As we move into the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries, the medieval world enters an age of upheaval, migration and transformation.

Viking long ships carve their way across the seas, striking monasteries, founding new kingdoms and reshaping the political map from Ireland to the rivers of Eastern Europe.

In the heart of the Frankish world, Charlemagne's empire fractures into the early

outlines of modern France and Germany, while Slavic states rise, convert and define their

own identities between the competing influences of Rome and Constantinople.

Far to the east, the collapse of the Tang dynasty sends China into fragmentation, even as new powers,

the Qithan and the Korea Kingdom and the early Vietnamese state emerged from the shifting landscape.

The Islamic world, once unified under the Abbasids, begins to splinter into rival caliphates

from Cordoba to Cairo, each forging its own golden age of culture and learning.

Across the Americas, the classic Maya world falters, while in the Andes, the ancestors of

the Inca begin their ascent.

This is a world in motion, empires collapsing, kingdoms rising, religions spreading, and entire regions

redefining themselves.

In this episode we explore how the medieval world of the 800s to the 1000s set the stage for the centuries that followed.

The History of the World podcast, written and presented by Chris Hasler.

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