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In the first session in HistoryExtra\u2019s Medieval Masterclass with Dan Jones<\/strong>, we looked at what one brilliant modern historian has labelled the \u2018inheritance of Rome\u2019. We started with the Roman empire<\/a> in the west in a state of retreat and collapse, rocked by a changing climate and several generations of mass migration, among other things. Then we explored the secondary superpowers that emerged in Rome\u2019s wake: the so-called \u2018barbarian\u2019 realms that laid the foundations for the European kingdoms; the remodelled eastern Roman super state of Byzantium; and the first Islamic empires.<\/p>\n Dan Jones is the author of numerous internationally bestselling books about medieval history, including Crusaders<\/em>, The Plantagenets,<\/em> The Hollow Crown<\/em>, The Templars<\/em> and Magna Carta<\/em>. He co-authored The Colour of Time<\/em> with Marina Amaral. Dan has written and presented documentary series including Secrets of Great British Castles<\/em> and Britain\u2019s Bloodiest Dynasty: The Plantagenets.<\/em> His new book is Powers and Thrones<\/em>, out now.<\/strong><\/p>\n