The History of the Medieval World
From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade
WW Norton · Print & ebook · January 26, 2010
A masterful narrative of the Middle Ages, when religion became a weapon for kings all over the world.
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- Who it’s for
- A broad, readable passage through the early Middle Ages, with history doing the heavy lifting.
- Genres
- Civilizations, Medieval History, History of Islam
- Published
- WW Norton, January 26, 2010
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Start with this bookAbout this book
A masterful narrative of the Middle Ages, when religion became a weapon for kings all over the world. In her earlier work, The History of the Ancient World, Susan Wise Bauer wrote of the rise of kingship based on might. But in the years between the fourth and twelfth centuries, rulers had to find new justification for their power, and they turned to divine truth or grace to justify political and military action. Right began to replace might as the engine of empire.
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Not just Christianity and Islam but also the religions of the Persians, the Germans, and the Mayas were pressed into the service of the state. Even Buddhism and Confucianism became tools for nation building. This phenomenon—stretching from the Americas all the way to Japan—changed religion, but it also changed the state. The History of the Medieval World is a true world history, linking the great conflicts of Europe to the titanic struggles for power in India and Asia. In its pages, El Cid and Guanggaeto, Julian the Apostate and the Brilliant Emperor, Charles the Hammer and Krum the Bulgarian stand side by side. From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the Song Dynasty, from the mission of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, from the sacred wars of India to the establishment of the Knights Templar, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.
Medieval Sweep
A broad, readable passage through the early Middle Ages, with history doing the heavy lifting.
Come here for
- big-picture medieval sweep
- clear historical explanation
Expect
- conversion to crusade
- Britain in wider medieval context
Where it sits
| Medieval History | 59% |
|---|---|
| Civilizations | 51% |
| History of Islam | 44% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Medieval History
- Authors
- Susan Wise Bauer
- Publisher
- WW Norton
- Published
- January 26, 2010
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Medieval History