Eastern and Western Europe in the Middle Ages

by K. Bosl, F. Graus, F. Seibt

Eastern and Western Europe in the Middle Ages (Library of European Civilizations)

Genres: History, Medieval

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1970

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have definitely been having attention problems since the start of the pandemic. I can say that I enjoyed the beginning most where he (?) explains why East and west had not yet taken on the cultural differences they were later believed to have.

[Yuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear and concise book, with in depth information about religious conflicts between E. and W. Europe.

[Mija · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5ish tbh

[Bob Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“towards a new concept of European history”

As this volume was published in 1970, I’m not sure that its contents contain anything new today. However, it is a very competent set of five articles written by European authors. The attempt was made to get away from the usual Anglo-American slant on Europe which heavily favored France, Italy and Spain and tended to ignore Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and their relations with Germany and the West. “Eastern Europe” in this case does not refer to the countries once dominated by Ottoman Turkey or to Russia.
A number of histories that I’ve read over the years do promote the idea of ceaseless conflict between Germans and Slavs, but the authors here declare that to be inaccurate.
“ ‘German’ and ‘Slav’ are scholarly constructions which hide diversity. Cooperation and assimilation also played a role.” (p.9) Diverse nations did appear in the Middle Ages, but at the same time, the basis of a common civilization was laid, according to the authors. They downplay wars and conquest, pointing out that wars among Eastern European societies were as common as in the West and they were not limited to wars between Germans and Slavs. “Far more significant was the leavening process of attrition resulting from continuous, almost daily contact, the interaction at every level….” (p.11) Unity among “Teutonic” peoples and among “Slavic” peoples is mainly wishful thinking and latter-day propaganda. “The abstractions of “Slav” and “German” or “Western” and “Eastern history simply do not correspond to the facts” (p.37) if anything they have helped to erect barriers and strengthen prejudices.
So, while the title seems to promise something grander, this well-crafted book concentrates on the German-Slav connection, with some mentions of the Hungarians as well. They note some big differences as well as some similarities. One difference was that in Western Europe the Catholic Church was older than the temporal authorities in the Middle Ages—it owned vast estates and had equivalent status to the big lords. But in Eastern Europe the Church only spread after the temporal authority was established. Princes formed the bishoprics, unlike in the West.
Another difference between the two parts was that Eastern European economy and society were a product of recent conquest, immigration, and new settlement. Their history of non-tribal existence was much shorter than those of Italy, France, England or the Low Countries. East-West trade did not level things out either. It resembled to modern developing countries’ trade with developed ones in that the trade widened the economic gap.
There are interesting observations about the Church and its organization and the different aspects of Western trade routes and products. One chapter deals with the cultural interchanges. The book is part of a series on European history edited by Thames and Hudson. It is quite lavishly illustrated, but needed a few more maps. I think anyone interested in overall European history as compared to separate national ones will find a very interesting read here.