I've been watching documentaries on Gothic, Franciscan, and Anglo Saxon battle tech and conquest around Europe. I love Bill Bryson and his sweeping style that seems to sum up large tracts of history in a succinct and often funny way. Writers like Bryson save me an enormous amount of reading time. Can anyone recommend a big picture well written history book that covers all of Europe and hits on all the competing barbarian and established empires that rose and fell from the fall of Rome up until like WWI? A special focus on weapons, cultural traits, technology changes and (I hate to say it) sweeping generalizations would be preferable.

I also enjoyed Guns, Germs and Steel.

Another note:

There's a book titled The Great Hunger: Ireland: 1845-1849 that I really enjoyed but I'm looking for something that's the complete opposite of this. I don't want every detail; but I do want something that's accurate as well. I would be open to a series of books.

Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything except for European history is basically what I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance for your help. There are so many books written on this subject that I don't even know where to begin. I do already have a history degree so I have some basic knowledge on this stuff. I don't want a 'history for dummies' type book.