The 'Dark' Ages: From the Sack of Rome to Hastings

by Martin J. Dougherty

The 'Dark' Ages have often been crudely depicted as an era of mass illiteracy and ignorance, and of terrifying heathen hordes swarming across the European continent, leaving devastation in their wake. Yes, this was the time of the so-called Barbarian invasions, of the Vikings, of the break-up of some urban life and population decline in Western Europe. But this was also the time of Pope Gregory the Great, of Charlemagne and Alfred the Great; of feudalism, the development of monastic life and the nurturing of Christianity across Western Europe. In the East, the Roman Empire continued to thrive in Byzantium, while from the 7th century the Muslim Arab conquest of North Africa and Iberia proved to be a stimulating challenge to the Christian West. From the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century to the 11th century, The 'Dark'Ages tells the story of this fascinating but much misunderstood period in medieval history. Featuring the fragmentation of the Western Roman Empire and re-emergence of unity under Charlemagne; the emergence of the Catholic Church as a dominant political force; the raids, trading life and settlements of the Vikings, the book expertly reappraises the early Middle Ages. Illustrated with 180 photographs, artworks and maps, The 'Dark' Ages is an exciting, engaging and highly informative exploration of this often overlooked period in early medieval history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Paperback

Published July 14, 2021

About the author

Hailing from northeast England, Martin J Dougherty is a professional writer specialising in military history. He has been at times a games designer, an engineer, a self-protection instructor, a teacher and a defence analyst. Martin has published a range of books covering topics as diverse as self-protection, medieval warfare and space flight, and has addressed international conferences on anti-shipping missiles and homeland security issues.

Martin's interests include martial arts and fencing. He has coached Fencing, Ju-Jitsu, Self-Defence and Kickboxing for many years at the University of Sunderland, and has competed to national level as a fencer. As a martial artist he holds black belts in Combat Ju-Jitsu, Nihon Tai-Jitsu and Self-Defence. Martin is a Senior Assessor with the Self-Defence Federation and an IL1 instructor/assessor with the Britsh Federation for Historical Swordplay, specialising in the Military Sabre and the Smallsword.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

thanks to netgalley and the publishers for a ree copy in return for an open and honest review

This book was very informative looking at an area of history which has been neglected and everyone thinks of King Arthur and Vikings but looks at political vacuum as tribes move about and the start of the founding of nations.

[James Schlichter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good synopsis of the Dark Ages, with lots of excellent pictures throughout. This book is not meant to be an in depth study of the Dark Ages, but an introduction to the whose who and, more importantly, peels back the myth of barbarity often used to depict the Dark Ages. It was barbarous in many ways, but it was also a time of social, geographical and religious evolution.

I did feel there was an overwhelming amount of dates, names and places for such a cursory study. My biggest qualm, and really, I feel a major shortcoming of the book, was its lack of maps. The geography covered in this book is immense, the borders and those who ruled those borders are constantly shifting and in flux. The author structures the chapters in such a way as to examine how the Dark Ages evolved through the eye of its various major players; thus, there is a lot of overlap. Without maps, it's difficult to place these players in relation to one another and the periods they covered. It took me a while to get through what is really a quick read, because without maps to accompany my reading, much of the information was be lost on me. Hence, I read with maps on hand and was constantly flipping around to figure everything out.

Finally, be aware, this book is almost entirely only concerned with the power players in history. This is not the book to turn to if your looking to learn how the commoners lived.

Would I recommend The Dark Ages? I can't say that I would. The information is there, the illustrations and photographs are excellent, but the lack of maps is unforgivable.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is full of fantastic artwork and pictures and I found it fascinating. Being teaching assistant I love reading up on history and I did find out many things from this book that I wasn't familiar with.
Really enjoyed it!

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great history book, informative, well presented, clearly written, interesting and relevant illustrations and pictures (which is always a plus the amount I’ve read where I’m looking at a picture wondering why it’s in there! ) a wonderful historical offering

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m excited about the opportunity to review my first non-fiction book! A teacher and a history buff, this was a dream to read and review.

