Review: The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe

The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe by Matthew Gabriele
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those popularizing books on the Middle Ages (sorry, Bright Ages) which come out every once in a while, which are trying to make it clear that the Middle Ages were not a swamp of illiteracy, superstition and nastiness as Renaissance thinkings characterized it, but a vibrant and interesting time in its own right. As someone who is drawn to elements of the Middle Ages, I have to admit my sympathies here and now. It is tedious to constantly hear the tired, old characterizations of that era over and over again.

So, the author's answer is to call these years (roughly 450s to 1350s) the Bright Ages. I have to admit that my reaction to that was to wonder if was a bit 'Monty Python, Life of Brian "You Always have to Live on the Bright Side of Life'. And it is...a little. That is, unlike many takes on these years, the focus is on the positive and as a corrective it is useful. That said, the authors also don't shy away from the darker sides of those years too, so there is more balance than one normally finds in these kinds of books.

The writing is quite superb, if episodic. The authors focus on important moments in the period to give a sense of the culture, often anchoring it in great works of art. That means having a good sense of the general narrative of the mediaeval period is a good thing, otherwise, I can see getting a bit lost in the episodes. That said, the writing is beautiful and really insightful. The reflections on the Crusades in the era of the alt.right and the Black Plague in the age of COVID are particularly affecting for their connection to today. The breadth of the discussion, taking in not only Western Europe, but also the Byzantine and Islamic East (and south), is also fascinating, bringing in episodes which most people will not be aware of and revealing the connections within the mediaeval world which most people aren't aware of.

This is a really great book and worth taking time to savour.

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