Illustrated Books on the Dark Ages: 476-918 A.D., Volumes I, II, and III

Donald Rhodes: Written well enough to keep me interested enough to get completely through it. Informative, and very much like reading the Old Testament of the Bible .. One battle or war after another.

United States on Nov 28, 2023

Amarillo: Visão a ingerência religiosa extremista para a época

Brazil on Dec 09, 2022

Kauê Conti: Embora exija do leitor os mais variados conhecimentos de geografia e de expressões idiomáticas inglesas, é uma excelente obra referente ao período. O autor expressa-se de forma clara e escorreita, apresentando os acontecimentos do período de forma cíclica, tratando de Bizâncio, dos Vândalos, dos Visigodos, dos Francos e dos sucessivos bárbaros que habitaram a península itálica.
Embora o autor seja tendencioso em relação a diversos assuntos (principalmente contra o papado), não tirei estrela pois o autor não se propôs a ser imparcial. Se o fizesse, com certeza diminuiria a minha avaliação.
De modo geral, para o interessado no assunto e que porventura possua um entendimento avançado do idioma, é uma excelente fonte para pesquisa e satisfação da curiosidade.

Brazil on May 09, 2022

Ambrose Duffy: Really good book with lots of detail on a period of history which is often overlooked. It is quite easy to read and a good overall length.
It is obvious that this was written a very long time ago with many value judgements which are unusual to hear today, but that doesn't really detract from a good read.

United Kingdom on Jan 20, 2021

Stephanie Crouse: I always enjoy reading history. Especially when my ancestors were part of that. This one looks like something kids might enjoy too.

Canada on Jul 21, 2020

"Dr. Z" Richard Zeile: Charles Oman was a British Empire military historian of the late 19th Century whose treatment of the Dark Ages is of particular value. I believe that we can use the term in a non-pejorative sense for those centuries in Europe which were characterized by the uprooting of societies due to migrant raiding tribes. The breakdown of the Roman Empire in the West from A.D. 475 on was caused by the various Teutonic tribes that overran the Roman provinces. Some organization and forcible integration of the Teutons into Charlemagne's empire occurred in the 8th Century but Viking, Avar, and Magyar tribes cause another breakdown of European civilization beginning about A.D. 875 until the rise of feudalism. Feudalism's system of land tenure and loyalty in combination with developments in fortification led to every town in Christendom either to erect walls, or a castle for refuge. Only then did the invading tribes find it worth their while to settle down and farm rather than raid. Additional circumstances included the rise, decline, and rise again of the Byzantine empire, and the powerful expansion of the Muslim World, followed by internal dissent after the first 200 years.

Oman's concern...

United States on Apr 06, 2019

GaryCalgary: This is an old book but very will written and I'm enjoying it immensely. I always had believed that we knew almost nothing about the dark ages but Charles Oman dispels that misconception. The history of Europe and Byzantium after the fall of the western empire is truly fascinating and Oman presents it in a compelling read. There are some broken sentences occasionally (maybe one every 30 pages or so) but its fairly easy to guess the intended meaning. Otherwise, a very easy and enjoyable read. My only complaint is the lack of maps but Wikipedia solves that.

Canada on Dec 28, 2018

Sotto voce: Tolkien most surely read these volumes. Similarities with Middle-Earth are striking. Modern history superimposes these Dark Age domains on the modern geography. I think that’s a mistake.

Remove modern geography to enter the Dark Age circa 680 AD. The world is divided with geography hard fought by the Empire, Australasia, Neustria, Avar Khaganate, Lombardi, Freesia, Saracens, Moors. There are no European nations, no languages, no ideologies or religions recognizable today. Some argue that there was no such thing as the “Dark Age” but that’s simply not true. The nations, the people, ideologies, religions, of 680 AD are places lost in history. What emerges here is every bit as strange as Tolkien’s Men and Elves, Dwarfs and Orcs. The persons and place names are a fascinating Tolkien-esque linguistic origin.

It’s a very long, slow, deep diving read. Add the time to internet search and an image of this Dark Age begins to appear in your mind, the evolution so foreign and distant that we might not believe it. There have been no more recent attempts to contain the 450 years of the Dark Age at this detail. There are surely errors here but where? I didn’t find any...

United States on Jul 16, 2018