Powers and Thrones. A New History of the Middle Ages

The plundering of the once-powerful barbarians, and in 410, the ruins of Rome marked the end of the old era and the beginning of a millennium of profound transformation. In a captivating narrative, filled with famous names - from Saint Augustine and Attila to the prophet Muhammad and Eleanor of Aquitaine - Dan Jones explores the history of the Middle Ages and guides readers on a journey through developing Europe, the great capitals of late Antiquity, and the influential cities of the Islamic West. The medieval world was shaped by powerful forces that are still relevant today: climate change, pandemics, mass migration, and technological revolutions. It was a time when great European nations were born, key Western legal and governance systems were codified, the Christian church became a powerful institution and regulator of Western social morality, and art, architecture, philosophical inquiry, and scientific thought experienced periods of revolutionary change. The West was rebuilt on the ruins of the Roman Empire and emerged from a state of crisis, beginning to dominate the world. Every sphere of human life and activity felt the transformations.

«We will race at dizzying speed through centuries and continents. We will meet hundreds of men and women, from the leader of the Huns Attila to Joan of Arc. And we will immerse ourselves in a dozen diverse historical disciplines, from jurisprudence and military affairs to art and literature. I intend to pose a number of important questions - and, I hope, find answers to them. What was happening in the Middle Ages? Who ruled at that time? What did power look like? What great forces influenced people's lives? How did the Middle Ages shape the world we know today - and is it even possible to ask such a question? At times it may seem that all of this is too complex to grasp. But I promise, it will be interesting». (Dan Jones)