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Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World
From the twilight of the Roman Empire emerged the kingdoms of Merovingian Europe (c.400 - 700 AD), which were, in turn, the basis for the nations of medieval and modern Europe. Professor Geary draws on the latest archaeological and historical findings to elucidate one of the least understood periods of European history. This text is aimed at both survey and graduate courses on medieval history, which invariably take the Merovingian period as their starting point.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published February 25, 1988
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About the author
Patrick J. Geary
72 books38 followersPatrick J. Geary is an American medieval historian and Professor of Western Medieval History at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 26, 2008
One of my biggest problems with the study of European History is the assumption that all culture, thought, and society ended when Romulus Augustulus was removed from the throne of the Western Roman Empire. For centuries writers and historians acted as if the world ceased to exist for about 300-hundred years until Charlemagne resurected it in 800. Professor Geary attempts to correct much of that thought in this book. A medievalist himself, he ties the culture of the Middle Ages, (think knight in armor, Crusades, and Monty Python), to the world of the ancient with the late Roman Empire. We can see in this book that indeed there is a clear and concise link between the two, and the slow development of the ancient Roman Empire into the Middle Ages.
Perhaps my biggest praise for the book is that Prof. Geary is clear to point out that the Frankish peoples and other Germanic tribes did not exist in a vaccuum. There eventual domination of areas that once were Roman was not always the swift and violent take-over we associate with say the Vandals, but was in some cases, like the Franks, a slow absorption that lead to their eventual dominance in the hole of power left when things in Rome fell apart. It's this important fact that highlights Late Antiquity, that transition between the Classical Roman age to the Medieval, and how the Roman world never really 'fell' as we have all been lead to believe by Gibbons and everyone else, but instead morphed and changed, and Geary highlights this by showing how these tribes that for so long had been on the borders of Rome begin to change what it once had been.
The book isn't presenting new information by any means, but it is trying to put a new and different spin on it. I will admit, I am bias in the fact that I was one of Professor Geary's students at UCLA, and the book does flow better when read in context with his lectures, (which I might add are VERY enjoyable, he has a dry wit which doesn't always come through in his academic readings). For anyone interested in this time period in history, I highly recommend it as a good and interesting read.
Perhaps my biggest praise for the book is that Prof. Geary is clear to point out that the Frankish peoples and other Germanic tribes did not exist in a vaccuum. There eventual domination of areas that once were Roman was not always the swift and violent take-over we associate with say the Vandals, but was in some cases, like the Franks, a slow absorption that lead to their eventual dominance in the hole of power left when things in Rome fell apart. It's this important fact that highlights Late Antiquity, that transition between the Classical Roman age to the Medieval, and how the Roman world never really 'fell' as we have all been lead to believe by Gibbons and everyone else, but instead morphed and changed, and Geary highlights this by showing how these tribes that for so long had been on the borders of Rome begin to change what it once had been.
The book isn't presenting new information by any means, but it is trying to put a new and different spin on it. I will admit, I am bias in the fact that I was one of Professor Geary's students at UCLA, and the book does flow better when read in context with his lectures, (which I might add are VERY enjoyable, he has a dry wit which doesn't always come through in his academic readings). For anyone interested in this time period in history, I highly recommend it as a good and interesting read.
June 29, 2020
The book is a survey based primarily on primary sources of classical and translated works since Geary states that his mission was to address the issue of a huge lack of material available for an English speaking audience.
The main scope of the book is Merovingian Gaul which spanned 481-751, but the first half of the book just covers the Roman Empire beginning at the end of the 5th century. The first Merovingian King Clovis does not get mentioned until Chapter 3 (77). There are extensive bibliographies at the rear of the book summarizing each recommended sources and his endnotes are strictly to show sources (most of which are primarily sources in Latin, German, or French) and there are no notes included with them. Additionally, many foreign words are thrown into the text without explanation and Geary jumped around with timelines and locations so often that I was dizzy.
