{"product_id":"the-dark-ages-from-the-sack-of-rome-to-hastings-histories-9781782749035","title":"The 'Dark' Ages: From the Sack of Rome to Hastings (Histories)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Dark Ages have often been crudely depicted as an era of mass illiteracy and ignorance  and of terrifying heathen hordes swarming across the European continent  leaving devastation in their wake. Yes  this was the time of the so-called Barbarian invasions  of the Vikings  of the break-up of some urban life and population decline in Western Europe. But this was also the time of Pope Gregory the Great  of Charlemagne and Alfred the Great; of feudalism  the development of monastic life and the nurturing of Christianity across Western Europe. In the East  the Roman Empire continued to thrive in Byzantium  while from the 7th century the Muslim Arab conquest of North Africa and Iberia proved to be a stimulating challenge to the Christian West. From the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century to the 11th century  The Dark Ages tells the story of this fascinating but much misunderstood period in medieval history. Featuring the fragmentation of the Western Roman Empire and re-emergence of unity under Charlemagne; the emergence of the Catholic Church as a dominant political force; the raids  trading life and settlements of the Vikings  the book expertly reappraises the early Middle Ages. Illustrated with 180 colour and black-\u0026amp;-white photographs  artworks and maps  The Dark Ages is an exciting  engaging and highly informative exploration of this often overlooked period in early medieval history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45646979301429,"sku":"ByrdShop_1782749039","price":51.37,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781782749035.jpg?v=1781684375","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-dark-ages-from-the-sack-of-rome-to-hastings-histories-9781782749035","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}