Chris Wickham

I've written on the blog before about my recent efforts to learn more about Europe's medieval past. Over the past few weeks, I've read chapters in Chris Wickham's history of that period, aptly titled Medieval Europe. For me, the most interesting parts of the book focus on the centuries following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. So many questions emerge: What came after the collapse? Who held power, and how was it exercised? When did the first nations appear? Wickham argues that the fifth century was a turning point: it was then that "army leaders from the frontier...began to call themselves kings." At the same time, he continues, "the whole economic basis for political action shifted, from taxation to landowning." The Roman network of self-governing cities collapsed, and in its place vague notions of regional affiliation emerged. As Wickham writes: Romans began to "see themselves" as Gauls or Franks. The story here is a complex one, and no doubt, I've simplified it. But for an overview of that critical period between 500 and 800, I do suggest Wickham's analysis. Understanding what came between the collapse of Rome and rise of Charlemagne remains, for me at least, a topic of unending interest.