Product Description

A wave of internal conquest, settlement and economic growth took place in Europe during the High Middle Ages, which transformed it from a world of small separate communities into a network of powerful kingdoms with distinctive cultures. In this vivid and provocative book Robert Bartlett vividly shows how Europe was itself a product of colonization, as much as it was later a colonizer, and what this did to shape the continent and the world today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80697 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 456 pages

About the Author
Robert Bartlett is Professor of Medieval History at St Andrews University

Customer Reviews

You'll never look at Europe the same way again
This is the most enjoyable history book I have ever read. If the history of Europe is a long and interminably complicated one, then I would suggest that this single volume could be the key to unlocking that history and explaining the remarkable diversity of nations and cultures that co-exist within this single, small continent today. The author's clear, unpretentious prose style further enhances the readability of the book and while it is likely to be a must-read for students and academics, the general reader will find this book accessible and entertaining. Bartlett takes the reader on a rapid and utterly fascinating tour of medieval Europe, from the Celtic fringes of the British Isles to the uncharted wildernesses of Eastern Europe, and south to newly-reconquered Spain, between the tenth and fourteenth centuries. Amidst the profound social, religious, political and economic - not to mention shamelessly opportunistic - forces taking hold across the continent in this period, we can already begin to see the origins of the Europe we recognise today beginning to emerge. With countless examples drawn from historical sources from literally every corner of Europe, the reader is nonetheless given a refreshing perspective of the story of our continent as a whole - in human terms, rather than as colours and lines arbitrarily drawn on a map. I would advise anyone with an interest in Europe as it is today, and how it came to be, to read this book. I noticed with interest that Simon Schama cited it in the bibliography of his "History of Britain". This book actually affected me quite deeply; I now see European current affairs in a new but much richer context, and I've been compelled to re-examine the way I look at history and its implications for future generations. On another level, I found this book helped me to re-evaluate my outlook on some of the concepts we often take for granted, such as nationality, culture and identity. I can't help thinking, therefore, that by reading this book and reflecting on its implications, many fellow Europeans might want to take a fresh look at the meaning of their own identities and prejudices; ethnic, religious, nationalistic, cultural and linguistic sources of tension and conflict can be identified, often at source, throughout the pages of this stunning book. And, for all the bloodshed and medieval argy-bargy, there's the unexpected bonus of the occasional giggle. Splendid.

Intelligent, well-argumented, and a joy to read
What did Europe look like in the 950s and what movements define Europe in the periode 950-1350? That is in essence the question Robert Bartlett's "The Making of Europe - Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change 950-1350" analyzes and answers. And the answers are intelligent, multi-facetted, and based on sound arguments. Moreover, Bartlett's book is a linguistic pleasure to read.

I appreciated the fact, that Bartlett's book touches many individual identifiers in such a way that is easily understandable for a novice reader of history, but which at the same time is interesting for a more knowledgable reader. Among the identifiers that defines the periode 950-1350 are:
- the expansion of Latin Christendom
- the aristocratic diaspora
- military technology and polical power
- the image of the conqueror
- the free village
- the new landscape
- colonial towns and colonial trade
- race relations on the frontiers of Latin Europe
- the Roman Church and the Christian people.
Bartlett's book focusses on geographical areas that were subject to expansion, such as Eastern Europe, the Baltic, the Iberian penensula, and Ireland, but it does include many details that span the whole of Europe. I find this to be a major plus for the book, it does not view a specific situation for example that of Germany or France to automatically represent all of Europe. Bartlett has a strong knowledge of the geographical, ethnic, and cultural differences in Europe and this knowledge and the acceptence of the differences shines through.

I recommend Bartlett's book to anyone interested in European history or history of the Middle Ages: novices and experts alike.

Louise