Title: The Dark Ages: The Dawn of Civilization in Europe 476-918
Author: English Charles Auman
Translation: Zhu Yuchen
Publisher: Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press
You wouldn't have imagined that the Dark Ages in Europe were related to the battles of the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu!Liang Qichao mentioned in "Narrative of Chinese History" that the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu were related to the fall of Western Rome and the construction of modern European states.
Some historians have compared it this way: "The Han Dynasty people are like hammers, the Huns are like nails beaten by hammers, and Europe is the wall." ”
The westward migration of the Northern Xiongnu shattered the dreams of Europeans and led to the collapse of the mighty Roman Empire, and the West was in chaos, like a chain reaction triggered by dominoes, which led to the demise of the Western Roman Empire.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire occurred in 476 AD. In that year, Romulus Augustus, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, was deposed by the Germanic leader Odoac. Western Europe after that entered a feudal society.
Feudal secession, you fight for me, wars are still frequent. There is also the imprisonment of the Catholic Church in people's minds, and there is no hope for the lives of ordinary people.
The book "The Dark Ages: The Dawn of Civilization in the Night in Europe 476-918" is about the history of the so-called Dark Ages, and the book is divided into 29 chapters, and the author accepts some proper nouns in a more modern expression, so it will be easy to understand.
He peels back the layers and recreates medieval battles from messy and fragmented historical documents. There is no shortage of names of people and places that we know in history books: Theodoric, Constantinople, Charlemagne, Justinian, ......
Theodoric, a general with 20 years of combat experience, was known among Italian politicians as the star of Zhiduoxing. He will always easily solve all kinds of difficult problems in the management of the empire. He is also regarded by the generals and soldiers in the army as a wise commander and a heroic god of war.
He was a wise ruler who did not completely purge the remnants of the Roman administrative system or force the Goths to obey Roman law, but allowed the two systems to go hand in hand.
During his reign, a lot of reforms were also carried out. It is worth mentioning that he properly restored the old avenues, aqueducts and drainage canals of the early empire.
I still remember a documentary I saw about the early drainage system in Europe, when the roads were muddy, not only rainwater, but also mixed with a lot of domestic wastewater, people came and went, and no one had clean clothes. It can also breed a lot of germs, bringing endless diseases. Repairing drainage canals, this Ming Jun must have been very popular at that time.
Justinian, the king who only smiled when he was working, was busy with government affairs during the day and reading and writing at night.
As a conqueror, legislator, and builder, Justinian has made a name for himself through the ages. More than that, he was also an excellent diplomat, and his dealings with Italy, Spain and other countries were a great milestone and turning point in the history of Southern Europe.
There is no perfect king, but these wise kings strive to be better in their positions. It's like a little starlight in the dark, bright and dazzling.
Although it is called the Dark Ages, the seeds of civilization have been planted, and many changes are quietly taking place, which laid a good foundation for the Renaissance in Europe in the 14th and 16th centuries.
In ancient times, human civilization was promoted by wars, marriages, envoys, and mutual markets. In modern times, although we have changed the way of civilization integration, the integration and development of civilization is going on all the time.
This book is very readable and is an introduction to Xi European history. To learn history, to know the honor and disgrace, to advance and retreat, to know the rise and fall, and to know the hearts of the people, because each of us is a part of pushing the wheel of history forward.