Headlines In History:  The 1000’s, by Brenda Stalcup, Bonnie Szumski, and Scott Barbour, editors

This book is the first book, chronologically, in the Headlines In History series, though I have read most of the series previously [1] [2].  This book shows certain elements of focus that will continue in the rest of the series–a focus on world cultures, especially China, Japan, Africa, and the Americas (certain peoples like the mound builders of Cahoika or the Toltecs show up again and again), as well as an interest in cultural, social, and religious history.

The book is itself organized curiously, often showing the secondary effects of a phenomenon (such as the Crusades or the Norman conquest of England) after showing the causes (the expansion of Seljuk Turk power and Viking explorations).  Nonetheless, this solid book of roughly 300 pages contains the series’ usual strong mixture of excellent secondary sources and primary source documentation to provide a useful and informative read.

The book is divided into six sections.  The first section is about Western Europe’s emergence from the dark ages, and contains sections about apocalyptic religious beliefs, feudalism, the Peace of God movement, a primary source about a Truce of God from Cologne, papal reform, the lay investiture controversy, a source from Pope Gregory VII on the limits of royal authority, the Norman conquest, a primary document showing the claim of William the Conqueror to the English throne, and a source on the often neglected Norman conquest of Southern Italy and Sicily.  The second section takes a look at the Vikings, with sources including a historical look at the Viking discovery of North America [3], an excerpt from the Greenlanders’ Saga about Viking-Native American relations, an account of Iceland’s peaceful conversion to Christianity, an examination of the Viking Rulers of England, and a short piece on the end of the Viking Age.

The third section of this book covers the Crusades, including an examination of the origin of the First Crusade, a look at Pope Urban’s call for the First Crusade, a text of the Pope Urban’s speech at Clermont, an examination of the Peasants’ Crusade, a primary text showing the Byzantine perspective of the early Crusaders, an account by Karen Armstrong on the atrocities of the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, and a Muslim perspective of the First Crusade.  The fourth section of the book takes an expansive look at the expansion of the Islamic world, looking at the rise to power of the Seljuk Turks, a primary source document of the reign of Egypt’s Mad Caliph al-Hakim, an examination of the culture and society of Muslim Spain, an examination of the battles between Christians and Muslims in Spain, a source by the Muslim Ibn ‘Alqama about El Cid’s surrender terms to the city of Valencia, as well as historical essays on the Muslim domination of India as well as the Berber conquest of the Kingdom of Ghana.

The fifth section of the book examines Asia’s cultural Renaissance, showing particular concern for life in China during the early Sung period, economic reforms, the importance of the intellectual class (including a primary source document on proposals for training and selecting government officials), and also the contribution to literacy and education resulting from the development of block printing in China.  This section also includes an examination of the growth of Japanese native culture, with a special focus on the role of Lady Murasaki Shikibu in writing the world’s first known novel, an excerpt of which is included about “the art of storytelling.”  The sixth and last section of the book examines the Toltecs of Mexico, their conquest of the Maya, an examination both of Anasazi culture and the question of Anasazi cannibalism, as well as a brief history of urban sprawl in Cahoika.  The book concludes with its usual timeline and suggestions for further research.

This book is an excellent example of broad cultural interests, a willingness to deal with unpleasant aspects of history (anti-Semetism in Europe, crusader atrocities, cannibalism), and an examination of the influence of military and religious fervor on cultural history.  As a whole, this book stands strong, and at about 300 pages provides a small treasure trove of useful historical gems.

[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/book-reviews-headlines-in-history-the-1100s-1200s-1300s-1400s-and-1700s/

[2] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/book-review-headlines-in-history-the-1500s/

[3] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/does-it-matter-who-discovered-america/