Oathbreakers
The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe
Published on 16. January 2025
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-06-333667-4 (ISBN)
Description
"Fascinating." - The Wall Street Journal
"An enlightening portrait of the medieval mindset." - Publishers Weekly
The authors of The Bright Ages return with a "real-life Game of Thrones" (New York Times Book Review)-the story of the Carolingian Civil War, a bloody, protracted battle pitting brother against brother, father against son, that would end an empire, upend a continent, and redefine the future of European history.
By the early ninth century, the Carolingian empire was at the height of its power. The Franks, led by Charlemagne, had built the largest European domain since Rome in its heyday. Though they jockeyed for power, prestige, and profit, the Frankish elites enjoyed political and cultural consensus. But just two generations later, their world was in shambles. Civil war, once an unthinkable threat, had erupted after Louis the Pious's sons tried to overthrow him-and then placed their knives at the other's neck. Families who had once charged into battle together now drew each other's blood.
The Carolingian Civil War would rage for years as kings fought kings, brother faced off against brother, and sons challenged fathers. Oathbreakers is the dramatic history of this brutal, turbulent time. Medieval historians David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele illuminate what happens when a once unshakeable political and cultural order breaks down and long suppressed tensions flare into deadly violence. Drawn from rich primary sources, featuring a wide cast of characters, this compelling work of narrative history rivals the greatest fictional epics-with consequences that continue to shape our own world.
Oathbreakers offers lessons of what deep cracks in a once-stable social and political fabric might reveal, and the bloody consequences of disagreeing on facts and reality. The Civil War at the heart of this tale asks: who is "in" and who is "out"? And what happens when things fall apart?
Epic Medieval History: Based on rich primary sources, this gripping account details the collapse of the largest European domain since the Roman Empire, exploring what happens when a once-unshakeable political and cultural order breaks down.
Family Dynasties at War: Witness the brutal, years-long conflict that pitted brother against brother and son against father, as the heirs of Louis the Pious turned on each other and drew their family's blood in a fight for power.
The Fall of an Empire: Discover the consequences of deep cracks in a stable social fabric, as long-suppressed tensions flare into deadly violence that ends an empire, upends a continent, and redefines the future of Europe.
Charlemagne's Legacy Undone: Just two generations after the legendary Charlemagne sat on the throne, his world was in shambles. This is the story of how the great Carolingian consensus fell apart at the seams.
"An enlightening portrait of the medieval mindset." - Publishers Weekly
The authors of The Bright Ages return with a "real-life Game of Thrones" (New York Times Book Review)-the story of the Carolingian Civil War, a bloody, protracted battle pitting brother against brother, father against son, that would end an empire, upend a continent, and redefine the future of European history.
By the early ninth century, the Carolingian empire was at the height of its power. The Franks, led by Charlemagne, had built the largest European domain since Rome in its heyday. Though they jockeyed for power, prestige, and profit, the Frankish elites enjoyed political and cultural consensus. But just two generations later, their world was in shambles. Civil war, once an unthinkable threat, had erupted after Louis the Pious's sons tried to overthrow him-and then placed their knives at the other's neck. Families who had once charged into battle together now drew each other's blood.
The Carolingian Civil War would rage for years as kings fought kings, brother faced off against brother, and sons challenged fathers. Oathbreakers is the dramatic history of this brutal, turbulent time. Medieval historians David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele illuminate what happens when a once unshakeable political and cultural order breaks down and long suppressed tensions flare into deadly violence. Drawn from rich primary sources, featuring a wide cast of characters, this compelling work of narrative history rivals the greatest fictional epics-with consequences that continue to shape our own world.
Oathbreakers offers lessons of what deep cracks in a once-stable social and political fabric might reveal, and the bloody consequences of disagreeing on facts and reality. The Civil War at the heart of this tale asks: who is "in" and who is "out"? And what happens when things fall apart?
Epic Medieval History: Based on rich primary sources, this gripping account details the collapse of the largest European domain since the Roman Empire, exploring what happens when a once-unshakeable political and cultural order breaks down.
Family Dynasties at War: Witness the brutal, years-long conflict that pitted brother against brother and son against father, as the heirs of Louis the Pious turned on each other and drew their family's blood in a fight for power.
The Fall of an Empire: Discover the consequences of deep cracks in a stable social fabric, as long-suppressed tensions flare into deadly violence that ends an empire, upends a continent, and redefines the future of Europe.
Charlemagne's Legacy Undone: Just two generations after the legendary Charlemagne sat on the throne, his world was in shambles. This is the story of how the great Carolingian consensus fell apart at the seams.