For me, the term ‘Dark Ages’ conjures up an image of war, destruction and death. Martin J. Dougherty’s book makes us question whether that vision is really accurate. He explores history from the sack of Rome to the Battle of Hastings and shows us that yes, it was a savage time BUT it was also a time of growth that lead to the foundation of our modern world. Looking back, it can be viewed as a time of transition; laws were written, great works were completed, advances were made in math and science, agriculture saw a boom, religion helped form values and beliefs, and there was a flourishing in the arts. It was really far from dark.

This book perfectly aligns with the Social Studies 8 curriculum in B.C., Canada. It would be a fantastic book for parents of Canadian Grade 7 children to buy over the summer and enjoy before starting school. It would also be an excellent companion for teachers and students immersed in the Grade 8 social studies curriculum.

It ticks all the boxes for me as a teacher!

Empty space – I love the rest areas for eyes so students can focus on good stuff! Students eyes wander and if there’s somewhere for them to rest, they’ll go back and read the information. If not, they’ll check out!

Great visuals – There are 180 great photos and illustrations with details that pull your eye in and keep it there

Age-appropriate – Grade 7/8 and uses a medium font with appropriate vocabulary so there’s no need for teacher adaptation

Well-balanced design – consistent unit structure so students know what to expect from each chapter (helps w/study notes)

It’s written in storyline progression so students have a sense of how history developed

The ‘Dark Ages’ is an exciting, engaging and highly informative exploration of this overlooked period in medieval history. I would describe it as in between a Dorling Kindersley book and a school textbook.

Publishes July 14, 2021

I was gifted this advance copy by Martin J. Dougherty, Amber Books Ltd., and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[WorldconReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Dark Ages" by Martin J. Dougherty is a comprehensive history that includes the decline of Rome and the centuries afterwards, with a somewhat Brittish-centric focus on the second half of the first millennium. The book is logically organized by the following historical geo-political groups as indicated in the table of contents: "The Roman Era", "The Barbarian Kingdoms", "Britain", "The Church", " The Norsemen", and "Kingdoms of Europe". (Personally, I might have liked an organizational approach that was more focused on a timeline, but I also acknowledge that this topic is perhaps to broad to organize in strictly chronological order.) The prose is accompanied by numerous historical artwork which adroitly illustrate the narrative. Likewise, captions, highlighted titles, and stand-alone inset explanations help the reader understand the material.

I assume that everyone in the English speaking western world has an image of the "Dark Ages." I also suspect that it is not uncommon to take a simplistic view of three periods, for example: "High Civilization with the Roman Empire", "Chaotic Dark Ages Bereft of all Civilization in Europe", and finally "Modern Western Civilization". This book clearly informs the reader that the "Dark Ages" was not without civilization and perhaps should only be considered "Dark" since not all history during this period in Europe are clearly written down.

While reading this book, I kept thinking of the phrase, "history is written by the victors". I realized that more accurately "history is written by authors", and if we do not have written accounts then it is certainly hard to learn what happened in the distant past. I was repeatedly struck by tantalizingly off-hand references in the primary historical sources to other cultures, countries, and circumstances that have no other known written accounts.

Reading this book was time well spent. I feel like I have a better understanding of Europe's first millennium.

I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing an electronic review copy of this book.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great combination of text and photos…

Who knew the dark ages held such a wealth of colorful history? This work touched on so many different elements that made up this time. From the influence of religion across Europe and beyond, the church, islam and more were chronicled, highlighting the immense influence it had on on life and the future. I’m an amateur history buff and the medieval ages has always held such fascination for me. This take on that era was a great mix of factual, textual details combined with dozens of photos and illustrations that brought those facts to life. There was a lot of information here, told in a highly readable style, but this was in no way a one sitting read. Instead it was one I would savour over time, allowing me to take it all in in my own time…

Like every great history book I’ve read, this one has inspired me to dig into many of the events it articulated so well. I want to find out more about the Bayeux Tapestry, the European Kingdoms, the Vikings and so much more. The e-book was laid out well with the illustrations clear and concise, aligning with the text perfectly. I feel like this was a great primer, nudging me towards even digging deeper…

