Rose Williams" The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages
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The Bottom Line
Those interested in the Roman Empire may want to know what happened to all the loose ends after Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus in A.D. 476. Rose Williams' The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages does just that, covering the Roman Empire and its aftermath, from A.D. 400-1000. Williams centers the Greco-Roman world around its sea, the Mediterranean. She proceeds roughly clockwise from this geographic center, going century by century, beginning with the century during which the Western Roman Empire was reduced to Italy and two provinces to the northeast.
Pros
Cons
Description
Guide Review - Rose Williams' The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages
Why were there holy Roman emperors? When did the Pope in Rome gain prominence? What happened to the Roman provinces in North Africa? These are some of the questions the gradual disintegration of Rome poses for someone with a limited knowledge of post-Roman Imperial history. In her The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages, Rose Williams explains many such puzzles, and ties them together (with her tongue often planted firmly in her often laconic cheek). Of the Huns, she writes:
There are many threads that hold the Dark Ages together. Visigoths, Vandals, Huns etc, made "life merry for a series of emperors who varied from foolishly heroic to just plain foolish." Implicitly explaining one of the problems in identification that students of the period face, Williams says the Scots and Franks had trouble coming up with original royal names. Signaling a man's unfitness for the throne, his locks were shorn. Overlords dominated minions who knew better than to disobey. Religious leaders "often saved time by spreading the holy word at the point of a sword."
Altogether, The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages is a masterful summary. Williams has an impressive grasp of all the threads and power maneuverings. Despite the title, it is a legitimate history.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
The Bottom Line
Those interested in the Roman Empire may want to know what happened to all the loose ends after Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus in A.D. 476. Rose Williams' The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages does just that, covering the Roman Empire and its aftermath, from A.D. 400-1000. Williams centers the Greco-Roman world around its sea, the Mediterranean. She proceeds roughly clockwise from this geographic center, going century by century, beginning with the century during which the Western Roman Empire was reduced to Italy and two provinces to the northeast.
Pros
- Draws together a vast amount of material in a small book.
- Witty writing.
- Arrangement by century and geographically makes it pretty easy to follow.
Cons
- Most of the book is beyond the scope of this site.
- For those not in the know, it is hard to keep track of similarly-named people.
Description
- The emperors had needed so much money they had tied the people to the land as serfs.
- After the Fall Roman power was claimed by the papacy.
- Converts, the Visigoths, as zealous Catholics, persecuted the Jews, so when the Moslems attacked Spain, the Jews helped.
- The Pope said the Frankish Pepin, Charlemagne's father, was king by divine right.
- Rome was still so figuratively important that Charlemagne was made Emperor of Rome.
- Until the 9th Century the Byzantine Empire and West were allies.
- The Pope excommunicated the Patriarch in 863; in 867, it was reciprocated.
- Pithy Latin Quotations (with English translations) at the start of each chapter.
- Created especially for Latin teachers using Boethius, Alcuin, Isodore, Einhard, and the Venerable Bede.
Guide Review - Rose Williams' The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages
Why were there holy Roman emperors? When did the Pope in Rome gain prominence? What happened to the Roman provinces in North Africa? These are some of the questions the gradual disintegration of Rome poses for someone with a limited knowledge of post-Roman Imperial history. In her The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages, Rose Williams explains many such puzzles, and ties them together (with her tongue often planted firmly in her often laconic cheek). Of the Huns, she writes:
These small, bandy-legged barbarians and their ponies, which were only slightly shaggier than their masters, did not look like much, but both had incredible strength and ferocity.Williams explains why we should all be interested in this period: the Western Europeans of the period "had an impact which every citizen of the world still feels today." Simply, they shaped the world.
There are many threads that hold the Dark Ages together. Visigoths, Vandals, Huns etc, made "life merry for a series of emperors who varied from foolishly heroic to just plain foolish." Implicitly explaining one of the problems in identification that students of the period face, Williams says the Scots and Franks had trouble coming up with original royal names. Signaling a man's unfitness for the throne, his locks were shorn. Overlords dominated minions who knew better than to disobey. Religious leaders "often saved time by spreading the holy word at the point of a sword."
Altogether, The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages is a masterful summary. Williams has an impressive grasp of all the threads and power maneuverings. Despite the title, it is a legitimate history.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.