Medieval Europe and the World From Late Antiquity to Modernity, 400-1500

by Winks, Robin W.; Ruiz, Teofilo F.

• ISBN13: 9780195156942
• ISBN10: 0195156943
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-02-17
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This brief but comprehensive book illuminates the history of the Middle Ages. Beginning with the rise of Christianity in the West, and ending with the crises that shook Europe and Byzantium in the fifteenth century, the volume serves as an excellent guide to one of the most complex and creative periods the world has ever known. The narrative discusses events in Europe alongside the spread of Islam and the rise and fall of the Byzantium Empire. While the text gives ample coverage to political events, an equal emphasis is placed on social and cultural developments of the time. The authors give careful attention to such things as the daily life of peasants, the rise of urban societies, and the changing status of women. Numerous illustrations bring the history to life. With nine maps, a chronological table, and a detailed list of suggested further readings, this is the perfect text for undergraduate courses in Medieval history.

Table of Contents

Maps and Boxes	ix
Preface: The Value of History	xi
INTRODUCTION	1	(8)
The Middle Ages	2	(4)
The Middle Ages and Rome
Christianity
The Germans
The Eastern Empire or Byzantium
Islam
Celts, Vikings, and Magyars
Europe and the World	6	(3)
1. THE END OF THE ANCIENT WORLD: CHRISTIANITY AND THE WESTERN EMPIRE	9	(28)
The Crises of the Ancient World	11	(2)
Christianity: The Importance of Religion in the Later Roman World	13	(3)
The Failure of Reason
Astrology
New Cults: Cybele, Isis, Mithras
The Development of Christianity in Late Antiquity	16	(14)
Christianity and Rome
The Organization of the Church Bishops and Their Duties
Monasticism
The Dynamics of the Spread of Christianity
The Development of Christian Thought
The Nicene Creed
The Debate over the Two Natures of Christ
Thought and Letters in the First Christian Centuries	30	(4)
The Rise of Christian Literature
Augustine
The Christian Triumph as a Historical Problem	34	(1)
The Aftermath of the Empire in the West	35	(1)
Summary	36	(1)
2. BYZANTIUM AND ISLAM, 500-1000	37	(39)
Byzantium	38	(8)
Byzantium: The "State"
The Law
War
Diplomacy
The Byzantine Economy
Byzantine Christianity and Relations with the West	46	(3)
Contrast with the West
Theological Quarrels with the West until 1054
The Fortunes of Empire, 330-1081	49	(4)
Constantine to Leo III, 330-717
Leo III to Basil I, 717-867
Basil I Through the "Time of Troubles," 867-1081
Byzantium and the Slavs and Turkic People	53	(7)
Conversion of the Bulgars
The Conversion of the Rus
Kievan Rus
Byzantine Learning and Literature
The Arts
The World of Islam, Circa 570-1096	60	(7)
Islam
Muhammad, Circa 570-632
Muhammad's Preaching
Expansion of Islam, 633-725
Disunity in Islam, 634-1055
Islam in the West	67	(2)
Spain
Sicily
Islamic Civilization	69	(5)
Science
Philosophy, Literature, and the Arts
Conclusion
Summary	74	(2)
3. MEDIEVAL SOCIETY IN THE WEST: FROM LATE ANTIQUITY TO THE CENTRAL MIDDLE AGES	76	(30)
The Breakdown of Roman Civilization	76	(1)
The Germans	77	(6)
Visigoths, Vandals, Celts, 410-455
Huns and Ostrogoths, 451-526
The Franks: The Building of an Empire	83	(6)
Italy from Theodoric to Pepin, 527-768
Charlemagne and the Revival of Empire, 768-814
After Charlemagne: The Northmen or Vikings	89	(4)
The Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms and the Danes, 871-1035
The Saxon Empire, 911-996
Society and Culture in the Early Medieval West	93	(4)
Free and Unfree
Family and People: From Public to Private
Culture	97	(7)
Latin Literature
Vernacular Literature: Beowulf
The Arts
The Spread of Christianity	104	(1)
Summary	105	(1)
