Henri Pirenne

“The Germanic invasions destroyed neither the Mediterranean unity of the ancient world, nor what may be regarded as the truly essential features of the Roman culture.”

“The cause of the break with the tradition of antiquity was the rapid and unexpected advance of Islam.”

“From every point of view, the Roman Empire was essentially Mediterranean. All its activities were concentrated on the shores of this sea.”

“Without Islam, the Frankish Empire would probably never have existed, and Charlemagne, without Muhammad, would be inconceivable.”

“The Middle Ages did not begin with the German invasions; they began with the closing of the Mediterranean by the Arabs.”

“History is not the story of heroes; it is the story of societies.”

“The City is a commune, a sworn association, which has obtained, either by insurrection or by the payment of a price, a charter of liberties.”

“The state of affairs which was to last until the Carolingian period was determined by the establishment of the Germans in the Roman Empire.”

“To understand a thing is to be able to re-create it in thought.”

“It was not until the eighth century that the rupture was completed between the East and the West.”

“The great novelty of the Middle Ages was the appearance of a class="highlight">mercantile class outside the land-owning aristocracy.”