I was also confused to which audience Geary was addressing. Supposedly he wrote this book because much of the available literature on the subject is not in English, and he wanted to offer a contribution to American students in the field. However, only highly educated scholars would know most of the foreign vocabulary used through the book – and if they are highly educated, they would likely already know the subject matter to begin with and likely would not need a survey. More likely, this is meant to be a strict synthesis aimed at higher education.
While I enjoyed this piece, there simply did not seem to be enough data regarding the Merovingian Dynasty specifically, nor that of its mythos. Perhaps this disappointment is due to my believing I would be reading strictly of the Merovingians when, in fact, most chapters did not discuss this. Professor Geary frequently alludes to the Merovingian “mythic” origins, yet never addresses them. (94+) The Merovingian mythos is a huge part of its allure. Playing on the “mystical powers” of their bloodline allowed the Merovingian Kings to instill awe and fear in their people and added to their renowned charisma. If a non-history major who has heard of the Merovingian dynasty picked up this book, it is likely through the tales told of their connection to the Holy Grail or in modern literature.
There is a helpful family tree although two founders of the dynasty (Chlodio and Merovech) are absent. Only on ONE page (80) do these founders get mentioned! I was surprised to only find 2 maps and neither timelines nor images of relics and the like. If this is to be a survey, one would assume these to be invaluable.
I found it frustrating that the author consistently refers to information provided by Gregory of Tours even while claiming Tours was biased and unreliable. Geary even relied on a quote from Julius Ceasar to claim that the German diet consisted of milk. (46) Attributing any quote to Ceasar is sketchy at best much less one in this context! There are also occasional errors in the data itself.
Patrick Geary is a highly educated man with a rich background in Medieval History and I have a lot of admiration for him, but this piece left me a bit disappointed. Hopefully an updated version will be printed that will alleviate some of these issues. Meanwhile, I consider it a nice addition to my knowledge of the world the Merovingians inhabited, rather than the family itself.
The main scope of the book is Merovingian Gaul which spanned 481-751, but the first half of the book just covers the Roman Empire beginning at the end of the 5th century. The first Merovingian King Clovis does not get mentioned until Chapter 3 (77). There are extensive bibliographies at the rear of the book summarizing each recommended sources and his endnotes are strictly to show sources (most of which are primarily sources in Latin, German, or French) and there are no notes included with them. Additionally, many foreign words are thrown into the text without explanation and Geary jumped around with timelines and locations so often that I was dizzy.
I was also confused to which audience Geary was addressing. Supposedly he wrote this book because much of the available literature on the subject is not in English, and he wanted to offer a contribution to American students in the field. However, only highly educated scholars would know most of the foreign vocabulary used through the book – and if they are highly educated, they would likely already know the subject matter to begin with and likely would not need a survey. More likely, this is meant to be a strict synthesis aimed at higher education.
While I enjoyed this piece, there simply did not seem to be enough data regarding the Merovingian Dynasty specifically, nor that of its mythos. Perhaps this disappointment is due to my believing I would be reading strictly of the Merovingians when, in fact, most chapters did not discuss this. Professor Geary frequently alludes to the Merovingian “mythic” origins, yet never addresses them. (94+) The Merovingian mythos is a huge part of its allure. Playing on the “mystical powers” of their bloodline allowed the Merovingian Kings to instill awe and fear in their people and added to their renowned charisma. If a non-history major who has heard of the Merovingian dynasty picked up this book, it is likely through the tales told of their connection to the Holy Grail or in modern literature.
There is a helpful family tree although two founders of the dynasty (Chlodio and Merovech) are absent. Only on ONE page (80) do these founders get mentioned! I was surprised to only find 2 maps and neither timelines nor images of relics and the like. If this is to be a survey, one would assume these to be invaluable.
I found it frustrating that the author consistently refers to information provided by Gregory of Tours even while claiming Tours was biased and unreliable. Geary even relied on a quote from Julius Ceasar to claim that the German diet consisted of milk. (46) Attributing any quote to Ceasar is sketchy at best much less one in this context! There are also occasional errors in the data itself.
Patrick Geary is a highly educated man with a rich background in Medieval History and I have a lot of admiration for him, but this piece left me a bit disappointed. Hopefully an updated version will be printed that will alleviate some of these issues. Meanwhile, I consider it a nice addition to my knowledge of the world the Merovingians inhabited, rather than the family itself.
