The Forces and the Thrones. A New History of the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages — a time when the ancient world fell under the onslaught of barbarians, Christianity transformed from a local cult into a powerful religious and political force, and law, science, culture, and art underwent one radical transformation after another, laying the foundation of modern reality. Historian, journalist, and television host Dan Jones invites readers on an exciting journey through the medieval world — a diverse Europe, the famed capitals of late Antiquity, and the influential cities of the Islamic world — introducing us to great figures of the past, from Saint Augustine and Attila to the Prophet Muhammad and Eleanor of Aquitaine. How did the Great Migration of Peoples change the world? What were the lives of monks, knights, and commoners like? How did medieval West and East influence each other? Answers to these and many other questions can be found in this truly monumental study of a turbulent era that spanned an entire millennium. “We are all, in some sense, children of the Middle Ages” (Dan Jones).