Synopses & Reviews
How the Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World
The Vikings, Vandals, Huns, Mongols, Goths, and Tartars Who Razed the
Author Thomas J. Craughwell reveals the fascinating tales of how the barbarian rampages across Europe, North Africa, and Asia – killing, plundering, and destroying whole kingdoms and empires – actually created the modern nations of England, France, Russia, and China. Moscow, Dublin, and Delhi are international centers of government, commerce, and culture because of the barbarians. How did the devastating invasions of these merciless rapists, killers, looters, destroyers of great cities, and ravagers of the countryside set off a string of events that resulted in the world we know today?
Craughwell explores the reasons behind the attacks and the motivations of the barbarian kings and chieftains. He explains how coarse, violent men could bring down the Roman Empire, but also safeguard the Silk Road, create an Asian superpower we know as China, and in the process, change the world forever.
Review
"Most of us in the western world might enjoy tracing our cultural roots to the classic glories of Greece and Rome. But deep down we suspect that our mythic ancestors are really those so-called barbarians who broke things and created the modern world. With rarely a wasted word Thomas J Craughwell tells the stories of history-changing invasions of the Goths, Vandals, Vikings, Mongols and other marauding bands. He gives us the expected scenes of rape and pillage, but also an appreciation of the invaders' strategy, motives and their often-overlooked gifts and innovations. And he reminds us, with a fine sense of story and anecdote, that "barbarians" are what someone else calls an exotic, dangerous stranger. No one is a barbarian to him-or her-self. Handsomely illustrated with imaginatively selected historical paintings, drawings and maps. -- David Willis McCullough, author-editor of Chronicles of the Barbarians and Wars of the Irish Kings.
Review
“With evident learning and great relish, Thomas J. Craughwell forges the story of the extraordinary change wrought in the world by the barbarians. He brings to sometimes horrifying life the onslaught of the Goths, Huns, Vandals—a particularly nasty crew—Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and others. With fascinating and little-known information on such barbarian luminaries as Attila the Hun and Olga, the murderous Viking princess of Kiev, this book is both wonderful history and thoroughly engrossing reading.” —Joseph Cummins, author of The World’s Bloodiest History and The War Chronicles: From Flintlocks to Machine Guns
Synopsis
Compelling stories and unforgettable charactersMore than 800 years have past since the last barbarian horde slaughtered and plundered its way across Asia and Europe, yet civilized folks are still fascinated by tales of these half-naked, bloodthirsty savages. The impact they had on world history was truly astonishing: they destroyed the Roman Empire, founded the nations of Europe, and united China into a world power.
This narrative will emphasize the dramatic and human element of this period in history-the terror of the barbarians' victims, as well as the almost insane pleasure the barbarians themselves took in fighting and pillaging. This highly readable, entertaining, but authoritative book contains action-packed stories, little-known facts, and information from the latest research on the barbarians and their importance in world history.
Synopsis
This richly detailed chronicle brings to life the personalities of Attila the Hun, Alaric the Goth, Genghis Khan, and many other barbarian kings and chieftains whose rampages across Europe, Asia, and North Africa changed the course of history.
In this highly readable and authoritative book, author Thomas J. Craughwell draws upon the latest historical and archaeological research to reveal the impact of the barbarian invasions on the modern world: from the establishment of the English language, to the foundation of world capitals such as Dublin, to the introduction of gunpowder to Europe. Illustrated with more than 100 archival images gathered from around the world.
Synopsis
This richly detailed chronicle brings to life the personalities of Attila the Hun, Alaric the Goth, Genghis Khan, and many other barbarian kings and chieftains whose rampages across Europe, Asia, and North Africa changed the course of history.
In this highly readable and authoritative book, author Thomas J. Craughwell draws upon the latest historical and archaeological research to reveal the impact of the barbarian invasions on the modern world: from the establishment of the English language, to the foundation of world capitals such as Dublin, to the introduction of gunpowder to Europe. Illustrated with more than 100 archival images gathered from around the world.
About the Author
Thomas J. Craughwell is the author of more than a dozen books, including Failures of the Presidents, Stealing Lincoln's Body, The Rise and Fall of the Second Largest Empire in History, and The Greatest Brigade. He has written articles on history, religion, politics, and popular culture for the Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator, and U.S. News & World Report. He lives in Bethel, Connecticut.
Praise for Stealing Lincoln’s Body by Thomas Craughwell:
“Thomas J. Craughwell has given us a richly detailed, highly entertaining, and broad slice of our history.”—The American Spectator
“There is no end of fascinating context and detail in this engrossing, often zany, yet poignant tale.” —Chicago Tribune