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Patrick J. Geary
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Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World 1st Edition

by Patrick J. Geary (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 58 ratings
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In this innovative study, Patrick Geary rejects traditional conceptions of European history to present the Merovingian period (ca. 400-750) as an integral part of Late Antiquity. Mapping the complex interactions of a volatile era, he formulates an original interpretation not only of Merovingian history but of the Romano-barbarian world, tracing the Romanization of barbarians and the barbarization of the Romans which ultimately made these populations indistinguishable.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0195044584
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0195044584
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    February 25, 1988
  6. Sprache
    Englisch
  7. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
  8. Print length
    272 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Clear and concise survey."--James Grier, Yale University"An excellent guide to the Merovingian world, especially for my beginning graduate students!"--Coor, University of Arkansas"A history of the transformation of the Roman provincial world....All archaelogists will be grateful to the author for this large and beautifully produced work, since there has been no comparable publication...Geary is a gifted synthesizer."--Classical World"A marvelous synthesis and competent survey of Northern Europe after the German tribes entered the Roman Empire...Geary wrote this clearly and simply which makes it valuable for both an undergraduate and graduate audience."--Louis Haas, Duquesne University"Full of insights, related in clear and concise form, in a manner likely to appeal to and enlighten undergraduates. It will arouse a new interest in a period relatively neglected, even by medievalists."--Karen Nicholes, State University of New York, Oswego"This is a reliable and readable synthesis that makes good sense of recent research."--T. N. Bisson, Harvard University"A fine and important book. Geary really does know the literature in all the relevant languages. He is not merely a gifted synthesizer; he is one of the research scholars in the field. I would adopt it; I have been waiting for such a survey."--Edward Peters, University of Pennsylvania"An excellent survey of the Merovingian period. The...integration of perspectives from political, social, and religious history along with material culture and archaeology explains Merovingian civilization clearly and ...brings the Merovingians to life."--Karen Gould, University of Texas at Austin"The first book of its kind in English...very good. It steers a sensible course through minefields of controversy."--Thomas F.X. Noble, University of Virginia"A very revealing yet succinct account of a topic long considered confused if not irrelevant. Geary's synthesis is based upon firm control of early medieval sources and modern scholarship."--Harry Rosenberg, Colorado State University"Superb. The best summary of the migration period and the transformation of the Gallo-Germanic world I have seen. Recommended highly for all classes in early Europe, from Medieval surveys to advanced levels. It can be read with profit by those working in European archaeology!"--Bruce Kraig, Roosevelt University"Offers a synthesis of the period of great originality and explanatory power....It goes without saying that the book will become a part of my syllabi, for both graduate and undergraduate courses. It was a great pleasure to read...and it will be a great pleasure to teach it in the years to come."--Barbara Rosenwein, Loyola University of Chicago

About the Author

Patrick J. Geary is at University of California, Los Angeles.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (February 25, 1988)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195044584
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195044584
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 58 ratings

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  1. Patrick J. Geary

    Patrick J. Geary

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    Patrick Geary is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Medieval History at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. His work extends over a vast range of topics in medieval history, both chronologically and conceptually—from religiosity to language, gender, ethnicity, social structure, and political organization. Much of his work reflects on the ways that the Middle Ages are used (and abused) by contemporary writers, politicians, and ideologues. Many of his essays and books remain standard literature in the field and have been translated in multiple languages. Currently, Geary is leading an international team of historians, geneticists, and archaeologists from Italy, Hungary, Germany, Austria, The Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom that studies the migration of European societies north and south of the Alps through the analysis of ancient DNA in Longobard-era cemeteries in Hungary and in Italy. He also directs the St. Gall Plan Project, an Internet-based initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that provides tools for the study of Carolingian monasticism.

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  2. Patrick J. Geary

    Patrick J. Geary

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
58 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book quite engaging, with a rich, comprehensive introduction to the period. They also describe the writing style as clear, well organized, and detailed. Readers also appreciate the excellent history of the Merovingian era and the barbarians that fathered it.

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ReadabilityEinführungWriting styleStorytelling
7 customers mention "Readability"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book quite engaging.

