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Book Review: Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom

Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom by Tom Holland is very interesting take on Western Europe during the two centuries surrounding the apocalyptic year 1000. 

Basically, Holland takes us through a 200-year period across the various regions of Europe in order to demonstrate that the events of this time period created the society that would ultimately become modern Europe.  For Holland, this was the period when the area that is now Europe became something other than just the shattered remains of the Western Roman Empire.  


The historical narrative pivots around the year 1000 and the pervasive fear of the Antichrist and the Second Coming, and digs in on how these apocalyptic anxieties influenced the actions of rulers, clergy, and peasants alike.

Generally, Holland works the history region by region. Treating as separate but connected narratives, the happenings in what would become Italy, Spain, France Germany and even in areas like Poland and Hungary. 

For example, Holland has a section on the conquest by the Norseman of what would become Normandy, as well as their establishment in France and their political relationships with the Frankish people around them. Ruthless, fearless and without comparison as warriors, the Normans are fascinating. 

There was another section on William the Conquer and his struggle for supremacy during the conquest of England and the conflict with the Saxons.  I actually enjoyed this section of the book quite a lot as it covered the history of the Normans, their culture, the days of William’s childhood and much more.  The history of William's youth was new to me and written in such a compelling fashion.

Of course, Holland covers all of Europe, the conquest of the pagan east in places like Poland and Hungary, as well as the war defending against the Islamic attempt to conquer Europe in the Mediterranean Sea and Spain. And speaking of religion, we are treated to a discussion of the reformation of the Catholic Church, the rivalry with the easter Church in Byzantium and the ultimate split that still exists today. 

Throughout all of these journeys into the history of the various regions, we are always connected by the year 1000 and the concerns about the Millennium and the rapture, or end of times.  One of the reasons why I like modern historical writing so much is that authors like Holland take a bold approach to writing history in interesting and fascinating ways. Gone is the straightforward chronology and in is the novel approach to historical narrative.

Holland's writing style is an entertaining, narrative-driven approach. He doesn’t spend time analyzing sources or shedding light on his assumptions or general leaps of faith when the historical record is lacking or ambivalent.  Some people object to this style of history, but this isn’t written for PHDs. This is fun history written for regular people that just love reading about the past.

About the author:

Thomas Holland is an English historian, novelist and podcaster. He has written many books, including works of classical history, medieval history. Rome, Greece, Persia, its all there. 

 

Publication date: July 2, 2009     Publisher: Abacus  Page Count: 512 pages


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