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 Viewis ideal for courses in Medieval history, literature, or art history.

William R. Cook is Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Ronald B. Herzman is Distinguished Teaching Professor of English at the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Time Line

PART 1: FOUNDATIONS OF THE MIDDLE AGES
1. The Bible
2. The Classical Heritage
3. Early Christianity
4. Saint Augustine

PART 2: THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD
5. Byzantium
6. Islam
7. The West After the Collapse of Roman Authority

PART 3: THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES
8. Western Monasticism
9. The First Medieval Synthesis: The Carolingian World and Its Dissolution

PART 4: THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES
10. Church, State, and Society
11. The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century
12. Francis of Assisi and the Mendicants

PART 5: EPILOGUE
13. From Medieval to Renaissance

Notes
Bibliography
Index