The Franks

     "Franks" is an essential chapter from Power and Thrones, the most comprehensive book on Medieval history that I've read.  It completely explains how Europe was shaped into the geopolitical continent we see today.  

    It began with the Carolingian Empire, which occupied more land in Europe than any other in 800 AD.  It was weakened by Viking invasions from the north, involving some conquerors who were paid off by the empire just to stop.  One faction was granted land in the north of France- the Normans- just as a plea bargain to stop invading.  The Normans diffused more readily with continental cultures than other Vikings, adopting Carolingian dialects and, more importantly, converting to Christianity, which thanks to Charlemagne was able to grant a holy blessing from the Pope to Christian emperors.  As the Normans invaded England, the land that was left- Normandy- became a battleground for centuries between Britain and France, both who had valid claims to it.  After the Carolingians, France itself was split into a western half, which largely made up modern France, and the larger eastern half, which came to comprise the enormously influential Holy Roman Empire, father of Germany, Austria, Hungary, and other modern countries.

    This essential Medieval picture of Europe is the missing link I've been seeking that connects Ancient Rome to modern Europe, for other than Byzantium, the Franks most clearly sought to emulate it.  So it was the Viking obstruction that truly led to bifurcations in Europe, along with a geography that posed no natural barriers, constantly bringing tribes of people into conflict.