed how this text walked through the progression of things—starting with the fall of Rome and the lingering Byzantine Empire and then tracing the periods of turmoil and political strife through to the Renaissance.
Sometimes the names of the various monarchs felt a bit dense and unnecessary for a text which very clearly was dealing with the time period in large brushstrokes. Aside from this minor issue, the text was engaging and informative...
Sometimes the names of the various monarchs felt a bit dense and unnecessary for a text which very clearly was dealing with the time period in large brushstrokes. Aside from this minor issue, the text was engaging and informative...
June 27, 2020
3,5 αστέρια. Δυσκολεύομαι να προσδιορίσω τι δεν μου άρεσε αλλά νομίζω ότι δεν είναι από τα βιβλία που μαθαίνεις κάτι που δεν ήξερες. Ή έστω από τα βιβλία που διαβάζεις κάτι που ήξερες αλλά ο συγγραφέας σου δίνει μια άλλη οπτική. Και βλέποντας τα 3 αστέρια στις περισσότερες κριτικές, κι άλλοι βρήκαν πως κάτι λείπει.
January 4, 2021
Covering roughly a thousand years of history across the length and breadth of Europe, this book is surprisingly vast in scope for its length. Rather than going country by country, Wickham takes the reader through the years from 500 to 1500 century by century, tracking and comparing social, economic and political changes across the continent. Fascinating and informative.
November 11, 2023
I have finally finished this super long book, well not long in the sense of pages necessarily but long in the sense that there was a lot of material. I read this for a history class I've been taking this semester and I thought that if I endure this whole book then it must be a part of my Goodreads for the year. There really isn't much to say about this book other than it's very factual and pretty dense. I retained probably about 10 percent of the whole book so I think that tells you all you need to know.
April 3, 2021
Das Buch gab einen guten überblick über das europäische Mittelalter, allerdings ist es für jemanden komplett ohne Vorwissen etwas unzugänglich geschrieben.
January 31, 2026
A dense one to start of 2026. Very interesting and exactly what I wanted! Would have enjoyed a clear structure. Now to pick up the pace… 🤓📖
July 13, 2024
Aquest llibre, que passa per sobre de tota l'edat mitjana europea, s'estructura bàsicament com un estudi de la política de l'època, especialment centrat en les estructures de poder i la seva evolució, des de temps romans fins al segle XV.
Partint d'aquest tema central, el llibre tracta bona part dels fenòmens socioculturals d'aquesta era, de manera cronològica: la continuïtat de les concepcions de poder públic romà fins al segle XI, especialment notables al món carolingi, amb una aristocràcia poc poderosa, configurada en parlaments, que queda subordinada al rei/emperador amb un projecte moral i religiós molt potent. Tot i aquesta continuïtat ideològica, és significatiu que a la major part d'Europa va baixar la capacitat impositiva dels estats (i, per tant, la seva complexitat), excepte a l'Imperi Romà d'Orient (el mal anomenat Imperi Bizantí, que va seguir un desenvolupament completament diferent) i als posteriors estats musulmans, la qual cosa va derivar en què els primers perdessin progressivament la seva capacitat centrípeta, que portarà a la revolució feudal, que transformarà les estructures de poder en unes de caràcter cel·lular, eminentment locals, controlades per l'aristocràcia. L'exemple més clar és Itàlia, que es va desfer en una gran quantitat de regnes i ciutats-estat (que malgrat ser actors minúsculs geogràficament, tenien una gran complexitat administrativa).
Paral·lelament, l'església va fer el camí contrari: a l'alta edat mitjana, aquesta institució va tenir un caràcter principalment local, lligat al poder laic postromà, però a l'època central de l'edat mitjana va començar un procés de centralització envers la figura del papa, que es va mantenir, no sense problemes, fins al Cisma d'Occident.
L'economia, que durant tot el període va ser eminentment agrària, començarà un procés de retracció amb la caiguda de l'Imperi Romà d'Occident, que es recuperarà a partir del segle X, amb una conjuntura econòmica de bonança, que portarà a l'expansió de les terres cultivables i del comerç de productes artesanals de luxe centrats en les elits, i permetrà que es tripliqui la població fins a l'arribada de la pesta, que en matarà aproximadament la meitat.
Tornant a la política laica, al període tardomedieval, marcat pel cisma d'Orient, la pesta negra i la guerra dels Cent Anys, que va obligar els estats a aconseguir grans fonts de finançament, per tal de mantenir els exèrcits de mercenaris. Així doncs, en aquest període es torna a constatar el creixement del poder central de les monarquies, tot i que aquest ja no es fonamentarà sobre la base romana, com va passar fins al segle IX, sinó sobre la base cel·lular feudal. Però aquest augment de poder anirà acompanyat de la conscienciació de l'aristocràcia, però també del laïcat no privilegiat (provocat per l'extensió de l'alfabetització), de la "res pública", és a dir del fet públic com quelcom d'importància, el que va portar dos fenòmens: el primer va ser l'eclosió dels parlaments medievals(a Catalunya se'n diran corts), que en llocs com Anglaterra o els països nòrdics (amb els thingar [m'ha fet gràcia el nom]) venien ja de molt abans. El segon és l'augment de les revoltes camperoles i urbanes, sorgides precisament d'aquesta concepció de la política com a element pel qual, com a mínim, havien de tenir-los en compte.