"...All in all, this is an illuminating and enjoyable read...." Read more

"...Otherwise, I found the book quite engaging, particularly with respect to the early merger of the Franks into Roman-Gallo society and its reporting..." Read more

"...It’s an enjoyable and exciting read...." Read more

"Text is a dense but engaging and intellectually rewarding survey of the Merovingian world. Concise at 230 pp.,..." Read more

5 customers mention "Introduction"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's introduction rich and comprehensive. They also say it's a great book that focuses on the merovingians.

"...Not an encyclopedia, but a synthesis of knowledge presented in a cohesive and still quite comprehensive narrative of middle Europe." Read more

"...This was a very good introduction, but despite all its virtues I came away hungry to know more and frustrated that perhaps there might not be much..." Read more

"Amazing, a great book focus on merovingians, Good references and very entertaining." Read more

"Rich and comprehensive introduction to the period..." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing style"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style clear, well organized, and flow without the need to interrupt.

"...what saved the book as these are the two that were the most coherent and straightforward...." Read more

"I was impressed by this book. It is a useful, workmanlike text on the misty conversion of what was once Gaul, into a functional post-Roman state...." Read more

"...This book has been enormously helpful. Well organized and clearly written, it has bridged the gap in my understanding and, as a result, shed new..." Read more

"...His writing is clear and energetically moves from the late Roman west to the eve of Charlemagne with a lot of gems for further study such as the sub..." Read more

3 customers mention "Storytelling"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the storytelling in the book great, detailed, and highly recommend it for historical, reference, and Christian readers.

"Great storytelling. While not as ambitious as Gibbons, Geary writes with the same clarity and thoughtful detail. It’s an enjoyable and exciting read...." Read more

"Perfect book - I am so happy I bought it and highly recommend it for historical, reference, and Christian origins changes in Europe" Read more

"Excellent history of the Merovingian era and the "barbarians" that fathered it." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Anne Mills
5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating Look at the Not-So-Dark Ages of Merovingian France.
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
The period between the fall of Rome and the emergence of medieval Europe gets short shrift in the popularly available literature. This book fills that gap, and in doing so show just how overdrawn is the "fall of Rome" view of European history. Geary shows convincingly that late Roman ways and relationships persisted for centuries, gradually evolving into what we recognize as early medieval culture. Or at least they did in the place that is very much the author's focus: Merovingian France. (The title may be somewhat misleading: this book is almost entirely about what went on to the west of the Rhine). In France, a Gallo-Roman provincial aristocracy persisted and remained powerful after the Franks established control over much of what is now France and the Low Countries, and late Roman culture persisted along with that. Moreover, the Franks themselves had been heavily Romanized, serving in Roman armies and becoming subject to Roman law. The Merovingian kings worked with the Gallo Roman power structure rather than attempting to supplant it. Given just how few Franks there may have been (Geary cites a "guess" of 150-200,000 spread out in a Gallo-Roman population of 6-7,000,000) they probably had little choice. The author ends with a chapter summing up the importance of the Merovingians, and argues convincingly that much of their poor reputation (les rois faineants) may be due to Carolingian propaganda.

All in all, this is an illuminating and enjoyable read. There is one section on the later Merovingian kings where the number of unpronounceable names becomes a real stumbling block, and the genealogical chart in the Kindle edition is not much help -- it appears to have been divided in two. But I learned a lot, and enjoyed doing so.
7 people found this helpful
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Brian Hawkinson
4.0 out of 5 stars A dry account of the Merovingian Dynasty
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2007
Verified Purchase
I was very hopeful when I started reading this, hopeful that I would finally find a book that could shed some light on an area of history shrouded in shadows. I must say that it fulfilled my hopes only partially, leaving me still wanting more on the subject.

The plus is that Geary certainly knows his history and we get a thorough account of the Merovingian dynasty and, later, the onset of the Carolingian dynasty. His knowledge of the period and the ruling aristocracy and how they affected change and policy is very thorough.

