An expansive guide to the medieval world, with new attention to women, ordinary parishioners, attitudes toward Jews and Muslims, and more
For many, the medieval world seems dark and foreign—an often brutal and seemingly irrational time of superstition, miracles, and strange relics. The aggressive pursuit of heretics and attempts to control the “Holy Land” might come to mind. Yet the medieval world produced much that is part of our world today, including universities, the passion for Roman architecture and the development of the gothic style, pilgrimage, the emergence of capitalism, and female saints.
This new narrative history of medieval Christianity, spanning the period 500 to 1500 CE, attempts to integrate what is familiar to readers with new themes and narratives. Elements of novelty in the book include a steady focus on the role of women in Christianity; the relationships among Christians, Jews, and Muslims; the experience of ordinary parishioners; the adventure of asceticism, devotion, and worship; and instruction through drama, architecture, and art. Madigan expertly integrates these areas of focus with more traditional themes, such as the evolution and decline of papal power; the nature and repression of heresy; sanctity and pilgrimage; the conciliar movement; and the break between the old Western church and its reformers.
Illustrated with more than forty photographs of physical remains, this book promises to become an essential guide to a historical era of profound influence.
Industry Reviews
"Accessible and clear . . . an engaging narrative history that should please experts while whetting the appetites of beginners."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[O]utstanding works of church history that should be popular with the general reader as well as students. . . . Madigan shows how developments in modern Christianity paved the way for the reformation."-Paul Richardson, CofE Newspaper
"A good and useful book."-G.R. Evans, Theology
"Medieval History: A New History offers a useful, learned and-given the ambitious boundaries of the work-an appropriately nuanced synthesis of accepted scholarship. . . . Beginniners will want to read Madigan."-Francis Hittinger, Politics, Religion & Ideology
"Provides in one volume a survey of the entire sweep of Christian history between the years 500 and 1500 and an introduction to Christian practice and though in this period. It does so in a way that is comprehensive without being overwhelming, and comprehensible without being condescending. . . . Madigan's expertise in the field, combined with his ability to present a mass of material in an engaging way make this a highly successful undertaking."-Michael Staunton, Dublin Review of Books
"This will undoubtedly be the fundamental narrative account of medieval Christianity for the next generation, smartly and engagingly written."-John Van Engen, University of Notre Dame
"This impressive summary of the medieval church is comprehensive in coverage, rich in detail, and clear in presentation. It seamlessly combines the best of the received story of medieval Christianity with challenging insights from the newest historiography."-Bernard McGinn, University of Chicago
"A masterful yet accessible introduction to the principal institutional, intellectual, and social developments of medieval Christianity, including the papacy and religious orders, particularly valuable for its attention to the place of Jews, Muslims, heretics, and women in these developments, as well as the problem of educating the laity."-Rachel Fulton Brown, author of From Judgment to Passion: Devotion to Christ and the Virgin Mary, 800-1200
"This much-needed book deftly combines the institutional, theological and intellectual history of medieval Christianity. Madigan admirably includes important topics missing from earlier surveys, such as Christian attitudes towards Jews and Muslims, the roles of women, liturgy, popular devotion and the arts."-E. Ann Matter, University of Pennsylvania
"Offering a new approach to the history of medieval Christianity, this ambitious book fully lives up to the expectations it sets. Throughout its subtle and supple narrative, it deepens readers' knowledge of this important period."-Willemien Otten, University of Chicago
