Preface ; 1. 300-700 ; 2. The Franks and the State of France ; 3. The Old German Constitution ; 4. The Barbarians and the Fall of Rome ; 5. Empire and Aftermath ; 6. Nation, Class, and Race ; 7. The Lombards and the Risorgimento ; 8. Heirs of the Martyrs ; 9. Language, Law, and National Boundaries ; 10. Romans, Barbarians, and Prussians ; 11. Teutons, Romans, and 'Scientific' History ; 12. About Belgium: The Impact of the Great War ; 13. Past Settlements: Interpretations of the Migration Period from 1918-45 ; 14. Christian Engagement in the Interwar Period ; 15. The Emergence of Late Antiquity ; 16. Presenting a New Europe ; Bibliography

`The Modern Origins of the Early Middle Ages is a splendid survey, full of new and interesting things. It will enlighten the young and infuriate their elders, not least those of Marxist persuasion. It is a pleasure to read.' Nicolas Vincent, Times Literary Supplement `In this excellent book Wood employs an impressive range of primary and secondary sources to provide fascinating insights into the origins of the Middle Ages. As Wood remarks in his preface, the book responds to the recent tendency to consider medieval studies as superfluous and exotic by demonstrating the significant role that reflexions on the Middle Ages and their origins have played in European politics and culture from the beginning of the early modern period until today.' Hans-Werner Goetz, Sehepunkte `Systematically reviewing the social context of individual scholars and the reception of their work, Wood demonstrates not only the inseparability of these two historical periods but also the importance and cultural implications of the historian's task. Recommended.' M. Rautman, Choice `The Modern Origins of the Early Middle Ages is thoroughly researched and written with the great clarity that comes from an unparalleled knowledge and understanding of the subject ... Ian Wood's book will have a long shelf life because it is near authoritative and surely no-one for a long time to come will have such a command of the detail.' Reviews in History `This is an outstandingly searching and illuminating examination of how historical debate has shaped, and been shaped by, cultural horizons and political conflict ... no historian, and certainly no medievalist, should be allowed out of graduate school without having read it.' R.I. Moore, English Historical Review `Ian Wood's long-awaited survey of early medieval historiography offers a broad panorama of approaches to and understandings of the late Roman Empire and Germanic migrations by Western European scholars between the eighteenth century and the present ... It is difficult to do justice in this short space to Wood's careful reading of the primary sources over more than three-and-a-half centuries.' Bonnie Effros, American Historical Review

First study of how the study of the early Middle Ages developed throughout Western Europe Provides an international account Places the historiography in its political, social, and intellectual context: thus directed to modernists as well as medievalists Provides a full account of major theories which have been unjustly forgotten Looks beyond the normal bounds of academic historiography, incorporating exhibitions and works of literature

First study of how the study of the early Middle Ages developed throughout Western Europe Provides an international account Places the historiography in its political, social, and intellectual context: thus directed to modernists as well as medievalists Provides a full account of major theories which have been unjustly forgotten Looks beyond the normal bounds of academic historiography, incorporating exhibitions and works of literature