Even after a thousand years, the word "barbarians" still evokes fear. They destroyed the Roman Empire and plunged Europe into the Dark Ages. But they also laid the foundations of the Christian church and the modern nation-state. This volume reveals the notorious savagery and little-known sophistication of this much-maligned age. In the "Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe", medieval expert Michael Frassetto amasses the evidence for the defence - and prosecution - of this little-understood transition era in the history of Western civilization. Covering nearly 1000 years of history - from the late ancient period through the first centuries of the Middle Ages - this concise but thorough reference work examines the key figures, places, events and ideas of barbarian Europe. The text chronicles the Ancient Visigoths, the rule of Benedict and the sacking of Rome. The easy-to-access alphabetical entries and essays offer more than a mere chronicling of kings and battles and explore the social and cultural history of the era, with special attention played to role of women.