November 5, 2011
Geary manages to pack an awful lot into this small book. He does his best to make what is a very confusing period of history clear to non-specialists. But I think confusion is inevitable to some extent. A historian of the period is dealing with geographic groups, tribal groups, family groups, linguistic groups, etc. And people from many of these groups migrate and mix with other groups. Then, the non-specialist is dealing with endless place and regional names that often don't correspond to any place he or she is familiar with. It can be hard to grasp what the European world was like before "countries." Both chaotic and fascinating.
February 2, 2026
maybe my reviews shouldn’t be so enjoyment-focused, but man this bored me out of my mind
August 11, 2024
Densitatea informațiilor este năucitoare. Deși inițial credeam că a începe povestea încă din secolele IV-V era o pierdere de timp, expunerea mai largă a fost esențială înțelegerii felului în care Merovingienii s-au instalat în Francia și cum s-au contopit cu instituțiile, tradițiile și autoritățile locale.
Păcat că numele Merovingienilor sunt atât de similare și că domniile lor, în trei regate, sunt atât de încurcate. E câteodată dificil să urmărești exact intrigile și să parcurgi firul evenimentelor, iar genealogia de la final nu ajută foarte mult. Un breviar al regilor Merovingieni mentionați în carte, anexat la final, nu ar fi stricat.
Ediția în limba română are niște traduceri mai cu moț și nișe scăpări în procesul de redactare (virgule rătăcite, puncte inserate anapoda, note ale traducătorului care sunt marcate în text, dar care nu apar în subsol). Nu e o tragedie, dar mă așteptam ca ediția a II-a să procedeze la îndreptarea lor.
Păcat că numele Merovingienilor sunt atât de similare și că domniile lor, în trei regate, sunt atât de încurcate. E câteodată dificil să urmărești exact intrigile și să parcurgi firul evenimentelor, iar genealogia de la final nu ajută foarte mult. Un breviar al regilor Merovingieni mentionați în carte, anexat la final, nu ar fi stricat.
Ediția în limba română are niște traduceri mai cu moț și nișe scăpări în procesul de redactare (virgule rătăcite, puncte inserate anapoda, note ale traducătorului care sunt marcate în text, dar care nu apar în subsol). Nu e o tragedie, dar mă așteptam ca ediția a II-a să procedeze la îndreptarea lor.
June 3, 2023
A very good study of the defining political, social, and ecclesiastical features (often but not always intertwined) of the mid-5th—mid-8th Merovingian period, helpfully bookended by glimpsing the earlier Gothic kingdoms of the Late Roman Empire on the one hand, and by setting the stage for the Carolingian supersession on the other.
Most interesting to me† was the focus on the political and ecclesiastical "trends and developments" (put better, the often highly charged, disruptive, and volatile shifts and changes) of the Merovingian period: for example, the internecine strife of Clovis' descendants, especially that centering around the formidable (not to say fearsome-sounding) Brunehildis; the tensions between aristocratically encumbered, wealthy bishops and freewheeling, autonomous monks; the radical changes to religious practice brought on by the influence of Irish monasticism; the increasing obsolescence of the Merovingian rulers, and the way the Frankish nobility morphed into their Carolingian supplanters.
The book on the whole is astute and perceptive, full of sharp insights. There are occasional exaggerations — for example, the opening words of the Preface, declaring the "Germanic world" to be the "creation of Roman political and military genius," is gross hyperbole. But more often Geary is subtle and discerning, as when he states, on the debates over the origins of medieval nobility, that "The whole issue is perhaps the classic example of asking the wrong question and then being unable to find the right answer" (marvelous: isn't that so often the case?); or when he notes that the use of a Christian, Roman, or Frankish personal name does not tell us anything about the name-holder's family background, so interwoven had Roman and Frankish political and cultural identity become. The final chapter, in which Geary examines modern popular depictions of the Merovingians, and considers where our cultural assumptions about them come from, is especially insightful. This is a go-to book. (And, I believe, well-regarded in its scholarly field, though not of course undisputed.)
