John Haywood was educated at the universities of Lancaster, Cambridge and Copenhagen. He is an expert on the history of Dark Age Europe, the Vikings and Celts. His authorial credits include Ocean: A History of the Atlantic Before Columbus as well as The Penguin Atlas of the Vikings and The New Atlas of World History, also published by Thames & Hudson.
'This beautiful and impressive book fills a major gap in popular understanding of the Middle Ages, and indeed of Western history as a whole. With its brilliant series of maps, it traces the story across Europe and the Mediterranean from the fifth century to the year 1000' - Michael Wood, historian and broadcaster, author of 'In Search of the Dark Ages'