Originally published in English in 1964, this book threw new light on the positive value and significance of the Middle Ages. It discusses Constantine and the triumph of Christianity; the clash between the German tribes and Roman civilization at the time of Stilicho and Alaric; the confrontation between Germanic Arianism and Roman Catholicism; St. Benedict and the foundation of Western monasticism; Charlemagne and the foundation of Europe; Otto II and the feudal empire; the expansion of the Christian world and the first Crusade; the final bids for power and the final crisis of the medieval world.