The Bright Ages

July 1, 2021

"Medieval Europe"--the very phrase conjures up images of gloom, superstition, and brutal warfare. Gabriele, a professor of medieval studies and chair of the Department of Religion & Culture at Virginia Tech, joins forces with freelancer Perry to deliver a popular history revealing a more complex world, characterized by greater intercultural linking than we have imagined and progress in the arts--think of those rose windows, composer Guillaume de Machaut, and Dante. Focusing on Europe but with excursions to Africa and Asia; with a 50,000-copy first printing.

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September 27, 2021
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.

October 15, 2021
The latest popular history of Europe from about 400 to 1400 C.E. Nothing upsets current scholars of the Middle Ages more than calling it "the dark ages." Gabriele, professor of medieval studies at Virginia Tech, and Perry, former professor of medieval history at Dominican University, make a lively case that it was no such thing. Traditionally, medieval histories begin in 476, when the military leader Odoacer deposed the last Western Roman emperor, but this was a non-event. Deposing emperors had been routine for centuries; the only difference was that Odoacer didn't take the title for himself. Complicating matters further, a Roman empire ruled from Constantinople continued for another millennium. At the time, it was not called "Byzantine." The authors proceed with a vivid description of centuries of quarrelsome jockeying as Franks, Lombards, Goths, Saxons, and countless other groups sorted themselves out until the light seemed to dawn with Charlemagne (ruled 800-814), who united much of Europe and considered himself the successor to Constantine and Augustus. His realm dissolved after his death, followed by more centuries of "large chunks of western Europe now divided into fragmenting segments fraught with low-grade but constant strife." By the beginning of the second millennium, the earliest modern European states appeared with ambitious leaders who led armies across the continent, prospered in a 12th-century "renaissance," and then suffered from invasions and plagues. Matters settled down in the 15th century with the capital-R Renaissance seemingly heralding the modern world. Although traditional politics-and-great-men history makes an appearance, the authors keep current by including a surprising number of great women and emphasizing their disapproval of racism, sexism, and slavery. The result is an appealing account of a millennium packed with culture, beauty, science, learning, and the rise and fall of empires. A fine single-volume overview of an age that was definitely not dark.

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November 1, 2021
Noted medieval historians Gabriele and Perry provide an engaging overview of a complex, yet often oversimplified era. Beginning with an examination of the life of Roman empress Galla Placidia, Gabriele and Perry center individuals and perspectives of the so-called Dark Ages that are typically left unexamined, namely women, people of color, and Indigenous Americans, who are all given space in the counternarratives produced in this ""new history."" In addition to offering in-depth historical analysis, the authors also situate their subjects within modern frameworks, calling for increased scrutiny of the adoption of medieval symbols by white supremacists, as well as recognition that using "medieval" as a synonym for "regressive" is pure misnomer. Though it may be of interest primarily to those already invested in reading about medieval history, The Bright Ages offers a refreshingly critical look at an era burdened with misconceptions and it's sure to become a new standard for those seeking a comprehensive and inclusive review of medieval times.

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December 1, 2021

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

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.