† Well, okay, by natural predilection, what admittedly remains most interesting to me in a book like this is something that happens not to be to the author's actual thesis or purpose: the nomenclature. Dagobert; Erchinoald; Burgundofaro; Wulfolaic; Erchenefreda; Theudehild; Wulfegundis — how superbly redolent of that time and place and culture they are! And how recognizably Germanic the components are, yet so distinctively "Frankish" in flavor the total effect is — so strikingly different from the "flavor" of, say, Anglo-Saxon nomenclature.
Most interesting to me† was the focus on the political and ecclesiastical "trends and developments" (put better, the often highly charged, disruptive, and volatile shifts and changes) of the Merovingian period: for example, the internecine strife of Clovis' descendants, especially that centering around the formidable (not to say fearsome-sounding) Brunehildis; the tensions between aristocratically encumbered, wealthy bishops and freewheeling, autonomous monks; the radical changes to religious practice brought on by the influence of Irish monasticism; the increasing obsolescence of the Merovingian rulers, and the way the Frankish nobility morphed into their Carolingian supplanters.
The book on the whole is astute and perceptive, full of sharp insights. There are occasional exaggerations — for example, the opening words of the Preface, declaring the "Germanic world" to be the "creation of Roman political and military genius," is gross hyperbole. But more often Geary is subtle and discerning, as when he states, on the debates over the origins of medieval nobility, that "The whole issue is perhaps the classic example of asking the wrong question and then being unable to find the right answer" (marvelous: isn't that so often the case?); or when he notes that the use of a Christian, Roman, or Frankish personal name does not tell us anything about the name-holder's family background, so interwoven had Roman and Frankish political and cultural identity become. The final chapter, in which Geary examines modern popular depictions of the Merovingians, and considers where our cultural assumptions about them come from, is especially insightful. This is a go-to book. (And, I believe, well-regarded in its scholarly field, though not of course undisputed.)
† Well, okay, by natural predilection, what admittedly remains most interesting to me in a book like this is something that happens not to be to the author's actual thesis or purpose: the nomenclature. Dagobert; Erchinoald; Burgundofaro; Wulfolaic; Erchenefreda; Theudehild; Wulfegundis — how superbly redolent of that time and place and culture they are! And how recognizably Germanic the components are, yet so distinctively "Frankish" in flavor the total effect is — so strikingly different from the "flavor" of, say, Anglo-Saxon nomenclature.
December 22, 2020
Patrick Geary excels in his efforts to demonstrate the emergence of the West as a continuation of what Rome had attempted but ultimately failed to do. While this book can be quite hard to follow and confusing it is ultimately rewarding but a second reading will definitely be required to fully appreciate the ideas he is trying to demonstrate.
Geary opens the book with looking at the tribes of Germania in the 5 and 6th century and then quickly shifts his focus to the West in Francia where much of the land was still heavily Roman with a built in military aristocracy. This part was definitely most interesting to see how the traditions of the Romans continued on in the form of aristocracy but how the wealthy emerged as landowners and tax collectors.
He than transitions to the emergence of powerful warlord families who managed to consolidate their power - the Merovingians. From this point he tries to dispel alot of the negative propaganda that centuries have placed upon them, and which was started by the Carolingians who tried to solidify their position by lessening the credibility of the previous ruling family. One of the many stains that Geary tries to remove was the long held belief that the Merovingians were debauched and useless, which was far from true as Clovis and Dagobert were formidable figures. Geary argues that instead of debauchery, it was a series of unstable periods where the king did not have successors who were of age to defend the lands that were newly conquered and not necessarily appeased, this led to a shaky period of transition of power where the surrounding arisotocracy would try and dethrone the young king.
Geary definitely succeeded in his goal of trying to make the history of late western antiquity digestible as the fluidity of Francia and the wars that transpired were hard to follow, but he certainly has done a commendable job. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in this period but it does require a fair amount of time and patience to follow along what was transpiring.
