The Middle Ages Essay

Bruno Leone, the author of “The Middle Ages” really does a good job on how this book was put together. Throughout the whole book, there are only 5 chapters, but within those 5 chapters, he has them broken up into what I would like to call sub chapters. At the beginning of each sub chapter, there are quotes from different sources from a short essay. For example: the very first sub chapter from the first chapter has a quote from a short essay that states “The earliest description we have of the German tribes who later would be collectively referred to as barbarians is from the Germania of Publius Cornelius Tacitus.” [32] Also goes on to say “Although he never visited the Germans in their lands beyond the northern and northeastern borders of the Roman Empire, he did learn much about them from German prisoners of war and the Roman soldiers who had campaigned against them.” [32] The introduction was closed out by stating that Publius Cornelius Tacitus is considered a good source to the people that would be mainly responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire. [32]
Another sub chapter of chapter one is on the Huns. The way Leone describes these barbarians and makes them out to be some sort of monster. “At the very moment of their birth the cheeks of their infant children are deeply marked by an iron, in order that the usual vigor of their hair, instead of grown at the proper season, may be withered by the wrinkled scars; and accordingly they grow up without beards, and consequently without any beauty, like eunuchs, though they all have closely-knit and strong limbs, and plump necks; they are of great size, and low legged, so that you might fancy them two legged beast.” [44] The huns were always moving and while Leone described them as being
homeless and lawless, I would not consider them homeless because they had their wives and their wagons. Their wagons to me would be like a mobile home.
Moving on through the book, Leone covers the “Saints and Sinners” in chapter...