The Forge of Christendom: The End of Days and the Epic Rise of the WestA grand narrative history of the re-emergence of Europe following the collapse of the Roman Empire. 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. |
Contents
THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH | |
YIELDING PLACE TO | |
GO WEST | |
APOCALYPSE POSTPONED | |
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH | |
Other editions - View all
The Forge of Christendom: The End of Days and the Epic Rise of the West Tom Holland No preview available - 2010 |
The Forge of Christendom: The End of Days and the Epic Rise of the West Tom Holland No preview available - 2008 |
The Forge of Christendom: The End of Days and the Epic Rise of the West Tom Holland No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
Abbot Adémar al-Andalus ambitions amid ancient Antichrist appeared battle bishops blood Byzantine Caesar Caliph Canossa castellans century certainly Charlemagne Christ Christendom Christian Church claim Cluny Constantine Constantinople Córdoba crowned death decades Duke duly East Francia emperor empire enemies England English Ethelred fateful fearsome France Frankish frontier Fulk Fulk Nerra Gerbert Glaber God’s Gregory VII Gregory’s Guiscard Harald Harald Hardrada heaven heir Henry Henry’s Holy Holy Lance Hugh Hungarians Ibid imperial increasingly Islam Italy Jerusalem judgement king kingdom lands Lateran less London lord Medieval menacing Millennium monastery monks Muslim never Norman Normandy Northmen Odilo once Otto Otto III Otto’s pagan papacy papal Patarenes peasants perhaps Peter Damian Pope princes reform Reich reign Robert Guiscard Roman Rome royal rule saint Saracens Saxon served Snorri Sturluson sure sword Theophanu throne Trygvasson Umayyads Viking war bands warlord warriors West William wonder