The negatives. First is that his account of this important time in European history is very dry with hardly any narrative. Just a little narrative would have injected much needed life into this history book. Second is that at times it seems that Geary is simply listing off names of people and places, which is very hard to keep straight on who they are. Name after name is paraded by and the relevance of who they are is lost in the combination of the dry account and the recital of facts. And finally the book is not chronological. To that I should say that history books don't have to be chronological, and I have read many books that aren't and they were great books. This is not the case here. In one chapter we read about a king, and by the end of the chapter he dies. Then the next chapter and several chapters down the road, this king keeps reappearing not in reference but as the subject. Add this to the other negative points and everything is hard to keep track of.

In regards to the body of the book, the first chapter is a boring read as Geary talks about taxes and burial sites and so on, not adding much to the overall history except as filler. The middle sections of the book are full of facts and if you carefully dissect them you could seemingly form a coherent timeline of events that took place. Finally, the final two chapters are what saved the book as these are the two that were the most coherent and straightforward. They still recited facts but this time there is a narrative added to it that helps explain and illustrate. It is because of these final two chapters that I give this a four star. I would recommend for the amount of facts listed, but I would look elsewhere for a good narrative history of the time period, one that has a little life to it.

3.75 stars.
10 people found this helpful
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David A. Storm
5.0 out of 5 stars history buff
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2009
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I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It has the best synopsis of the decline of the Roman Empre that I have ever read. The author helps us understand how so few Franks could take over such a large part of the Western Empire with so little trouble. The key thought, that the author presents admirably, is that they were essentially already there. They had been handling the Empire's security in the region for a long time. Apparently, some had already settled there, and the Gallo-Roman society had already evolved from the image we have of the Roman Empire. I hope it is not too much of a stretch to imagine that the Gallo-Roman aristocrats decided to pay the Franks directly for security, instead of first paying the Empire, who would then pay, or not pay, the Franks for the same job. One can also get an understanding of how the Merovingian society fragmented under the ambitions of the aristocrats and the Church to form smaller "duchies", and ultimately countries. I must say that my thinking has changed considerably since I first read Edward Gibbon and A.H.M Jones several years ago.
9 people found this helpful
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Gerald M. Vrooman
5.0 out of 5 stars A Frank Exploration of The Merovingian Dynasty
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2000
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During the fifth century, the country we know as France was overrun by a horde of German speaking barbarians called the Franks. After subjugating the Gallo-Roman population, the Franks somehow ended up speaking French and wearing berets. Or so I was taught in high school.
What is wrong with this picture? Generally when a country is conquered, the victors impose their language and culture on the vanquished, not the other way around. Most history books devote about two paragraphs to this period of French history.
If you have ever wondered how a group of plain, down to earth, barbarians could have produced a guy by the name of Charlemagne, Patrick J. Geary has the answer. (Hint: The barbarians were relatively few in number, and the Gallo-Roman aristocracy was never really conquered.) Geary's book is heavy reading in places, but it explores in depth the complex relationship between the Franks and the Gallo-Romans. Much that is confusing about European history can be cleared up by reading this book.
70 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

JImmy
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous history of the Barbarians
Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
Merovingia existed before France, Spain etc, Were the Barbarians living in the area during Roman times.
This is an extremely hard period to follow and largely unknown but the authour filled in more knowledge than 6 years of ancestrial research on my part. This is my family and wonderfull descriptions on members and relationships. Very interesting read and reference book.
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Bartolome
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book about a scarcely known period of history
Reviewed in Mexico on June 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
I teach at a modest liberal arts school and had to teach a course on medieval history, which is not my specialty (the course was in Spanish, my mother tongue). This book gave me several weeks' worth of teaching material. It's also a great read. It offers a panoramic view, which makes it interesting to the general reader. At the same time, the book is detailed enough to give you a good grasp of the history of the Frankish kingdoms during the early middle ages. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good introduction to the late imperial and early medieval periods.
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Carie Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent purchase
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2016
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The book came early and proved to be immaculate. I am very pleased with it.
One person found this helpful
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kamen andonov
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2014
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very good condition, very good supply
One person found this helpful
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