The Inheritance of Rome: Debunking Two False Narratives about the Early Middle Ages

Summary

Chris Wickham’s book challenges two grand narratives that have misled the public in their understanding of the early Medieval ages. The first is the narrative of nationalism, which historians use to claim that the germs of nation-states appear in the early middle ages. However, such readings of history are false and even misleading, there was no clear common identity that linked countries, and there was no common European culture. The second narrative is that of modernity, which suggests that early medieval Europe had the preconditions for later European economic and military dominance. However, this is not true either. Wickham offers a new way of looking at the early middle ages without the preconceived notions of nationalism or modernity.

Table of Contents

• National Identities in the Early Middle Ages
• The Birth of Europe and Modern Nations: Facing Reality
• Recent Advances and Paradigms in Early Medieval Studies
• Understanding the Catastrophes and Continuities of the Early Middle Ages
• A New Approach to Interpreting the Early Middle Ages

Q&A

Q: What is the main point of Wickham’s book?
A: Wickham’s book aims to debunk two false narratives that have misled people’s understanding of the early Middle Ages. The first relates to the idea of nationalism, which historians claim give birth to nation-states. The second relates to the idea that early medieval Europe had the preconditions for later European economic and military dominance. Instead, Wickham offers a new way of looking at the early middle ages without these preconceived notions of nationalism or modernity.

Q: Was there any significant national identity in the early Middle Ages?
A: In the early Middle Ages, national identities were not prominent, though some existed, such as England and Italy. Geographical separation helped foster these identities, as did the coherence of political systems, as was the case with Byzantium. However, France, Germany, and Spain did not have such identities, and the Slav lands were too inchoate.

Q: Is it correct to assert that the early medieval ages had the preconditions for later European economic and military dominance?
A: No, it is not true. There was no common European culture, and economies such as Egypt’s seemed more likely to industrialize over the Rhineland or Low Countries. Narrating early medieval Europe as the birth of modern nations borders on fantasy.

Q: What is the current state of early medieval studies?
A: The community has yet to offer new paradigms for understanding the period. There is an emerging paradigm that sees continuity in many aspects of late Antiquity into the early Middle Ages without a break, but it remains implicit. However, the field of early medieval studies is now more international and critical than it was before. Recent scholarship on the period challenges false perspectives.

Q: What are the catastrophes and continuities of the early Middle Ages?
A: Historians have been more aware of catastrophe than continuity in the early Middle Ages. Archaeologists see substantial simplifications in post-Roman material culture in the fifth to seventh centuries. It is crucial to develop historical interpretations that can encompass the diversity of evidence.

Q: What is Wickham’s approach in narrating the political narrative of the period?
A: It is informed by recent advances in cultural history. The book intends to be comprehensible to people who know nothing about the period and take little for granted.

Conclusion

Wickham’s book offers a new way of looking at the early middle ages without the preconceived notions of nationalism or modernity. Instead, the book informs readers on the period with recent advances in cultural history. It is becoming more critical, and research on the period has become more internationalized, which leads to sophisticated and innovative work in cultural, socio-economic, and archaeological history. The emerging paradigm that sees continuity in many aspects of late Antiquity into the early Middle Ages without a break remains implicit. It is crucial to develop historical interpretations that can encompass the diversity of evidence that has emerged about the period.