Reviews / Votes
"While all of this is the sort of stuff that professional medievalists love to see, the thing I like most about Perry and Gabriele's effort is that it is fun. The Bright Ages is written in such an engaging and light manner that it is easy to race through. I found myself at the end of chapters faster than I wanted to be, completely drawn in by the narrative. You can tell how much the authors love the subject matter, and that they had a great time choosing stories to share and evidence to consider." - Slate on The Bright Ages"Incandescent and ultimately intoxicating, for as the chapters progress, it dawns on the reader that those who lived in this period were more conventional than cardboard figures. . . . They were, in essence, human." - Boston Globe on The Bright Ages
"This revisionist history of medieval Europe takes apart the myth of a savage, primitive period . . . with passion and verve, [Gabriele and Perry challenge] the reader to tackle assumptions, bias and prejudices about the past to create a more joined-up, inclusive picture of the thousand years that followed the sack of Rome." - Peter Frankopan, Guardian, on The Bright Ages
"It could be said that much of the history of early medieval Europe can be traced to this dramatic-if too little known-episode. In Oathbreakers, Messrs. Gabriele and Perry give it an erudite and readable presentation."
- Wall Street Journal
"This rousing history of a real-life Game of Thrones details the ninth-century battle among Charlemagne's heirs for control of his empire." - New York Times Book Review
"....a vivid and engaging narrative of the political events of the early ninth century." - TLS (UK)
"...as shocking, dramatic, and action-packed as any novel." - BookBub, "These Nonfiction Books Are Perfect Beach Reads"
"Cheer yourself up. . . . Take the medieval exit from 21st century troubles and enjoy some ninth-century strife and schooling." - Rebecca Solnit
"Lively writers, the authors cast a critical eye on the surviving sources, delivering a painless education on how historians try to determine what actually happened from fragmentary and wildly biased accounts. A scholarly and entertaining history of warring brothers." - Kirkus
"Though the events in Oathbreakers are distant in time, Gabriele and Perry describe them with an immediacy that's both informative and entertaining. . . . [revealing] that the emotions driving the actors in the Carolingian drama-ambition, greed, and the lust for power-are in fact as timely as today's headlines." - Shelf Awareness
"Popular history as it should be written-intelligent and wry, with some snarky digs at modern times despite nominally being about the 9th-century Franks. Highly recommend." - Harry Turtledove, award-winning author of The Guns of the South
"History buffs will enjoy this tale of fathers and sons, rebellion and betrayal, promises made and broken, plots and intrigue, and ultimately oaths taken and broken." - The Denver Post
"For such a significant event as the Carolingian Civil War, it's surprising how few books cover the topic in depth. Even more surprising is how well-written and accessible this one is-perfect for history enthusiasts." - Medievalists.net
"The 'Holy Roman Empire' reached a state of peace, however tenuous. But Charlemagne's heirs had greater ambitions. The empire fell into civil war, as sons fought fathers and one another. This set the stage for Europe's Middle Ages. Historians Gabriele and Perry (The Bright Ages, 2022) plumb resources from the era to narrate the story of these internecine struggles....This is a serious, meticulous history that will also appeal to Game of Thrones fans, who will discover intriguing parallels between history and fiction." - Booklist
"Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry do an excellent job of detailing a complex story of shifting alliances and bitter conflict, creating an intricate portrait of Medieval strife that rivals any episode of Game of Thrones. Oathbreakers is historical writing at its finest." - Chicago Review of Books, "12 Must-Read Books of December 2024"
"Full of twists and turns, family feuds, and destabilizing coups, the authors make the ninth century come alive with an engaging read that doesn't skimp on academic rigor." - Arlington Magazine, "10 New Books to Read in December"
"Through subtle readings of biased chronicles and documents, Gabriele and Perry dispel the romantic aura of the Carolingian era, depicting it as an entertaining but gruesome medieval picaresque of power-hungry plots, murders, and-stomach-churningly-blindings. The authors also shrewdly explore the Franks' genuine belief in the sacredness of kingship-and especially of royal oaths-that kept such a violent system in motion. The result is an enlightening portrait of the medieval mindset." - Publishers Weekly
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
506 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-333667-4 (9780063336674)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Matthew Gabriele | David M. Perry
Oathbreakers
The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe
E-Book
12/2024
HarperCollins
€21.79
Available for download
Persons
Matthew Gabriele is a professor of medieval studies at Virginia Tech, and coauthor with David M. Perry of The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe, alongside several other academic books. His writing has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, and he has been featured in local, national, and international media. He and Perry co-write the newsletter Modern Medieval on Buttondown.
David M. Perry is a journalist, a medieval historian, and the associate director of undergraduate studies in the history department at the University of Minnesota. He was formerly a professor of history at Dominican University. Perry is the author of Sacred Plunder: Venice and the Aftermath of the Fourth Crusade and coauthor of The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Nation, the Atlantic, and on CNN.com, among other outlets. He and Gabriele co-write the newsletter Modern Medieval on Buttondown.
David M. Perry is a journalist, a medieval historian, and the associate director of undergraduate studies in the history department at the University of Minnesota. He was formerly a professor of history at Dominican University. Perry is the author of Sacred Plunder: Venice and the Aftermath of the Fourth Crusade and coauthor of The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Nation, the Atlantic, and on CNN.com, among other outlets. He and Gabriele co-write the newsletter Modern Medieval on Buttondown.