4. MEDIEVAL SOCIETY: WARRIORS, PEASANTS, AND MERCHANTS	106	(24)
Introduction	106	(2)
Europe and the World Around 1000	108	(1)
Feudal Europe: The Structures of Everyday Life	108	(12)
Lord and Vassal
Lord and Peasant
The Feudal Revolution and the Expansion of the Arable
Urban Societies	120	(4)
The Bourgeoisie
Urban Society, Economy, and Culture
On the Margins of Society	124	(1)
The Changing Status of Women	125	(4)
Summary	129	(1)
5. THOSE WHO PRAY: PRIESTS, MONKS, AND CRUSADERS	130	(23)
Those Who Pray	130	(4)
The Church Universal
Theories of Papal Monarchy
The Investiture Controversy	134	(4)
Saxon Administration and the German Church, 911-955
The Investiture Controversy, 1046-1122
The Triumph of Papal Reform
The Investiture Controversy in Retrospect
The Crusades	138	(10)
Origins of the Crusades
The First Crusade, 1095
The Crusader Realms, 1098-1109
The Military Orders, 1119-1798
The Muslim Reconquest and the Later Crusades, 1144-1291
The Impact of the Crusades on the West
The Church in Society	148	(3)
Cistercians and Augustinians
Friars: Dominicans and Franciscans
Summary	151	(2)
6. CULTURE AND LEARNING IN LATE MEDIEVAL EUROPE	153	(29)
Culture in the Medieval West, 1000-1400	153	(4)
The Transmission of Classical Culture
The Middle Ages and Christianity The Revival of Culture
The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century and Beyond
Literature	157	(19)
Epic and Troubadour Poetry
Troubadour Poetry and Courtly Love
Courtly Love, fins amor
Dante and The Divine Comedy
Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales
Education
Medieval Philosophy: The Question of Universals
Political Thought
Science in the Medieval West
Mysticism
The Arts	176	(5)
Summary	181	(1)
7. POLITICS AND SOCIETY: THE ORIGINS OF KINGDOMS AND COMMUNITIES, 1000-1300	182	(32)
The Early Construction of the State in the West	184	(6)
Christ-Centered Kingship
The Investiture Controversy: Law and Polity
Territoriality
The Beginning of Communal Identities
The Symbols of Authority
The King Never Dies: Primogeniture and Inalienability of the Land
Capitals and Sacral Centers
Feudal Monarchies
The Emergence of Centralized Kingdoms in the West	190	(23)
The Iberian Peninsula
The Crown of Aragon
The Development of France: From Hugh Capet to Philip the Fair
The Development of England
Summary	213	(1)
8. POLITICAL COMMUNITIES: CENTER AND PERIPHERY	214	(24)
Byzantium, 1081-1453	215	(6)
Byzantine Decline, 1081-1204
The Latin Empire, 1204-1261
Byzantium after 1261
Byzantium and the Ottoman Turks, 1354-1453
The Ottoman System
Russia, Poland-Lithuania, and the Politics of Eastern Europe	221	(5)
From Kievan Rus to Moscowy
The Tatars or Mongols, 1223-1400
The World of Islam	226	(1)
Scandinavia	226	(2)
Germany, Italy, and the Low Countries	228	(3)
Germany and the Empire to 1254
The Princes and the Empire, 1254-1493
Italy: Despots and Condottieri, 1268-1513	231	(5)
The Kingdom of Naples and the Papal Monarchy
The Duchy of Milan, 1277-1535
Florence-Venice
The Low Countries	236	(1)
Summary	236	(2)
9. THE LATE MEDIEVAL CRISIS AND THE TRANSITION TO THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD	238	(25)
The Crisis of Late Medieval Society	238	(1)
The Structural Crises	239	(2)
The Malthusian Explanation: Weather, Soil, and the Social Transformation of the Village Community
The Challenge of Crisis: Famine, War, Plague, and Rebellion	241	(11)
Famine
War
The Black Death
Rebellions
The Answers of Late Medieval Society	252	(3)
Culture
Religion
The New Monarchies	254	(1)
The Final Genesis of the Nation-State	255	(2)
The Social Context
Into the Modern Period	257	(6)
Rebirths and Encounters
Europe and the World
Cultural Transformations: The Renaissance
The Encounter with Other Worlds
The Caribbean, the Valley of Mexico, Its Natives, and the Shock of the New
Chronology	263	(7)
Suggested Readings	270	(10)
Index	280