The Medieval World View: An Introduction

The Medieval World View, Third Edition, presents the presuppositions of medieval society in a systematic fashion by integrating brief, self-contained selections from primary texts and carefully captioned photographs into a narrative of the medieval world and its foundations. The text is divided into three parts. Treating both the classical and biblical antecedents of the Middle Ages and ending in Late Antiquity, Part One includes a thorough discussion of the monumental figure of St. Augustine. Part Two deals with the early Middle Ages, beginning with the disintegration of the Roman Empire and continuing through the German invasions and the renaissance associated with the reign of Charlemagne. Part Three examines the High Middle Ages and beyond, following developments in the Church, in politics, and in arts and culture from the twelfth century through the end of the fifteenth century. The third edition features two entirely new chapters, Chapter 5 on Byzantium and Chapter 6 on Islam. Handling sophisticated issues with great clarity and ease, The Medieval World View is ideal for courses in Medieval history, literature, or art history.