The Bright Ages

A New History of Medieval Europe

By: Matthew Gabriele, David M. Perry

Narrated by: Jim Meskimen

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

"Traveling easily through a thousand years of history, The Bright Ages reminds us society never collapsed when the Roman Empire fell, nor did the modern world did wake civilization from a thousand year hibernation. Thoroughly enjoyable, thoughtful and accessible; a fresh look on an age full of light, color, and illumination." (Mike Duncan, author of Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution)

A lively and magisterial popular history that refutes common misperceptions of the European Middle Ages, showing the beauty and communion that flourished alongside the dark brutality - a brilliant reflection of humanity itself.

The word medieval conjures images of the “Dark Ages” - centuries of ignorance, superstition, stasis, savagery, and poor hygiene. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth; this was a remarkable period in human history. The Bright Ages recasts the European Middle Ages for what it was, capturing this 1,000-year era in all its complexity and fundamental humanity, bringing to light both its beauty and its horrors.

The Bright Ages takes us through 10 centuries and crisscrosses Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia, and Africa, revisiting familiar people and events with new light cast upon them. We look with fresh eyes on the Fall of Rome, Charlemagne, the Vikings, the Crusades, and the Black Death, but also to the multi-religious experience of Iberia, the rise of Byzantium, and the genius of Hildegard and the power of queens. We begin under a blanket of golden stars constructed by an empress with Germanic, Roman, Spanish, Byzantine, and Christian bloodlines and end nearly 1,000 years later with the poet Dante - inspired by that same twinkling celestial canopy - writing an epic saga of heaven and hell that endures as a masterpiece of literature today.

The Bright Ages reminds us just how permeable our manmade borders have always been and of what possible worlds the past has always made available to us. The Middle Ages may have been a world “lit only by fire”, but it was one whose torches illuminated the magnificent rose windows of cathedrals, even as they stoked the pyres of accused heretics.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Amazing!

So poignant and necessary to our times. This book takes popular myth and toxic ideas and gently shows how they have no basis. Hope.

Anecdotal approach to infer contemporary values.

An anecdotal approach to the western historical “Dark Ages” to alter the historical perspective. A contemporary attempt to filter the historical narrative through a lens of “presentism.”

The author reveals a shallow understanding of the Christian influence and ecclesiology of the progression in the western world with ongoing transformation of the world’s cultures.

The global economy was built on the backs of slaves but Christian values ultimately changed the world’s value system.

very enjoyable

Very good introduction to the emerging new narrative of the Middle-ages, in which the spotlight is on the usually neglected "bright" elements (art, philosophy, social advancements etc.) of this complex (and centuries long) part of European and Mediterranean history. Positive aspects that are presented without forgetting the well-known "dark" elements of violence and religious fanatism.
Interesting and well-balanced reading!

Interesting but too detailed

The topic and theories are interesting, but the authors often go through excruciating level of detail on specific points that don’t feel they require so much depth, loosing the reader along the way. Still a recommended read, but only for history buffs.

What a Marvelous Surprise

This intriguing book undoes our learned picture of the horrors and the mysterious sinking of mankind
during the then-called Dark Ages.

Welcome to this new concept of a complex Bright Ages instead! It gently corrects many of the deep roots of the Dark Ages. Highly recommend!

A different view

I truly enjoyed this view of Medieval Europe. Very helpful in writing for my thesis, but also provided me additional views to regard in researching my thesis

The middle ages were complex apparently

The Bright Ages argues that the middle ages weren't dark. Plenty of things happened between the 4th and 16th centuries. People traveled and were aware of different peoples and their cultures. It wasn't all good; it wasn't all bad. It certainly wasn't the anglo dream white supremacists believe it to be. The story of the middle ages can't be told without contributions from those that spoke Latin, Arabic, Turkish, and many other languages. Just like today, the middle ages were complex.

Educational & enjoyable, though it glosses over some distinctions

The end of the recording describes a “further reading” section that isn’t part of the recording itself.

Brilliant! (See what I did there? 😂)

So this is not the kind of book I would normally jump into, but it was time for a non-fiction and it sounded pretty interesting.

WOW! Very well done. Very readable. Reframes a completely misunderstood era into a far more nuanced and fascinating period. Not a super deep dive into medieval Europe, but more than enough to turn a passing interest into a rewarding appreciation of a time we typically breeze past with so many unfair misconceptions.

Brilliant, entertaining, careful

Absolutely brilliant. Very well written, careful use of sources with fascinating examples rarely cited in surveys. Love the use of Ravenna and Galla Placidia as a framing device. The last 2 chapters covering the material I know best are breathtakingly brilliant. I don’t think I know of a better discussion of the complexity of medieval urban communal life.