En general, el llibre m'ha agradat molt, ja que a partir d'un estudi polític, s'endinsa en moltes temàtiques de l'època, com els impostos, l'economia, la cultura... A més, en el meu resum m'he deixat una gran quantitat d'informació del llibre, que parla sobre el desenvolupament dels rols de gènere, l'expansió cultural i de la lectoescriptura en la població, creació d'universitats, a més del desenvolupament del món bizantí, àrab, est-europeu i otomà, en els quals no he entrat, perquè si alguna cosa no li fa falta a aquesta ressenya és més text. Tot i que la seva manca d'especificitat pot no fer-lo gaire adequat per medievalistes, per una persona centrada en l'època contemporània, permet fer una passada general pel període medieval a Europa. Malgrat això, és cert que la prosa, malgrat ser molt entretinguda, és bastant recaragolada, cosa que de vegades resulta problemàtic, especialment si subratlles els llibres (sí, he acabat amb un 40% del llibre subratllat). Total, que és un gran llibre. Si has arribat fins aquí, gràcies i ho sento. Torno a llegir: BERSERK.
Partint d'aquest tema central, el llibre tracta bona part dels fenòmens socioculturals d'aquesta era, de manera cronològica: la continuïtat de les concepcions de poder públic romà fins al segle XI, especialment notables al món carolingi, amb una aristocràcia poc poderosa, configurada en parlaments, que queda subordinada al rei/emperador amb un projecte moral i religiós molt potent. Tot i aquesta continuïtat ideològica, és significatiu que a la major part d'Europa va baixar la capacitat impositiva dels estats (i, per tant, la seva complexitat), excepte a l'Imperi Romà d'Orient (el mal anomenat Imperi Bizantí, que va seguir un desenvolupament completament diferent) i als posteriors estats musulmans, la qual cosa va derivar en què els primers perdessin progressivament la seva capacitat centrípeta, que portarà a la revolució feudal, que transformarà les estructures de poder en unes de caràcter cel·lular, eminentment locals, controlades per l'aristocràcia. L'exemple més clar és Itàlia, que es va desfer en una gran quantitat de regnes i ciutats-estat (que malgrat ser actors minúsculs geogràficament, tenien una gran complexitat administrativa).
Paral·lelament, l'església va fer el camí contrari: a l'alta edat mitjana, aquesta institució va tenir un caràcter principalment local, lligat al poder laic postromà, però a l'època central de l'edat mitjana va començar un procés de centralització envers la figura del papa, que es va mantenir, no sense problemes, fins al Cisma d'Occident.
L'economia, que durant tot el període va ser eminentment agrària, començarà un procés de retracció amb la caiguda de l'Imperi Romà d'Occident, que es recuperarà a partir del segle X, amb una conjuntura econòmica de bonança, que portarà a l'expansió de les terres cultivables i del comerç de productes artesanals de luxe centrats en les elits, i permetrà que es tripliqui la població fins a l'arribada de la pesta, que en matarà aproximadament la meitat.
Tornant a la política laica, al període tardomedieval, marcat pel cisma d'Orient, la pesta negra i la guerra dels Cent Anys, que va obligar els estats a aconseguir grans fonts de finançament, per tal de mantenir els exèrcits de mercenaris. Així doncs, en aquest període es torna a constatar el creixement del poder central de les monarquies, tot i que aquest ja no es fonamentarà sobre la base romana, com va passar fins al segle IX, sinó sobre la base cel·lular feudal. Però aquest augment de poder anirà acompanyat de la conscienciació de l'aristocràcia, però també del laïcat no privilegiat (provocat per l'extensió de l'alfabetització), de la "res pública", és a dir del fet públic com quelcom d'importància, el que va portar dos fenòmens: el primer va ser l'eclosió dels parlaments medievals(a Catalunya se'n diran corts), que en llocs com Anglaterra o els països nòrdics (amb els thingar [m'ha fet gràcia el nom]) venien ja de molt abans. El segon és l'augment de les revoltes camperoles i urbanes, sorgides precisament d'aquesta concepció de la política com a element pel qual, com a mínim, havien de tenir-los en compte.
En general, el llibre m'ha agradat molt, ja que a partir d'un estudi polític, s'endinsa en moltes temàtiques de l'època, com els impostos, l'economia, la cultura... A més, en el meu resum m'he deixat una gran quantitat d'informació del llibre, que parla sobre el desenvolupament dels rols de gènere, l'expansió cultural i de la lectoescriptura en la població, creació d'universitats, a més del desenvolupament del món bizantí, àrab, est-europeu i otomà, en els quals no he entrat, perquè si alguna cosa no li fa falta a aquesta ressenya és més text. Tot i que la seva manca d'especificitat pot no fer-lo gaire adequat per medievalistes, per una persona centrada en l'època contemporània, permet fer una passada general pel període medieval a Europa. Malgrat això, és cert que la prosa, malgrat ser molt entretinguda, és bastant recaragolada, cosa que de vegades resulta problemàtic, especialment si subratlles els llibres (sí, he acabat amb un 40% del llibre subratllat). Total, que és un gran llibre. Si has arribat fins aquí, gràcies i ho sento. Torno a llegir: BERSERK.
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