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. ( )

The long transition from the mature Roman Empire to medieval Europe is something that has long intrigued me. "Before France and Germany" is an excellent guide to this evolution. It traces the internal and external changes that influenced life, war, health, and the economy.

For anyone interested in this time in European history, this book is an exceptional starting place. Highly recommended.

http://bassoprofundo1.blogspot.com/2010/07/before-france-and-germany-by-patrick-... ( )

Geary manages to present the decline of Rome, migrations and emerging Merovingian and Carolingian powers in just 200-odd pages. So, there's a lot of content, and paragraphs need to be digested in unhurried manner. For a layman, this very interesting phase in history is largely unmapped, as it lacks major historical figures that school books tend to cherish.

Geary suggests that Rome was not really conquered by barbarians. The Gallo-Roman aristocracy sustained Roman culture all the way to the medieval times. The warrior elite of Franks merged into this aristocracy. Of course, over the centuries what is considered Roman evolves. ( )