jjares reviewed History of Eastern Europe: A Captivating Guide to a Shortened History of Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Moldova, Belarus, and Romania on + 3270 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A special thank you goes to whoever insisted on all of the maps for this book about Eastern Europe. Because many Americans are not as familiar with the countries of Eastern Europe, the maps were critical to understanding what was going on. Sit back and be prepared to be surprised by the amazing history of Eastern Europe -- they were part of nearly continuous migrations and fights over valuable trade routes.
The opening explanation of the more diverse collections of ethnic groups in Eastern Europe (than Western Europe) was eye-opening. The explanation of how Western Europe was able to secure self-rule earlier than their eastern neighbors was also helpful. I thought the explanation of Eastern Europe's diverse languages (and their origins) was worth the price of the book. I've never seen such a complex concept explained so well.
During the Migration Period, the lands of Eastern Europe were dominated by four groups: The Byzantines, the Franks, the Khazars, and the Bulgarians. Each group was coalescing around their own economy, government, religion, and social hierarchies. However, the issue of religion often led to disputes and warring between groups. This book offers a different look at Christian conversion; there was a distinct competition between the Eastern Byzantine and Western Roman Catholic Churches that played out in Eastern Europe.
Another surprising fact was the story about the trade of Slavic peoples (as prisoners of war) who were captured and sold as slaves between the 700- and the 1100s. But as more Slavs became Christians, Slavs stopped being the targets of the slave trade.
Another snippet of fascinating history is the fact that since the Mongols took over Russian lands and dominated Russia for 200 years, the Russians were not part of the Renaissance or the Reformation. Before reading this information, it never registered with me that the Russians were not part of these two historic events.
This author reminds us that, just as in every other Ottoman territory, the Albanians were forced to send their Christian sons to the Ottomans as tribute. These sons were trained to serve the state as Janissaries. By 1600 CE, there were four major powers in Eastern Europe were the Habsburg dynasty, the Ottoman Empire, Sweden, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
It was fascinating to read how many countries imported leaders over the centuries. One real surprise was the Greek Phanariot family (only interested in merchandise), who were imported to Romania to serve as rulers by the Ottomans! Sheesh.
Overall, this is a staggering amount of history in just over 350 pages. However, I don't plan to read any more historical books of this length. There is just too much history crammed together to keep the info straight. I had to read parts twice.
The opening explanation of the more diverse collections of ethnic groups in Eastern Europe (than Western Europe) was eye-opening. The explanation of how Western Europe was able to secure self-rule earlier than their eastern neighbors was also helpful. I thought the explanation of Eastern Europe's diverse languages (and their origins) was worth the price of the book. I've never seen such a complex concept explained so well.
During the Migration Period, the lands of Eastern Europe were dominated by four groups: The Byzantines, the Franks, the Khazars, and the Bulgarians. Each group was coalescing around their own economy, government, religion, and social hierarchies. However, the issue of religion often led to disputes and warring between groups. This book offers a different look at Christian conversion; there was a distinct competition between the Eastern Byzantine and Western Roman Catholic Churches that played out in Eastern Europe.
Another surprising fact was the story about the trade of Slavic peoples (as prisoners of war) who were captured and sold as slaves between the 700- and the 1100s. But as more Slavs became Christians, Slavs stopped being the targets of the slave trade.
Another snippet of fascinating history is the fact that since the Mongols took over Russian lands and dominated Russia for 200 years, the Russians were not part of the Renaissance or the Reformation. Before reading this information, it never registered with me that the Russians were not part of these two historic events.
This author reminds us that, just as in every other Ottoman territory, the Albanians were forced to send their Christian sons to the Ottomans as tribute. These sons were trained to serve the state as Janissaries. By 1600 CE, there were four major powers in Eastern Europe were the Habsburg dynasty, the Ottoman Empire, Sweden, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
It was fascinating to read how many countries imported leaders over the centuries. One real surprise was the Greek Phanariot family (only interested in merchandise), who were imported to Romania to serve as rulers by the Ottomans! Sheesh.
Overall, this is a staggering amount of history in just over 350 pages. However, I don't plan to read any more historical books of this length. There is just too much history crammed together to keep the info straight. I had to read parts twice.
