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Origins of the European Economy: Communications and Commerce AD 300 - 900
This is the first comprehensive analysis of the economic transition from antiquity to the Middle Ages in over sixty years. It brings fresh evidence to bear on the fall of the Roman empire and the origins of the medieval economy. The book uses new material from recent excavations, and develops a new method for the study of hundreds of travelers to reconstitute the communications infrastructure that conveyed those travelers - ship sailings, overland routes - linking Europe to Africa and Asia, from the time of the later Roman empire to the reign of Charlemagne and beyond.
1130 pages, Hardcover
First published February 11, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 30, 2010
Think a lengthy discursus on the economic changes of the "Dark Ages" can't be interesting? Guess again!
November 30, 2007
This book is amazing! 1101 pages of hard data... I know its a bit much. But I could not put it down. He uses everything from carbon levels in Alpine glaciers to ship wrecks in the Mediterranean Sea to prove vibrant trade in a period where most people thought none existed. With this book the dark ages are not dark any more.
October 19, 2019
The main argument, which found large support amongst medievalists, is that there was trade where we previously thought there was close to none. This refutes the famous "Pirenne thesis", dating back several decades to a book in which Henri Pirenne claims that the rise of Islam depressed the economic system and trade came to a halt.
A very controversial hypothesis of McCormick, some call it the "McCormick thesis", is that the European commercial revolution during the late middle ages was essentially kickstarted by the trade of European (mostly Christian) slaves to the Muslim world. There the demand for slaves was voracious after the bubonic plague was overcome in the 8th century. The only other good which was in high demand outside of Europe were furs from the North. These two were early preconditions for the rise in overall prosperity as they kept trade alive and ensured an inflow of bullion. A population expansion and more demand for goods followed. The commercial revolution was next.
McCormick asserts that Europeans hunted and captured slaves across the continent. This behaviour had royal sanction, as e.g. Charlemagne and also his son did not intervene. It also has to be noted that Christians in general historically didn't bother enslaving other Christians, which is different from the Muslim world. Critique by Joachim Henning (2003) claims that the main source of slaves for the Muslim world were slave raids of Byzantine and Arab forces upon the Mediterranean coastline.
Some fellow historians criticise him for using too much economic jargon (n.b.: historians tend to think that economists are not very clever and usually get it wrong). It has to be noted that this is a tome. I wish there was a technical appendix with all the extensive data, tables, etc. And a 200-page well-written summary that outlines the main arguments concisely. It would have been certainly more accessible to a broader audience.
A very controversial hypothesis of McCormick, some call it the "McCormick thesis", is that the European commercial revolution during the late middle ages was essentially kickstarted by the trade of European (mostly Christian) slaves to the Muslim world. There the demand for slaves was voracious after the bubonic plague was overcome in the 8th century. The only other good which was in high demand outside of Europe were furs from the North. These two were early preconditions for the rise in overall prosperity as they kept trade alive and ensured an inflow of bullion. A population expansion and more demand for goods followed. The commercial revolution was next.
McCormick asserts that Europeans hunted and captured slaves across the continent. This behaviour had royal sanction, as e.g. Charlemagne and also his son did not intervene. It also has to be noted that Christians in general historically didn't bother enslaving other Christians, which is different from the Muslim world. Critique by Joachim Henning (2003) claims that the main source of slaves for the Muslim world were slave raids of Byzantine and Arab forces upon the Mediterranean coastline.
Some fellow historians criticise him for using too much economic jargon (n.b.: historians tend to think that economists are not very clever and usually get it wrong). It has to be noted that this is a tome. I wish there was a technical appendix with all the extensive data, tables, etc. And a 200-page well-written summary that outlines the main arguments concisely. It would have been certainly more accessible to a broader audience.
October 1, 2016
The Dark Ages, until recent decades, was one of the most poorly understood eras of European history. It is a period bracketed by the Roman Empire and the High Middle Ages. The dearth of written resources has made it difficult for historians to piece together the nature of the period on traditional methods. Michael McCormick innovated an approach, building on the research of others, to shed a great deal of light on what Europe's economy looked like.
There has been two competing visions for what Europe's economy was between 300 and 1000 CE. On one hand some argue that Christian Europe entered freefall as long-distance trade and communication while other historians said that trade continued in great volume during the period. McCormick forges a different, more nuanced path. In short, he argues that there were periods of decline and growth. Following the fall of the Roman Empire their patterns of trade and connectivity declined. Long-distance, subsidized trade collapsed as did the markets in Rome and elsewhere. The nadir appears to have occurred in the 7th century. It makes sense as Muslim conquests were disrupting North Africa and the Levant. However, around 750 trade began to revive, though it never died. Old routes returned. Trade journeys shifted from long-distance to shorter legs, improvements in technology and trade practices stitched together parts of the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
McCormick's tome is extensive and looks at many different facets of communications and trade over the period. The logs of diplomats, pilgrims, and missionaries show evidence that links frayed but never broke, the appearance of foreign coins in Italy and France suggests engagement with Islamic trade, and the appearance of goods from far and wide appear in hordes and royal halls.
The European economy underwent a particular set of transformations. First was the decline of Rome and its network of trade. Byzantium kept part of the network in tact in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southern Italy, but invading tribes disrupted much of Europe. The imperial network ceased to function, but the rise of Islam and Charlemagne created a new market. The German and French territories transformed from a wild frontier to an imperial centre and therefore a growing demand for luxury goods of the Mediterranean over the Alps. McCormick suggests that the growth of cities like Venice are due in part to Europeans supplying slaves to Muslim markets.
