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Product Description
Product Description
This is the most authoritative account of life in Medieval Europe between the fall of the Roman Empire and the coming of the Renaissance. Full coverage is given to all aspects of life in a thousand-year period which saw the creation of western civilization: from the empires and kingdoms of Charlemagne, the Byzantines, and the Hundred Years War, to the ideals of the crusades, the building of great cathedrals and the social catastrophe of the Black Death; the cultural worlds of chivalric knights, popular festivals, and new art forms. The chapters show the movement of the centre of gravity in European life from the Mediterranean to the north; and the authors explore the contrast between Byzantine and Renaissance cultures in the south and the new, complex political and social structures of north-west Europe, which by 1300 had the most advanced civilization the world had ever seen.
About the Author
George Holmes is Chichele Professor of Medieval History at the University of Oxford. He has also been a History Delegate to Oxford University Press.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
IN the late fourth century there was little sign of imminent upheaval in the Mediterranean heartlands of the Roman Empire. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
IN the late fourth century there was little sign of imminent upheaval in the Mediterranean heartlands of the Roman Empire. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Oxford History of Medieval Europe is a good but not great introduction to the Medieval World, from the fall of Rome to the dawn of the Renaissance. I've read The Oxford History of Prehistoric Europe and the Oxford History of The Classical World, but this is the poorest of the group. That said, this is in no way a bad book. Most of the diffculties I had with the book when I first read it came from my lack of knowledge of the era in question, but after I began to learn the background to the events described, the book began to make sense. With that in mind, this book is probably not a good starting point for those with no knowledge of Medieval Europe, but it's a definate must buy for first year university students or those with some grounding in the period.
The book starts with a look at what occured in post Roman Europe, as the Germanic Barbarian tribes began to unite into small kingdoms and principalities, especially those of the Mediterranean, such as the Visigoths. The book then turns to Northern Europe of the same period (400-900) with an analysis of the Vikings and the Carolingians. The next two chapters discuss the society and history of the High Middle Ages, including a look at how Northern peoples such as the Normans came to dominate Mediterranean areas such as Sicily.
The two final chapters discuss the Society of the Late Middle Ages, with its courts and cities, and its transition to the Renaissance.
The book does cover a dozen subjects in its course, such as the rise and dominance of Christianity, the Papacy, Europe's relations with Byzantium and the Muslim World, The Italian City-States, The Kingdom of France, Knighthood, the Black Death, the Hundred Years War, trade and economy, literature, and much more.
Each section is written by a different author, which makes the book seem rather uneven in style. For instance, in the first chapter Thomas Brown discusses art and literature of the mediterranean (AD 400-900), but on the next chapter on Northern Europe of the same period by Edward James, he does not dedicate a section to this topic.
That aside, this is a good book. It also comes with a short eight page section of black and white colour plates that display the art and architecture of the Middle Ages, but these are often small and lacking in detail. This is worth a look if you are thinking of serious study of the Middle Ages, or if you have a big interest in the period.
The book starts with a look at what occured in post Roman Europe, as the Germanic Barbarian tribes began to unite into small kingdoms and principalities, especially those of the Mediterranean, such as the Visigoths. The book then turns to Northern Europe of the same period (400-900) with an analysis of the Vikings and the Carolingians. The next two chapters discuss the society and history of the High Middle Ages, including a look at how Northern peoples such as the Normans came to dominate Mediterranean areas such as Sicily.
The two final chapters discuss the Society of the Late Middle Ages, with its courts and cities, and its transition to the Renaissance.
The book does cover a dozen subjects in its course, such as the rise and dominance of Christianity, the Papacy, Europe's relations with Byzantium and the Muslim World, The Italian City-States, The Kingdom of France, Knighthood, the Black Death, the Hundred Years War, trade and economy, literature, and much more.
Each section is written by a different author, which makes the book seem rather uneven in style. For instance, in the first chapter Thomas Brown discusses art and literature of the mediterranean (AD 400-900), but on the next chapter on Northern Europe of the same period by Edward James, he does not dedicate a section to this topic.
That aside, this is a good book. It also comes with a short eight page section of black and white colour plates that display the art and architecture of the Middle Ages, but these are often small and lacking in detail. This is worth a look if you are thinking of serious study of the Middle Ages, or if you have a big interest in the period.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It seems that the medieval times happened only in the western part of Europe. The book fell extremely short of my expectations and I cannot use it even as a reference as it excludes huge areas to be covered to understand a complexity of Medieval Europe.
Format:Paperback
The Medieval World from the fall of Rome to the dawn of the Renaissance is the subject of this book. This another edition of one published in 1988 and by OUP in 1990. I am not an historian by profession and this book suited me fine with just enough detail to satisfy my interest.
Written by six different "experts in their field" and edited by George Holmes, it is a great addition to the OUP list. Of course, the "OUP" on the spine is a good recommendation anyway I have always found. This is no exception. Lavishly illustrated, it is very informative and not too heavy in its style(s).
Chapter Headings:
Transformation of the Roman Mediterranean 400-900
Northern World in the Dark Ages 400-900
Northern Europe in the High Middle Ages 900-1200
Northern Europe Invades the Mediterranean 900-1200
Mediterranean in the Age of the Renaissance 1200-1500
Civilisation of Courts and Cities in the North 1200-1500
plus sources, chronology and postscript.
Weighty tome but lighter reading.
Written by six different "experts in their field" and edited by George Holmes, it is a great addition to the OUP list. Of course, the "OUP" on the spine is a good recommendation anyway I have always found. This is no exception. Lavishly illustrated, it is very informative and not too heavy in its style(s).
Chapter Headings:
Transformation of the Roman Mediterranean 400-900
Northern World in the Dark Ages 400-900
Northern Europe in the High Middle Ages 900-1200
Northern Europe Invades the Mediterranean 900-1200
Mediterranean in the Age of the Renaissance 1200-1500
Civilisation of Courts and Cities in the North 1200-1500
plus sources, chronology and postscript.
Weighty tome but lighter reading.
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