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The Birth of the West
- Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 21 hrs and 29 mins
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The Birth of the West
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Summary
The tenth century dawned in violence and disorder. Charlemagne’s empire was in ruins, most of Spain had been claimed by Moorish invaders, and even the papacy in Rome was embroiled in petty, provincial conflicts. To many historians, it was a prime example of the ignorance and uncertainty of the Dark Ages. Yet according to historian Paul Collins, the story of the tenth century is the story of our culture’s birth, of the emergence of our civilization into the light of day.
The Birth of the West tells the story of a transformation from chaos to order, exploring the alien landscape of Europe in transition. It is a fascinating narrative that thoroughly renovates older conceptions of feudalism and what medieval life was actually like. The result is a wholly new vision of how civilization sprang from the unlikeliest of origins, and proof that our tenth-century ancestors are not as remote as we might think.
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What listeners say about The Birth of the West
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dennis Sommers
- 03-11-22
A really stunning work.
This an absolutely invaluable work: taking the ‘long’ tenth century. the book contains chapters on each of the principal regions of Western Europe and then goes into important aspects of life and culture such as the church, monasteries and daily life itself, not overlooking some of the main thinkers and artists in some detail; in other words, that it covers the ground that many other histories omit when they choose to concentrate on one thing or another
Whether the premises of the work is wholely convincing is something other readers will need to decide for themselves, but the book itself is worthwhile even if they might disagree.
The author takes an obviously liberal stance on opinions and matters that would upset the righteous if our time, placing Puritanism and narrow sexual ethics in the context of their times and societies.
The opening chapter on the physical geography of the time is particularly informative, and his demolition of the ‘feudal system’ is convincing.
I hope there will be more by this author, and read by the same excellent performer
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