A fascinating account of one of the most important eras in history spanning the breadth of the globe and illustrated throughout with brilliant full-colour illustrations. A History of the Middle Ages follows the history of the world through the turbulent times after the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 to the year 1492, when contact between Europe and the Americas reshaped world history. This book examines the rise of Christianity; the astounding advances in the sciences and the arts in the Islamic world; how economic powerhouses developed in Africa and powerful states arose in the Americas; how trade flourished throughout central Asia and China in the form of the Silk Roads, the terrifying depredations of the Mongol invasions, and the crusades and other conflicts of Europe that marked a so-called era of 'chivalry'. This narrative brings to life the personalities, the technologies, the politics and the culture that defined a crucial era in the development of the world we know today.