This unique textbook introduces undergraduate students to medieval historiography, providing an entry point for the dense scholarship on the period. Volume I covers the post-Roman world, from 450 to 1050.

Debating medieval Europe serves as an entry point for studying and teaching medieval history. Where other textbooks simply present foundational knowledge or introduce sources, this volume provides the reader with the frameworks they will need in order to understand the unique historiography of this fascinating period. Digging beneath the accounts provided elsewhere, it exposes the contested foundations of apparently settled narratives, opening a space for discussion and debate, as well as providing essential context for the intimidating array of specialist scholarship.

Volume I covers the early Middle Ages, c. 450–c. 1050. Organised chronologically, the chapters move from a discussion of the late-Roman world through the rise of the Successor States and the Carolingian Empire to the feudal ‘revolution’ around the year 1000. Along the way, they examine the translatio imperii, the Vikings and the ‘age of iron’, early medieval Spain and the Norman world.

Debating medieval Europe serves as an entry point for studying and teaching medieval history. Rather than simply presenting foundational knowledge or introducing sources, it provides the reader with frameworks for understanding the distinctive historiography of the period, digging beneath the historical accounts provided by other textbooks to expose the contested foundations of apparently settled narratives. It opens a space for discussion and debate, as well as providing essential context for the sometimes overwhelming abundance of specialist scholarship.

Volume I addresses the early Middle Ages, covering the period c. 450–c. 1050. The chapters are organised chronologically, and cover such topics as the Carolingian Order, England and the ‘Atlantic Archipelago’, the Vikings and Ottonian Germany. It features a highly distinguished selection of medieval historians, including Paul Fouracre and Janet L. Nelson.