The Bright Ages
A New History of Medieval Europe
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4.1 • 16 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"The beauty and levity that Perry and Gabriele have captured in this book are what I think will help it to become a standard text for general audiences for years to come….The Bright Ages is a rare thing—a nuanced historical work that almost anyone can enjoy reading.”—Slate
"Incandescent and ultimately intoxicating." —The Boston Globe
A lively and magisterial popular history that refutes common misperceptions of the European Middle Ages, showing the beauty and communion that flourished alongside the dark brutality—a brilliant reflection of humanity itself.
The word “medieval” conjures images of the “Dark Ages”—centuries of ignorance, superstition, stasis, savagery, and poor hygiene. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth; this was a remarkable period in human history. The Bright Ages recasts the European Middle Ages for what it was, capturing this 1,000-year era in all its complexity and fundamental humanity, bringing to light both its beauty and its horrors.
The Bright Ages takes us through ten centuries and crisscrosses Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa, revisiting familiar people and events with new light cast upon them. We look with fresh eyes on the Fall of Rome, Charlemagne, the Vikings, the Crusades, and the Black Death, but also to the multi-religious experience of Iberia, the rise of Byzantium, and the genius of Hildegard and the power of queens. We begin under a blanket of golden stars constructed by an empress with Germanic, Roman, Spanish, Byzantine, and Christian bloodlines and end nearly 1,000 years later with the poet Dante—inspired by that same twinkling celestial canopy—writing an epic saga of heaven and hell that endures as a masterpiece of literature today.
The Bright Ages reminds us just how permeable our manmade borders have always been and of what possible worlds the past has always made available to us. The Middle Ages may have been a world “lit only by fire” but it was one whose torches illuminated the magnificent rose windows of cathedrals, even as they stoked the pyres of accused heretics.
The Bright Ages contains an 8-page color insert.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historians Gabriele (An Empire of Memory) and Perry (Sacred Plunder) argue in this accessible revisionist history that the so-called Dark Ages was actually a period of innovation that helped pave the way for the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Highlighting architectural, artistic, literary, and theological breakthroughs, the authors analyze Dante's Divine Comedy and shed light on the creation of Empress Galla Placida's mausoleum in Italy, the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (now Istanbul), and the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, among other achievements. Occasional references to 21st-century pop culture, including the musical Hamilton, keep the tone light as Gabriele and Perry chronicle the devastating toll plagues took on the Middle Ages; analyze Emperor Charlemagne's uniting of Roman, Christian, and Israelite traditions; and counter the misconceptions about the Crusades that have been propagated by modern-day white supremacists and Islamic fundamentalists. Though the authors somewhat understate the brutality and religious persecution of the era, they add nuance and complexity to popular conceptions of the Dark Ages and make clear that beauty and achievement existed among the horrors. This is a worthy introduction to an oft-misunderstood period in world history.
Customer Reviews
A broader understanding
This is an approachable overview of the medieval period of Europe that brings a perspective on the interrelationship between the historical peoples and events. I “knew” much of this history already, having read previous accounts of the people and events. What this book did for me was to give me a greater grasp on how those things were related to and affect by each other. It also makes an excellent effort to include diverse perspectives on the times and events, particularly those of women and non-European sources. This gives a better understanding of a time that has so many of our modern preconceptions thrust on to it. The reader comes away with an understanding that is more complex and therefore more human than previously understood.
A Well Written But Shallow ‘History’ Book
This subjective narrative has one basic premise, the medieval world is not devoid of interconnectedness, that it evidences by cherry-picking through a thousand years of history to prove in 250 pages. Beyond that, there is little to be learned but perhaps it could get you curious about some of the people and events mentioned. Then you can go read someone else’s more detailed recitation and/or rigorous analysis. Overall the narrative of the book flowed well but the lack of depth and occasional preachiness left me unfulfilled and not too impressed.
Lights Out
I should’ve read the Epilogue first and not wasted any more time with this book.