Jacques Le Goff. The Birth of Europe. Boston: Blackwell Publishers, 2005. 274 pp. $29.95, paper, ISBN 978-1-4051-5682-0. Reviewed by Monica I. Orozco Published on H-HRE (May, 2006) In The Birth of Europe, Jacque Le Goff makes several centuries of historical events and transi‐ the case for the Middle Ages as the period in tions. The chronology includes fve stages of de‐ which both the concept and reality of Europe velopment stretching from the fourth century to were created. In doing so, he also addresses the is‐ the ffteenth century of the Common Era. The frst sues of defining the characteristics of the Middle stage spans the period from the Edict of Milan to Ages and Europe, and of periodization within the Merovingians. Le Goff characterizes this peri‐ Western Civilization. Le Goff argues for the histor‐ od as "Late Antiquity," speaking to its transitional ical view of long periods of transitions, with "turn‐ character, but also pointing to its essential part in ing points and mutations" between antiquity, the the development of the concept of a Christian Eu‐ Middle Ages, and the early modern era shaping rope. The Carolingian Renaissance, dating from what he terms the "Long Middle Ages" (p. 195). the eighth to tenth centuries, is Le Goff's second While precursors to Europe are evident in antiq‐ stage. He terms this an "aborted Europe" (as the ti‐ uity, Le Goff states that it is within this "Long Mid‐ tle for chapter 2 succinctly states) that was dis‐ dle Ages" that Europe is frmly established in tinctly Frankish. As such, he argues, it was also a terms of its territorial orientation, diversity, and "perverted Europe," since it was contrary to Eu‐ social character. With this discussion of the con‐ rope's inherent diversity (p. 30). However, this pe‐ structs of European time, space, and identity, Le riod did provide fundamental features for the de‐ Goff provides a valuable resource for both schol‐ velopment of Europe, mainly elements of govern‐ ars and the interested general reader. ment that strove to unify Charlemagne's empire. The author begins by providing his chrono‐ It was between the eleventh and thirteenth logical schema for the stages of European devel‐ centuries, according to Le Goff, that Europe made opment. This schema also provides the frame‐ its initial appearance and also frmly established work for the book, and allows Le Goff to build his its feudal character. In this chapter he provides a argument logically and cohesively, summarizing detailed picture of what he sees as the many gen‐ H-Net Reviews eral aspects of medieval Europe, including discus‐ The Birth of Europe is an excellent resource, sions of social structures, religious movements, providing a clear and succinct overview of me‐ the persecution of various sectors, and popular dieval European history. Le Goff also convincingly culture. Chapter 5 follows with a discussion of argues his case for the Middle Ages as the birth what he terms the "successes" of the Middle Ages "place" of the modern notion and reality of Eu‐ (p. 99). These high points include increased ur‐ rope, and he contributes an interesting addition banization, the revival of trade, and the growth in to the discussion of periodization within Euro‐ educational activity, especially within the univer‐ pean history that would be beneficial to a student sities. in the discipline. This work could also provide Le Goff cites the fourteenth and ffteenth cen‐ teachers with a useful framework upon which to turies as a period in which the earlier foundations develop a course at the undergraduate and gradu‐ of pre-European structures were severely shaken ate levels, and the accessibility of the work makes by famine, war, and disease. However, it is this it suitable for the general reader with an interest period, he writes, that "reflected both a crisis in in European history. the general structures and growth of European so‐ ciety" (p. 154). Endemic violence, the Black Death, climatic changes, and subsequent famine on an unprecedented scale caused tremendous distress for Europeans. This tension was exacerbated by the Great Schism within the Catholic Church, which undermined its ability to unify the popu‐ lace. Yet equally important, Le Goff argues, was that this was also a period of great economic growth. In these years Europe became more "global" economically, culturally, and socially, pro‐ viding the foundations that made the Renaissance possible. According to Le Goff, the presences in the ff‐ teenth century of such opposites as death and re‐ birth, inhibition and progress, provide important evidence arguing for a "medieval dynamism" (p. 199). Indeed, it was medieval Christianity that changed the historical outlook from cyclical to lin‐ ear. Le Goff argues that the "Middle Ages despite their bad name, were in truth a period of inven‐ tions" and provided for the future progress and development of Europe (p. 200). Therefore the pe‐ riod between the Middle Ages and early modern Europe is much more fuid than scholars grant, as many basic elements of feudal Europe remained until the Industrial Revolution, lending credence to the view of a "Long Middle Ages." 2 H-Net Reviews If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at https://networks.h-net.org/h-hre Citation: Monica I. Orozco. Review of Goff, Jacques Le. The Birth of Europe. H-HRE, H-Net Reviews. May, 2006. URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=11748 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 3.