A different take on the so-called "dark ages," which were, as Gabriele and Perry attempt to demonstrate, not so dark after all, but a time of great cultural and technological advancement in Europe. A good introductory volume, but perhaps not as expansive and well-supported as it could be.

This is an interesting re-evaluation of European history in the time usually referred to as the Dark Ages. It turns out they weren't so dark after all. People, religions, and cultures migrated farther than was originally believed, women had a lot more influence than is usually credited to them, and broad terms like "Viking" need to be redefined. People who lived at that time considered themselves to be as modern as we consider ourselves today, and they led complex lives. It seems that the Dark Ages are only dark because fewer records were preserved when compared to later eras.

I enjoyed the first half of the book but the reading got slower as the text went on and I found myself skimming. This will be a difficult read for someone expecting an entertaining, popular history, but more serious scholars will be drawn in.

While this does attempt to reframe the "Dark Ages," it does not provide new or fresh material. I've read every historical fact/story that was in this book in other, previous books. This book might be good for people who have some limited historical knowledge of the period and want more but readers who already read widely in this era will find nothing new.

The Dark Ages or the Middle Ages - terms which are often used to describe the time period between the "fall of Rome" and the flowering of the the Renaissance. However,Gabriele and Perry argue in The Bright Ages that rather being a period of stagnation, dirt, and destruction, medieval Europe was a continuation of the past. Their book provides a shifted perspective that seeks to shed light on forgotten and overlooked history.

In this revisionist survey of medieval Europe and its broader world, Gabriele and Perry opens The Bright Ages in the chapel of Galla Placida in Ravenna in 430CE with an examination of the ceiling filled with stars against a bright blue background. The role of Galla Placida is explored as is the concept of Rome and empire. The interaction of Islam and Europe is explored starting in Jerusalem, later in Egypt and Spain. The role of the Church comes into focus both in Rome with Gregory the Great, but also in a field in Britain where a stone cross stands in Ruthwell (Scotland). The spread of trade include the story of Charlemagne's elephant Abul-Abass who traveled from Africa to Baghdad to North Africa to finally arrive at Aachen.. Vikings play their part in the narrative of trade and cultural interaction as do the Crusades against Muslims and heretics in Europe. Both piety, learning and intolerance, not to mention plague are all part of the tapestry of medieval Europe. Gabriele and Perry end their survey back in Ravenna with an exiled Dante having his revenge in The Divine Comedy.

Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry have taken a diferent slant on the history of medieval Europe starting with the premise that Rome never fell. How well they succeed depends upon who much of their evidence the reader accepts. Take a chance and read The Bright Ages and see old events in a new light.

A wonderful overview of medieval Europe. The mission to shine light on a period always portrayed as "dark" is a noble cause and led the authors to use beautiful imagery throughout. I have already purchased this as a gift for a history lover.

Interview with the authors here:
https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/february-2022/shining-lights-putting-the-dark-ages-to-rest

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

This is a history of medieval Europe that's focused on showcasing the innovation and wonder of the period rather than the horror and hardship. The tone is conversational, and it is a genuine pleasure to read. Like other books that span a thousand plus years, it only covers a fraction of events, but it clearly isn't intended to be an exhaustive history. Unlike many pop-history or science books, the author has impressive academic credentials.

Given what a year it's been, this was the book I needed-- a reminder that even dark times can hold brightness. It also reminded me of another medieval-focused book from 2021: The Gilded Page, which is about manuscripts that have survived and what they tell us about their times.

This was a delightful work of nonfiction for the nonspecialist, expertly guiding readers through a history of the European "dark ages," conventionally narrated as a stooory of European isolation and brutality between the waning of the Roman empire and the Renaissance. The Bright Ages gently but firmly disabuses readers of this mythology, sharing stories documented in primary sources of a Europe interwoven with the peoples and cultures of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. This work shifts our understanding of Europe, persistently de-centering the tales of powerful white Christian male elites in favor of women, Jewish and Muslim, and non-white actors whose agency, even in constrained circumstances, shaped the Europe that emerged at the dawn on the Renaissance. And excellent holiday or vacation read; a great gift for the history nerd in your life.

This book doesn't go terribly in-depth about medieval history, but it does provide an excellent overview of the "Dark Ages". It's a lot of history to cover, and I wouldn't expect a comprehensive overview from a book of this size, anyway. I found the premise charming and compelling; the Dark Ages are so-called because of political turmoil, but people still lived fulfilling lives and there were places where one could find light even in the darkest of times. I think this would be a good starting point for people interested in this time period.

The Bright Ages is a lively and engaging history about a commonly misunderstood period. Beginning with a persuasive argument that Rome never fell but was instead transformed over a long period, Gabriele and Perry challenge the common conception of medieval life as "nasty, brutish, and short," as Thomas Hobbes put it. The medieval world was not a stagnant, fragmented, and unchanging one, but rather was "always in flux, with permeable borders, and signs of movement and cultural intermixing everywhere you look." Like most good histories, The Bright Ages listens to its sources carefully for what they have to tell us about medieval events, personalities, and worldviews in order to upend assumptions, biases, and agendas that have shaped how we read them. The book takes as its central metaphor light, convincingly dispelling any notion that the medieval period was a "dark age" of any kind. Light was essential to medieval theology, literature, architecture, art, and more, speaking to a world in which innovation, creativity, and hope for the future could co-exist comfortably with instability and conflict. It's incredibly nuanced for a wide survey, and it is beautifully written. I recommend this book with my whole heart.

The Bright Ages is a new look at history we thought we knew. It never hurts to use fresh eyes. The Dark Ages are reexamined as the Bright Ages. The time period is brought to life through new voices and it's sure to keep one's interest. Highly recommended to those with an interest in history. This fresh take is not to be missed.

Though the idea of The Dark Ages being in inaccurate descriptor of the Medieval period, authors Gabriele and Perry bring together solid research and analysis combined with good writing to comprehensively examine this time. They bring to vivid life this historic period so often overlooked and labelled savage, unsophisticated, grim and culturally lacking.

This is an excellent re-evaluation of the so-called "dark ages" and medieval Europe which the authors call the "bright ages." Covering the misconception of the "fall" of Rome, the rise of Byzantium, Islamic Spain, and other cultures around the Mediterranean the book sheds a fresh light on the Middle Ages.

A look at old evidence with new eyes. The authors' premise is that Rome did not fall, it just was redesigned, and the dark ages were not so dark. They focused mostly on Christianity and left out many of the scientific discoveries of the times. I enjoyed the writing style it's definitely accessible to the average reader. Covering nearly a thousand years and ranging from Western Europe to Africa and Asia, there's no possible way it can go into historical details, leaving out quite a bit of information. For someone who is interested in history this would be a great overview of what really happened during the Middle Ages.

An historical adventure, written with delightful and sometimes abrupt humor, this book is a genuine pleasure to read. It helps if you already have a strong interest in history, particularly the so-called Dark Ages. But even if you don't, the authors draw the reader in with a fast-paced storytelling style that doesn't feel rushed. They do the lost voices of the past justice by revealing the little-known lives of a few very influential but forgotten women who exercised power on a scale previous historians have failed to mention they possessed. Enlightening and thought-provoking. This will force you to re-think the term Dark Ages.

A marvelous, wide ranging reintroduction to the thousand years all too often characterized as dark. Built on the premise that continuity is as much a fact of human life as beginnings and endings, the authors do a great job of demonstrating that history is particular as well as sweeping, and that common life stories are as important as those of kings. The Bright Ages shines a light on the vast range of humanity who lived in medieval Europe, and lived in the wider world around Europe.