Generally it is established that the year 1000 is the beginning of the restoration of trade with the rise of the Italian maritime republics. McCormick clearly demonstrates that these cities had an early advantage centuries before hand supplying the prosperous markets of Egypt, and Syria. Not to mention that while there is a low point there is a definite continuity. As stability returned, or was established in Europe new and greater trade links developed through the Balkans, Eastern Europe, etc. McCormick does a fantastic job providing strong evidence that trade continued and insight to the 'Dark Ages'. It helped shape my understanding of the period and though I don't have the expertise I found it accessible and well-written.
There has been two competing visions for what Europe's economy was between 300 and 1000 CE. On one hand some argue that Christian Europe entered freefall as long-distance trade and communication while other historians said that trade continued in great volume during the period. McCormick forges a different, more nuanced path. In short, he argues that there were periods of decline and growth. Following the fall of the Roman Empire their patterns of trade and connectivity declined. Long-distance, subsidized trade collapsed as did the markets in Rome and elsewhere. The nadir appears to have occurred in the 7th century. It makes sense as Muslim conquests were disrupting North Africa and the Levant. However, around 750 trade began to revive, though it never died. Old routes returned. Trade journeys shifted from long-distance to shorter legs, improvements in technology and trade practices stitched together parts of the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
McCormick's tome is extensive and looks at many different facets of communications and trade over the period. The logs of diplomats, pilgrims, and missionaries show evidence that links frayed but never broke, the appearance of foreign coins in Italy and France suggests engagement with Islamic trade, and the appearance of goods from far and wide appear in hordes and royal halls.
The European economy underwent a particular set of transformations. First was the decline of Rome and its network of trade. Byzantium kept part of the network in tact in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southern Italy, but invading tribes disrupted much of Europe. The imperial network ceased to function, but the rise of Islam and Charlemagne created a new market. The German and French territories transformed from a wild frontier to an imperial centre and therefore a growing demand for luxury goods of the Mediterranean over the Alps. McCormick suggests that the growth of cities like Venice are due in part to Europeans supplying slaves to Muslim markets.
Generally it is established that the year 1000 is the beginning of the restoration of trade with the rise of the Italian maritime republics. McCormick clearly demonstrates that these cities had an early advantage centuries before hand supplying the prosperous markets of Egypt, and Syria. Not to mention that while there is a low point there is a definite continuity. As stability returned, or was established in Europe new and greater trade links developed through the Balkans, Eastern Europe, etc. McCormick does a fantastic job providing strong evidence that trade continued and insight to the 'Dark Ages'. It helped shape my understanding of the period and though I don't have the expertise I found it accessible and well-written.
February 7, 2016
Monumental. You might think of this as an extended commentary on the Pirenne thesis, using clever and original methodology to try to understand just how much contact there was throughout the Mediterranean and northern European regions in the early medieval period. (It looks like there was a good deal more than historians used to think.) And despite being really long, it's actually written in an engaging style. It's a commitment, to be sure; it took me a month to read, and I'm a really fast reader. But worth it.
September 27, 2023
This is a tome. As such, this is definitely not recommended as an entry point for this particular period of history nor for economic history. It is however, incredibly insightful in some of the depth and recent (circa 2001) archeological findings that help draw a more clear picture of the social and economic history of the early medieval period. The fact that this book still is referenced in bibliographies of history books written as late as 2022 speaks to the volume of information one can find. It gave me an appreciation for the otherwise "mundane" aspects of trade and communication and just how those aspects play a role in history. Definitely enjoyed it - just make sure to do some prep reading before diving in, and be ready for a long submersion.
December 28, 2022
It's long, REALLY long. However, it's an awesome book that really challenges alot of popular narratives about the middle ages.
Michael McCormick weaves together economics, ecology, environmental data, geology, archeology, and cultural anthropology in a way that VERY solidly supports his thesis. I heard about it in a great courses lecture series and it's hands down the best/most thought provoking book I've ever read on the middle ages.
I used it as a secondary source for a final research paper. If you're not a hardcore history/econ nerd or a student it's probably a bit much. If you're both it's great. Also, a little terrifying if you see the switch/ evolution of modern markets.
Michael McCormick weaves together economics, ecology, environmental data, geology, archeology, and cultural anthropology in a way that VERY solidly supports his thesis. I heard about it in a great courses lecture series and it's hands down the best/most thought provoking book I've ever read on the middle ages.
I used it as a secondary source for a final research paper. If you're not a hardcore history/econ nerd or a student it's probably a bit much. If you're both it's great. Also, a little terrifying if you see the switch/ evolution of modern markets.
February 20, 2017
Had you ever considered all those obviously false hagiographies as good (albeit fictional) evidence about the time period in which they were written? Or how the presence of a relic in France means contemporaries knew there was a shipping from the Holy Land in order for that piece of the true cross to’ve arrived? What a well-writ and well-considered book! I love a historian who spends time with the primary data sources and then brings interesting thoughts to light. As for a key conclusion, that selling its own people as slaves to the Caliphate was a central part of Europe’s early Middle Ages economy, I can only say that Balzac was certainly right (“behind every great fortune there is a great crime”) about the Venetian experience.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews