The Cumans and Magyars

The History and Legacy of the Steppe Nomads Who Raided Europe Throughout the Late Middle Ages

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Colin Fluxman

Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Of all the steppe peoples in the medieval period, perhaps none were more important to European history than the Magyars. Like the Huns and Avars before them and the Cumans and Mongols after them, the Magyars burst into Europe as a destructive, unstoppable horde, taking whatever they wanted and leaving a steady stream of misery in their wake. They used much of the same tactics as the other steppe peoples and lived a similar, nomadic lifestyle. The Magyars also had many early cultural affinities with other steppe peoples, following a similar religion and ideas of kingship and nobility, among other things. That said, as similar as the Magyars may have been to other steppe nomads before and after them, they were noticeably different in one way: The Magyars settled down and became a part of Europe and Western Civilization in the Middle Ages.

The Magyars exploded onto the European cultural scene in the late ninth century as foreign marauders, but they made alliances with many important kingdoms in less than a century and established their own dynasty in the area, roughly equivalent to the modern nation-state of Hungary. After establishing themselves as a legitimate dynasty among their European peers, the Magyars formed a sort of cultural bridge between the Roman Catholic kingdoms of Western Europe and the Orthodox Christian kingdoms of Eastern Europe. Ultimately, the Magyars chose the Roman Catholic Church, thereby becoming a part of the West and tying their fate to it for the remainder of the Middle Ages.

©2020 Charles River Editors (P)2020 Charles River Editors

Get a new intro

Whoever does the intro speaks like a dumber Forrest Gump. Replace him and the book is solid if short.

Very short

Short summary and sometimes wonders slightly off topic. There are much better books available on the topic.

Too basic, weird intro

Returned the title, and I nearly did early when I heard the robotic introduction. A human narrator does appear, but we then go onto a very disjointed audio book about two different tribes with no obvious blending when switching between the two peoples. Very short on details. It's understandable there's a lack of primary source for the Cumans but some of their most icon known aspects are not covered, such as the famous masks or key leader and battles. The lack of a named author probably sound have been a flag...