Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Frankfurt a.M.
Description
Remarkable classic that developed the revolutionary theory of how the advance and influence of Islam caused the Europe of the Roman Empire to evolve into the Europe of the Middle Ages. ""An important...seminal book, worthy to close one of the most distinguished careers in European scholarship."" - Saturday Review of Literature.
User reviews
LibraryThing member A_musing
Now and again we have to fill in the holes in our education. This is a book I've talked about for a couple decades without actually having read it. The Pirenne thesis, that the true break between the ancient and medieval worlds and the true genesis of the West as we know it occurred with the Arab
The book shows its age. A number of Pirenne's points are rather poorly argued, and the arguement throughout is plagued by insufficient support. It was a posthumous work, not finished and barely annotated at Pirenne's death, and in many ways is more of an outline for further work than a finished book. Indeed, the lack of detailed support makes Pirenne an easy target for more thorough though less brilliant scholarly opponents. All too often Pirenne gives us conclusions and tells us they're obvious, despite being highly controversial and difficult to support. In As one example, as he talks about the role of the Jews in the late ancient world, his conclusions seem to belie his prejudices rather than his studies. He describes Jews as 'mostly' or 'substantially' engaged in banking and money lending, even while noting the significant size of the communities. The idea that the Jewish population was so thoroughly wealthy and so limited and ghettoized in its occupation seems unsustainable; given the size of the community, there would simply be too many bankers! What were his Syrians to do? Nonetheless, shining through what is at the core of a rather poorly argued work is a little bit of absolute genius, a twist of profound historical insight.
Oddly, having been exposed to the genius of the thesis for a long time, I almost find the flaws in the work more interesting than his presentation of the thesis itself. If it is the debate you are interested in, you can probably dispense with the original work laying out the theory; the kernel is here, but the analysis has long since left this book behind. But for pure historiographical interest, this one is a fascinating and fairly quick read.
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conquests in the Levant and North Africa and not with the Germanic conquests in Europe, has long been one of the core historical debates of the period, and a debate of particular interest for those of us with an interest in Islamic history and the history of the places caught between the Islamic and Christian worlds. While Pirenne is often on the losing end of the debate, and the specific arguments made by him are considered simply off base by most historians, the debate persists because Pirenne points out some fundamental dynamics of the age missing from Gibbon and his heirs and from other major historians of the period. The book shows its age. A number of Pirenne's points are rather poorly argued, and the arguement throughout is plagued by insufficient support. It was a posthumous work, not finished and barely annotated at Pirenne's death, and in many ways is more of an outline for further work than a finished book. Indeed, the lack of detailed support makes Pirenne an easy target for more thorough though less brilliant scholarly opponents. All too often Pirenne gives us conclusions and tells us they're obvious, despite being highly controversial and difficult to support. In As one example, as he talks about the role of the Jews in the late ancient world, his conclusions seem to belie his prejudices rather than his studies. He describes Jews as 'mostly' or 'substantially' engaged in banking and money lending, even while noting the significant size of the communities. The idea that the Jewish population was so thoroughly wealthy and so limited and ghettoized in its occupation seems unsustainable; given the size of the community, there would simply be too many bankers! What were his Syrians to do? Nonetheless, shining through what is at the core of a rather poorly argued work is a little bit of absolute genius, a twist of profound historical insight.
Oddly, having been exposed to the genius of the thesis for a long time, I almost find the flaws in the work more interesting than his presentation of the thesis itself. If it is the debate you are interested in, you can probably dispense with the original work laying out the theory; the kernel is here, but the analysis has long since left this book behind. But for pure historiographical interest, this one is a fascinating and fairly quick read.
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LibraryThing member Steve.Bivans
Scholars are still trying to punch holes in Henri's classic thesis. Some have been successful, some not so much, but what we must agree on, is that in order to develop a more accurate picture of the economies of the early middle ages, we must first deal with the persuasive arguments put forward by
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Mr. Pirenne. If you are interested in the Middle Ages at all, you HAVE to read this book, and all of his works. Show Less
LibraryThing member jonfaith
This jewel was found at Ohio Books and read while a contractor lowered our bathroom ceiling and installed an exhaust fan. I feel enriched by the opportunity.
His thesis elicited an outcry at the time of its publication: the Middle Ages did not begin with collapse of Rome in the 5th Century but
His thesis elicited an outcry at the time of its publication: the Middle Ages did not begin with collapse of Rome in the 5th Century but
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rather in the 8th after Arab control of the Mediterranean threw the West into stasis and decline. Pirenne argues that the barbarian invasions did not disrupt Roman institutions but were simply co-opted by the needy n'er-do-wells. Show Less
LibraryThing member neurodrew
Gaul remained Roman until the Muslim invasion of Spain
Written in 1935, and published posthumously, this is a pedantic summary of the end of the Roman Empire in the west. Pirenne's thesis is that the Germanic invasions of the 5th to 6th century left the essential Roman character of the western
Difficult to read, with discursions and repetitions, and endless footnotes
It was interesting to learn that Henri Pirenne is a national hero in Belgium after WW I, having resisted German insistence on changing the official language in his university, and being deported to Germany as a result.
Written in 1935, and published posthumously, this is a pedantic summary of the end of the Roman Empire in the west. Pirenne's thesis is that the Germanic invasions of the 5th to 6th century left the essential Roman character of the western
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empire intact. The invaders were eager to settle in the areas controlled by Rome, and to learn the classical language and model themselves after the Romans. The ancient Senatorial families controlled large estates and provided administrators for the church. The culture was preserved in the coastal regions of the Mediterranean. The break with antiquity came only with the rapid and unexpected advance of Islam. The western Mediterranean became a Muslim lake, and the emperor in Constantinople was preoccupied with resisting the Islamic advance. Thus, cut off from the ancient culture built around commerce and the sea, the Merovingians and then Charlemagne needed to reward their vassals with fiefdoms rather than abundant tax collections, and Feudal society began.Difficult to read, with discursions and repetitions, and endless footnotes
It was interesting to learn that Henri Pirenne is a national hero in Belgium after WW I, having resisted German insistence on changing the official language in his university, and being deported to Germany as a result.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
French
Original publication date
1939 (English Translation)
1937