Debunking 19th century nationalist ideologies by historical proof

Review of The Myth of Nations: The Medieval Origins of Europe by Patrick Geary

This is a very fun essay, designed to make us examine the mythology behind the nationalism that arose at the end of the 19^th century, as supported by myths of ancient heroism or lineage. It is supposed to be for the general reader, not the specialist, but I think it is rather rarified in terms of the details he gets into. To prove his point, he gets ver…