The Dark Ages, 476-918

A concise narrative and analytical survey of early medieval Europe from the fall of Western Roman authority to the early tenth century, tracing political transformations that produced new kingdoms, Byzantine resilience, Islamic expansion, and the rise of Frankish power. It surveys major rulers, dynasties, military campaigns, migrations, and institutional changes, treating the Lombard and Visigothic polities, Justinian’s wars, Merovingian and Carolingian developments, the evolving role of the papacy, iconoclasm, Viking incursions, and regional developments in Italy, Germany, and Byzantium. Organized chronologically and supplemented with maps, genealogical tables, and appendices, it offers a continuous, accessible sketch of the period’s political and military history.