The bright ages : a new history of medieval Europe

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Title:

The bright ages : a new history of medieval Europe

Author:

Gabriele, Matthew, author.

Perry, David M., 1973- author.

Summary:

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. -- Amazon.com.

Edition:

First edition.

Contents:

The Bright Ages -- Shimmering stars on the Adriatic -- The gleaming tiles of New Rome -- Dawn in Jerusalem -- A golden hen and the walls of Rome -- Sunlight on a northern field -- A towering ivory tusk -- A ship aflame on the Volga -- A golden girl in France -- The brilliant jewels of the heavenly Jerusalem -- The sun-dappled towers in a city of three religions -- Divine light reflecting off the Nile -- A radiant white hind with the antlers of the stag -- Cities on fire -- Stained glass and the smell of burning books -- Glistening snow on the Eastern Steppe -- Quiet candles and falling stars -- Stars above an octagonal dome -- The Dark Ages.

Physical Description:

xviii, 307 pages, 8 pages of unnumbered plates : color illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Subject Term:

Middle Ages.

Civilization, Medieval

World history.

Geographic Term:

Europe -- History -- 476-1492.

Author(s):

Perry, David M., 1973-

Publisher:

Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers,

Publication Date:

2021

ISBN:

9780062980892

Publication Information:

New York : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2021]

Call Number:

940.1 GABRIELE

Holds: Copies:

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Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003548487	Adult Nonfiction	940.1 GABRIELE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

"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.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

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. (Dec.)

Library Journal Review

The so-called Dark Ages have long been associated with intolerance, war, and disease. Gabriele (medieval studies, Virginia Tech; An Empire of Memory) and historian Perry's (Sacred Plunder) illuminating history argues that those notions are self-serving myths designed to show that the Middle Ages were "the opposite of what we want our modern world to be." Gabriele and Perry are concerned with telling a version of medieval history that deepens our understanding of the events and ideas that shaped the medieval world. The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 is often said to mark the beginning of the Middle Ages; Gabriele and Perry, however, begin with an image of a mosaic dome of a church built by empress Galla Placidia in the fifth century. Cultural and political continuity are major themes in the book's treatment of a wide range of subjects, from the well-known (Beowulf) to the more obscure (the mystic visions of Gerbert in the 11th century). In a short epilogue, the authors argue that liberating ourselves from simplistic notions of the Middle Ages will enable us to better understand both the horrors and the fullness of our own age. VERDICT This accessible trip through the medieval world is well worth taking for anyone wishing to better understand its complexity.--Colin Chappell, Anne Arundel Cty. P.L., MD

Selected Key Locations	p. viii
Introduction The Bright Ages	p. ix
Chapter 1 Shimmering Stars on the Adriatic	p. 1
Chapter 2 The Gleaming Tiles of the New Rome	p. 15
Chapter 3 Dawn in Jerusalem	p. 33
Chapter 4 A Golden Hen and the Walls of Rome	p. 47
Chapter 5 Sunlight on a Northern Field	p. 61
Chapter 6 A Towering Ivory Tusk	p. 75
Chapter 7 A Ship Aflame on the Volga	p. 91
Chapter 8 A Golden Girl in France	p. 107
Chapter 9 The Brilliant Jewels of the Heavenly Jerusalem	p. 121
Chapter 10 The Sun-Dappled Towers in a City of Three Religions	p. 133
Chapter 11 Divine Light Reflecting Off the Nile	p. 147
Chapter 12 A Radiant White Hind with the Antlers of a Stag	p. 161
Chapter 13 Cities on Fire	p. 175
Chapter 14 Stained Glass and the Smell of Burning Books	p. 189
Chapter 15 Glistening Snow on the Eastern Steppe	p. 205
Chapter 16 Quiet Candles and Falling Stars	p. 219
Chapter 17 Stars Above an Octagonal Dome	p. 233
Epilogue The Dark Ages	p. 243
Acknowledgments	p. 255
Further Reading	p. 257
Index	p. 279

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents