Book 5 of a short reading course recommended by Norman F Cantor.
My kowledge of Medieval Europe around the time of Charlemagne was sparse to begin with, which has now been somewhat addressed by this book. Probably my biggest take away from this book is just how large the Carolingian Empire was at its height.
The book runs through varying strata of the Carolingian Empire, and gives a sometimes brief glance at various aspects of daily life, from the poor to the rich, its diversity of cultures and beliefs, the struggles of the times, environmentally, culturally, economically, militarily. A very decent overview, and yet not quite as engaging as many of the previous works cited by Cantor. At least, until the final chapter, which hit upon relics and pilgrimages, which hold a particular fascination for me.
While the scope of the book sits comfortably within the period often referred to as the Dark Ages, there was no lazy recourse to that old historical trope. Hardship was acknowledged and shortcomings too. The book did on several occasions seek to dispell some cherished assumptions about the period in question, which does need to be recognised, as there are quite a number of erroneous assumptions about this exact era.
All in all, while not a straight history about the era, it does reflect a more intimate portrait of the Empire, as 'daily life' books tend to, bringing to life the era more than a straight forward history can do.