*I happily reviewed the e-book format of this book
**Thank you to NetGalley

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The 'Dark' Ages" provides a history of Europe from the fall of Rome to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The book provides a history of the major events and groups of people that make up those more than 1000 years of history. The book has an overwhelming amount of information. I knew bits and pieces of the information from my travels in Europe but this was an information overload of dates and names. I'm a very visual person so I wish there had been more maps showing where these groups were located because for most of the book I had no idea where the events explained were taking place. I was also disappointed to find that the photos win the book were all in black and white. I know color is more expensive, but again, I’ve read so many books from this publisher and they have always had beautiful color images. Like I said, I enjoyed the bits and pieces about places I already knew about but otherwise this had too much information for me.
Thank you to Amber Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark Ages is a detailed history book covering from the fall of the Roman empire to the Battle of Hasting in 1066. It primarily focuses on Europe and Britain. I've seen some of the places discribed and artifacts in the book during my European travels. A lot of the big names you expect like Charlemagne, Attila, Pope Gregory are talked about but so are many others who I didn't know. There are over 180 photos (mostly in black and white) which add to the narration. Britain gets its own section which is probably partially due to the wealth of known history but also that the publisher is British. This is great as a reference book but is overwhelming with so much information to digest with quick reading. I also realize that countries and boundaries as we know them didn't exist but this book needed more maps for better understanding of locations. This would be good for a coffee table book, a gift to your favorite history lover or reference book for a library. Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books for a temporary ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[Teresa Grabs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark Ages were not so dark and Dougherty does an excellent job at shedding some light on Europe's most misunderstood time. The focus on the social groups and cultures rather than an academic timeline presentation was a very nice touch and helps keep readers' interest. This book would be perfect for people wanting a broader picture of the time period.

Thank you NetGalley and Amber Books, Ltd. for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely a FANTASTIC read! If you are looking for a well-thought-of history, this is the perfect book. Martin J. Dougherty brings the Dark Ages to 'light,' giving a new perspective to this period in history.

If you are looking for a book for more research and discovering more of the history of this era, this is it!

[Mike Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well presented elementary overview of the Dark Ages. The visuals, "side stories", and publishing quality of the pages make this a good read.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview synopsis of that transition period between the fall of the roman empire and middle age.

[WorldconReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Dark Ages" by Martin J. Dougherty is a comprehensive history that includes the decline of Rome and the centuries afterwards, with a somewhat Brittish-centric focus on the second half of the first millennium. The book is logically organized by the following historical geo-political groups as indicated in the table of contents: "The Roman Era", "The Barbarian Kingdoms", "Britain", "The Church", " The Norsemen", and "Kingdoms of Europe". (Personally, I might have liked an organizational approach that was more focused on a timeline, but I also acknowledge that this topic is perhaps to broad to organize in strictly chronological order.) The prose is accompanied by numerous historical artwork which adroitly illustrate the narrative. Likewise, captions, highlighted titles, and stand-alone inset explanations help the reader understand the material.

I assume that everyone in the English speaking western world has an image of the "Dark Ages." I also suspect that it is not uncommon to take a simplistic view of three periods, for example: "High Civilization with the Roman Empire", "Chaotic Dark Ages Bereft of all Civilization in Europe", and finally "Modern Western Civilization". This book clearly informs the reader that the "Dark Ages" was not without civilization and perhaps should only be considered "Dark" since not all history during this period in Europe are clearly written down.

While reading this book, I kept thinking of the phrase, "history is written by the victors". I realized that more accurately "history is written by authors", and if we do not have written accounts then it is certainly hard to learn what happened in the distant past. I was repeatedly struck by tantalizingly off-hand references in the primary historical sources to other cultures, countries, and circumstances that have no other known written accounts.

Reading this book was time well spent. I feel like I have a better understanding of Europe's first millennium.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Dark Ages" gives an overview of the era from the fall of Rome to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Unfortunately, it really is only an overview which means that the author, for the most part, just lists one king after the other without going into too much detail which I, personally, would have preferred.

[Patricia Daukantas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat superficial overview that throws lots of names at the reader, but is lavishly illustrated.

I find it personally amusing that one of the historical figures it covers is a guy named Charles Martel. The first dentist I ever saw as a kid was a Dr. Charles Martel. :-)

[Shane Findlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*