The Forge of Christendom, Tom Holland
The Forge of Christendom, Tom Holland
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The Forge of Christendom
The End of Days and the Epic Rise of the West

Author: Tom Holland

Narrator: James A. Gillies

Unabridged: 15 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/17/2018

Synopsis

At the approach of the first millennium, the Christians of Europe did not seem likely candidates for future greatness. Weak, fractured, and hemmed in by hostile nations, they saw no future beyond the widely anticipated Second Coming of Christ. But when the world did not end, the peoples of Western Europe suddenly found themselves with no choice but to begin the heroic task of building a Jerusalem on earth.

In The Forge of Christendom, Tom Holland masterfully describes this remarkable new age, a time of caliphs and Viking sea kings, the spread of castles and the invention of knighthood. It was one of the most significant departure points in history: the emergence of Western Europe as a distinctive and expansionist power.

About Tom Holland

Historian Tom Holland is the author of several nonfiction works of history, including Rubicon, Persian Fire, and The Forge of Christendom. Rubicon was short-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the 2004 Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History, and Persian Fire won the Anglo-Hellenic League's 2006 Runciman Award.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Guy on December 02, 2008

The two centuries from 900 to 1100 were a fascinating time in Europe. Somehow the centuries of chaos and decay after the fall of Rome were brought to an end and a dynamic and expansive Europe was born. This book attempts to tell the tale of those years and (according to the author in his Preface) to......more

Goodreads review by Justin on June 10, 2012

A classic example of the 'don't expect Barolo when you're drinking Vinho Verde' class; this is airplane history and as such quite successful- easy to read and rollicking tales, backed up by little analysis and couched as a tendentious and quite frankly pointless 'argument.' All you need to know abou......more

Goodreads review by Suzannah Rowntree on June 15, 2020

Ooohh, this was a delightful read. My medieval history knowledge centres around the years 1097-1309, and I was terribly hazy on anything between Charlemagne and the First Crusade. The first chapter or so of this book is somewhat of a loose summary of Judith Herrin's absolutely magnificent full-length......more

Goodreads review by Sebastian on September 12, 2024

I did enjoy "Millenium" much more than "Dominion". It's a great synthesis of important historical events that happened around the year 1000AD and had a crucial impact on the further development of Europe: the forming of nation-states and the political rise of the Catholic Church. Before you reach out......more

Goodreads review by Gary on January 10, 2016

Tom Holland provides a thoroughly readable history, showing a sharp grasp of the history of the Dark Ages, as well as a passion for his subject. He reviews the history of Europe roughly from 900 CE to 1000. Always in the background is the alarm about the possible end of the world, Armageddon and the......more

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