Geary opens the book with looking at the tribes of Germania in the 5 and 6th century and then quickly shifts his focus to the West in Francia where much of the land was still heavily Roman with a built in military aristocracy. This part was definitely most interesting to see how the traditions of the Romans continued on in the form of aristocracy but how the wealthy emerged as landowners and tax collectors.
He than transitions to the emergence of powerful warlord families who managed to consolidate their power - the Merovingians. From this point he tries to dispel alot of the negative propaganda that centuries have placed upon them, and which was started by the Carolingians who tried to solidify their position by lessening the credibility of the previous ruling family. One of the many stains that Geary tries to remove was the long held belief that the Merovingians were debauched and useless, which was far from true as Clovis and Dagobert were formidable figures. Geary argues that instead of debauchery, it was a series of unstable periods where the king did not have successors who were of age to defend the lands that were newly conquered and not necessarily appeased, this led to a shaky period of transition of power where the surrounding arisotocracy would try and dethrone the young king.
Geary definitely succeeded in his goal of trying to make the history of late western antiquity digestible as the fluidity of Francia and the wars that transpired were hard to follow, but he certainly has done a commendable job. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in this period but it does require a fair amount of time and patience to follow along what was transpiring.
March 4, 2016
Link to my review of this book:
http://flhwnotesandreviews.com/2016/0...
http://flhwnotesandreviews.com/2016/0...
May 26, 2019
I am fascinated by the constant evolution of nation states. Many of the countries we take for granted are recent creations. Germany, Italy, Belgium, most of South America - These are nineteenth (and later nineteenth) century creations. Norway is a twentieth century creation. The Balkans are a constant supernova of nation state creation. Africa has been evolving into its current form from the time of the first encounters with European explorers until the present day.
For many of us, there was the Roman empire. When the Western Roman empire was sacked, there was a period of intense darkness from which fully formed nation states emerged in the high middle ages. Mr. Geary looks at that intense period of darkness and asks how did those sovereign or quasi-sovereign institutions emerge after the decline of the Western Roman empire. He draws the conclusion that there was no cataclysmic event, followed by chaos until new political entities evolved. Rather he looks at the history of how barbarians were incorporated into the Roman empire, how these groups merged and blended and increasing reliance on barbarian military might lead to barbarian political power, but political power grafted onto the existing Roman institutions.
Particularly interesting, Mr. Geary discusses the role of Christianity of organizing and exercising political power. However, Christianity was rapidly evolving in this period. From the early Orthodox Christianity of the Roman aristocracy, new political centers of power developed around bishoprics. However, these were largely autonomous and local institutions, not subject to a hierarchy headed by the Pope and the Church of Rome. Local Roman aristocrats came to dominate these local institutions and with the help of Frankish military power, maintained control over local areas. As military power and political power merged, the distinction between Roman and Frankish, particularly at the highest levels of society, began to merge.
The Merovingian Frankish dynasty established a large empire on this model extending from Spain through present day France, Switzerland and Germany all the way to the Danube river. However, succession crises, the tensions between local and central control and the rudimentary technology available to cement central control, lead to decentralizing forces. Since heredity as a principle of succession does not always lead to competent rulers, new power centers were able to develop in the bureaucracy. Eventually, as these new power centers became more powerful under the Carolinians, they simply pushed aside the old Merovingian dynasty. To assert more central control, the Carolinians and the Pope in Rome worked hand-in-hand to end the old Orthodoxy and its local control. Thus the Carolinians and the Papacy needed each other to achieve their mutual aims of central control. Of course, soon after the rise of the Carolinians, the Pope and the civil rulers would start to vie with one another for dominant political control and thus Western history started its path towards today.
Mr. Geary combines review of the historical record with archaeological evidence to tell this story. In general this is a very readable book. For the non-academic, I wish Mr. Geary had given a little more background on the difference between the Orthodox Christianity of the late Roman period and the Catholic church we know today. Also, the old Frankish and Roman names are bewildering to the modern reader. Unfortunately and worse, the ancient names are bewilderingly similar to each other making it hard for the modern reader to keep them straight. A list of the personnae dramatis would have been really helpful.
