When the Roman Empire in the West collapsed in the fifth century, Europe entered a turbulent new age. In The Dark Ages, 476-918 A.D., Charles Oman traces the centuries between the fall of Rome and the emergence of a new political order under the early medieval kingdoms. From the rise of the Germanic successor states to the expansion of the Franks, the struggles of the Byzantine Empire, the invasions of Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims, and the rise of Charlemagne and his successors, Oman presents a sweeping account of an era defined by conquest, migration, dynastic struggle, and the transformation of European civilization.

First published in the late nineteenth century, Oman's work remains valuable as a classic example of narrative medieval history. His attention to kings, emperors, warriors, battles, dynasties, and political rivalries brings the dramatic personalities of the early Middle Ages to the foreground. For readers interested in the fall of Rome, medieval Europe, the Byzantine Empire, Charlemagne, the Viking Age, and the origins of the European political order, The Dark Ages, 476-918 A.D. offers a detailed journey through the formative centuries between antiquity and the medieval world.