May 1, 2021
Author of the New York Times best-selling The Plantagenets and The Wars of the Roses, plus the popular presenter of television's four-part Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty (those Plantagenets again), Jones offers a thoroughgoing reappraisal of the 1,000-plus years that unfolded from the 410 sack of Rome to the early 1500s to offer a new history of the European Middle Ages. Along the way, readers meet everyone from Attila the Hun to Eleanor of Aquitaine while visiting the great cities of antiquity and the Islamic West. Climate change, pandemic, mass migration, and technological revolutions: all shaped this time and place as they shape the world today.
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Starred review from August 30, 2021
Historian Jones (Crusaders) covers 1,000 years of world history in this entertaining chronicle of the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Protestant Reformation. Delving into the power struggles and "great forces beyond human control," including climate change and the Black Plague, that helped shape the era, Jones charts the evolution of cultural, military, and religious practices with intriguing case studies and vivid character sketches. A section on the rise of European universities notes that Thomas Aquinas"s brothers sought to dissuade him from studying to become a Dominican friar by "Chiring prostitutes to try to tempt him into sin," and that scholars from the University of Paris played a critical role in the downfall of the Knights Templar in the early 14th century. Though the focus is on Europe, Jones makes clear that the Arabic-speaking world exerted a significant influence on the West, in particular through the dissemination of scientific and philosophical knowledge. Throughout, Jones displays flashes of humor and reveals unexpected links between events and figures, noting, for example, that the patron of Flemish painter Jan van Eyck also helped send Joan of Arc to her death. This richly detailed history will appeal to aficionados and newcomers alike. Agent: Georgina Capel, Georgina Capel Assoc.
September 15, 2021
Jones returns with another sweeping history of the medieval world. Having penned books about specific elements of his specialty (Crusaders, Magna Carta, The Templars), the author chronicles the 1,000-year story of the Middle Ages. His latest is a doorstop but never less than absorbing. In traditional histories, the Middle Ages extend from the fifth century to the 14th century. Jones extends it to the 1527 sack of Rome; he makes a solid case that the end did not occur until the Protestant Reformation shattered the Catholic Church. In the first 70 pages, the author describes the Roman Empire's painful decline and abdication of the last Western emperor, whose successor referred to himself as the king of Italy but declared a symbolic obeisance to another Roman emperor, this one in Constantinople. Jones reminds readers that this "Eastern" emperor ruled the Balkans, today's Turkey, and the Middle East and attempted, with temporary success, to win back lands in Western Europe and North Africa lost to "barbarians." This Byzantine Empire considered itself Roman and, although vastly shrunken by Islamic conquests in the seventh century, remained in power for a millennium until the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453. The author delivers long essays on the early years of European nationhood, the rise of monasteries, knighthood, feudalism, and the Crusades. Less familiar is the catastrophic 13th-century Mongol invasion of Europe, followed by a commercial revolution, the rise of a merchant class, trade, scholarship, transoceanic exploration, and technology such as printing, which ultimately weakened the power of the Catholic Church by encouraging the rise of secular society. Despite a nod to contemporary interpretation (climate change and slavery receive much attention), this is traditional great-men-and-events history, but Jones writes a lively narrative, freely expressing doubts when it's not clear what actually happened. A fine account of a distant era that still echoes today.
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September 15, 2021
Despite the immensity of the task, renowned historian Jones (Crusaders, 2019) makes the 1,000-year history of the Middle Ages accessible and utterly fascinating. He does so by consistently applying two techniques, strategic use of primary source material and relatable comparisons to modern times. The first approach creates narrative authenticity, as illustrated in the chronicler Procopius' assessment of the Byzantine emperor Justinian as "dissembling, crafty, hypocritical, secretive by temperament, two-faced . . .a treacherous friend and an inexorable enemy." The latter technique makes history especially relevant to today's readers. For instance, Jones highlights the often overlooked appropriation of the name Charles Martel (a Middle Ages Frankish military leader) by white nationalists who were linked to mosque shootings in France and other countries. On a lighter note, the heroic tales of knights, such as The Song of Roland, were, according to Jones, akin to "modern superhero movie franchises," begetting spin-offs and sequels. The book's subtitle includes the word new, and deservedly so. This is a refreshing take on a long, complex period in the human story.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
September 1, 2021
In this engaging and monumental work, Jones (The Templars; The Plantagenets) chronicles over a thousand years of European history. He establishes two aims: first, to explore the different powers that shaped the medieval world; and second, to entertain readers. In both respects, the work is successful. The "powers" Jones discusses include the standard kings, queens, popes, knights and other expected players from medieval Europe, but also merchants, monks, and the impact of climate. A chapter on the rise of Islam particularly stands out, as Jones gives the religion and its practitioners fair attention and assessment. In many popular medieval histories, Islam is something that happens to Western Europeans; in this work, Islam and Muslims are discussed in terms of their own agency and history. While there is much to cover, the work doesn't overwhelm, thanks to its thematically organized chapters that follow a relatively loose chronology. Footnotes with modern comparisons and witty asides adorn most chapters; not every reader will appreciate their style. The book's illustrations and historical maps add deeper context. VERDICT While this work does not break new ground, it will satisfy readers of popular history, particularly of the epic variety.--Evan M. Anderson, Kirkendall P.L., Ankeny, IA
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.