All too often we view the facts of today as somehow immutable. However, our politics, our culture, our religion our arts evolved and continue to evolve. For me, that is why we study history. Mr. Geary's book is an excellent example of evolution and how that early evolution affects us today. He looked at a period when the ancient slowly merged into the medieval, a period that is poorly understood today, and shows us its continuing relevance.
For many of us, there was the Roman empire. When the Western Roman empire was sacked, there was a period of intense darkness from which fully formed nation states emerged in the high middle ages. Mr. Geary looks at that intense period of darkness and asks how did those sovereign or quasi-sovereign institutions emerge after the decline of the Western Roman empire. He draws the conclusion that there was no cataclysmic event, followed by chaos until new political entities evolved. Rather he looks at the history of how barbarians were incorporated into the Roman empire, how these groups merged and blended and increasing reliance on barbarian military might lead to barbarian political power, but political power grafted onto the existing Roman institutions.
Particularly interesting, Mr. Geary discusses the role of Christianity of organizing and exercising political power. However, Christianity was rapidly evolving in this period. From the early Orthodox Christianity of the Roman aristocracy, new political centers of power developed around bishoprics. However, these were largely autonomous and local institutions, not subject to a hierarchy headed by the Pope and the Church of Rome. Local Roman aristocrats came to dominate these local institutions and with the help of Frankish military power, maintained control over local areas. As military power and political power merged, the distinction between Roman and Frankish, particularly at the highest levels of society, began to merge.
The Merovingian Frankish dynasty established a large empire on this model extending from Spain through present day France, Switzerland and Germany all the way to the Danube river. However, succession crises, the tensions between local and central control and the rudimentary technology available to cement central control, lead to decentralizing forces. Since heredity as a principle of succession does not always lead to competent rulers, new power centers were able to develop in the bureaucracy. Eventually, as these new power centers became more powerful under the Carolinians, they simply pushed aside the old Merovingian dynasty. To assert more central control, the Carolinians and the Pope in Rome worked hand-in-hand to end the old Orthodoxy and its local control. Thus the Carolinians and the Papacy needed each other to achieve their mutual aims of central control. Of course, soon after the rise of the Carolinians, the Pope and the civil rulers would start to vie with one another for dominant political control and thus Western history started its path towards today.
Mr. Geary combines review of the historical record with archaeological evidence to tell this story. In general this is a very readable book. For the non-academic, I wish Mr. Geary had given a little more background on the difference between the Orthodox Christianity of the late Roman period and the Catholic church we know today. Also, the old Frankish and Roman names are bewildering to the modern reader. Unfortunately and worse, the ancient names are bewilderingly similar to each other making it hard for the modern reader to keep them straight. A list of the personnae dramatis would have been really helpful.
All too often we view the facts of today as somehow immutable. However, our politics, our culture, our religion our arts evolved and continue to evolve. For me, that is why we study history. Mr. Geary's book is an excellent example of evolution and how that early evolution affects us today. He looked at a period when the ancient slowly merged into the medieval, a period that is poorly understood today, and shows us its continuing relevance.
March 6, 2025
Patrick Geary's "Before France and Germany" is a remarkable history of the Merovingian dynasty in France. Geary is unique in pulling out the connecting threads between Merovingian Franks and Romans, particularly in the way the Merovingians split their empires amongst their sons (a Roman tradition, rather than a Barbarian one) and the many ways that Merovingians carried on the legacy of Rome in churches, laws, trade, and customs. This is well worth a look for anyone interested in how the world leapt from Rome to the Middle Ages.
April 28, 2019
Better than Game of Thrones! In fact i wouldn’t be surprised if George R. R. Martin got the bulk of his ideas from this bloody and complicated period between the end if the Roman Empire and the rise of Europe.
April 16, 2024
DNF. Made it about 38% through. It was technically about before modern France and Germany but it was mainly Roman period and not quite the timeframe I was interested in. It is informative but not my cup of tea.
July 7, 2025
An informative and useful book. It was very slow going for me because it's densely packed with names and unfamiliar concepts, also because it is so contrary to what I was previously taught decades ago as a child. Still I enjoyed it very much.
February 2, 2022
a fascinating revelation of the true synthesis of the barbarian and roman worlds that predated the carolingians; too many funky frankish names to keep straight in the later chapters though
September 28, 2025
One of the best books on the Merovingians.
March 5, 2026
The focus of this book is not merely to provide a political narrative of the Merovingian Dynasty, but rather to examine its internal transformations and its long-neglected impact on subsequent eras. Given the book’s age, some of the opening descriptions regarding Late Antiquity have since been superseded by more recent scholarship. However, the middle chapters—concerning the rise of regional Frankish powers and the evolution of ecclesiastical authority—fill significant historiographical gaps. The final chapters on the transition from the Merovingian to the Carolingian Dynasty serve as an excellent supplement to the Carolingian sections in Peter Heather’s The Restoration of Rome. The most grueling aspect of the work is undoubtedly the Frankish names, which are notoriously complex and difficult to memorize—truly a nightmare.
October 23, 2016
This book is about the Franks during (and before) the Merovingian years – AKA that overlooked period between Rome and Charlemagne. This book seeks to understand the Franks of this period, how they evolved, how they operated – and why this period is so often overlooked. One key conclusion on that last point: they don’t quite fit our notions of how kingdoms should work. The Carolingian dynasty had stronger kings. Rome had its emperors. Here, the kings were often supposed to reign, but not rule – though the system in place was predicated upon having these kings. Thus we trace Medieval kings through Charlemagne, but not these guys. And while there was still plenty of persisting ancient social structures of the Gallo-Romans around (a lot more than I would’ve guessed, actually), this wasn’t really part of that world, either. Being neither fish nor fowl, it’s been forgotten.
It’s a really good book overall, but one part of the book isn’t aging well. He keeps calling the Germanic tribes barbarians, even when they were adopting civilization. He’s just going off tradition going back to Rome, but …they don’t come off as barbarians. A lot of writing now that recognizes the civilizing of the Germanic tribes tends to stay away from a loaded word like “barbarian” – but Geary dives in with it. That’s probably a mistake. But while his word usage could be better, his analysis is strong.
It’s a really good book overall, but one part of the book isn’t aging well. He keeps calling the Germanic tribes barbarians, even when they were adopting civilization. He’s just going off tradition going back to Rome, but …they don’t come off as barbarians. A lot of writing now that recognizes the civilizing of the Germanic tribes tends to stay away from a loaded word like “barbarian” – but Geary dives in with it. That’s probably a mistake. But while his word usage could be better, his analysis is strong.
January 3, 2018
Great for those interested in taking the next step in learning European history. Most general history books skip over the Merovingians except for Clovis because it is very complicated and many of the names are similar. You don't have to remember all the details to get the general gist. Interesting things were going on even though it was complicated.
August 6, 2015
Great academical book. Published by Oxford University Press, that should say it all. I like the way it presents the developing of the French and German nations, by the permanent wars and conflicts between various Germanic, Slavic, Indo-European and other types of tribes. Good reading for the brave European nationalists! :P
December 1, 2015
I liked it, mainly because a) it was well-written, and b) I didn't know a lot about the subject matter. It was a little hard to keep track of who was who with the unfamiliar names, and I wish more time would have been spent on how the development of Germany and France differed from pre-Charlemagne times. Overall, a good read for a layperson.
April 5, 2019
A fascinating look at how the withdrawal of the Roman Empire from Europe affected tribal societies. Interesting information on Roman legions, provincial towns, tribal commanders, commodities, feuds, religion--many angles that feed a story about the establishment of the Merovingian Dynasty. Rich with the detail of an academic study but concise enough for the average history buff to get into.
August 10, 2009
I'm so glad I saved all my books from college. You never know when one will come in handy.
October 22, 2010
This was a great book
February 9, 2011
Used in my Medieval Europe course. Very helpful for studies on the Merovingians.
March 13, 2012
Liked it. Great sentence cadences to read aloud. Many unfamiliar names and places. Very different view of life at the edge of the Roman empire
June 23, 2007
Title in German:
Die Merowinger - Europa vor Karl dem Großen
Die Merowinger - Europa vor Karl dem Großen
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews