You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
This general survey of medieval European economy, society, and culture is intended as a first guide to the subject for college students. In writing The Medieval Experience, Jill Claster has been particularly concerned to demonstrate the vitality and diversity that the world of the Middle Ages achieved, despite the fact that "the physical aspects of life were exceedingly difficult." This very usable and accessible textbook is enhanced by illustrations and source quotations which help convey a sense of the period's historical texture. The range of topics explored is extensive. Economic factors such as progress in agriculture and the growth of commerce are thoroughly examined, as are the political and social histories of feudal Europe. Claster loks particularly closely at monasticism, the cultural influence of religion, and the revival of learning. She probes the problems faced by Jews in a predominantly Christian society, and contemplates as well the problems faced by women.
None
In Sacred Violence, Jill N. Claster brings new insight and focus to the history of the crusades. The book includes an 8-page color insert of illustrations, 12 maps, over 25 black-and-white illustrations, a chronology of the crusades, and a list of rulers.
Democracy and extremism are usually considered as opposites. We assume that our system (in the UK, the USA, the Netherlands etc.) is democratic, and extremists try to destroy our system and introduce some kind of dictatorship, if not chaos and anarchy. Yet in many cases, the extremists seem sincere in their attempt to construct a more democratic polity. Hence, they can be called democrats and yet also extremists, in so far as they strive for a regime with characteristics that are more extreme in a significant sense. This book analyses radical and extreme democratic theories and ideas in their historical context, interlocked with critical descriptions of historical institutions and experiment...
Wrested from the rule of the Venetians, the island of Cyprus took on cultural shadings of enormous complexity as a new province of the Ottoman empire, involving the compulsory migration of hundreds of Muslim Turks to the island from the nearby Karamna province, the conversion of large numbers of native Greek Orthodox Christians to Islam, an abortive plan to settle Jews there, and the circumstances of islanders who had formerly been held by the venetians. Delving into contemporary archival records of the lte sixteenth and early seventeenth conturies, particularly judicial refisters, Professor Jennings uncovers the island society as seen through local law courts, public works, and charitable institutions. -- Publisher description.
The Story of Us Humans explains human nature and human history, including the origins of our species, emotions, behavior, morals, and society. It explains what we are, how we got here, and where we are today by describing the origin, history, and current ways of our neighborhoods, religion, government, science, technology, and business. Written in plain language, it explains what astronomy, physics, geology, biology, chemistry, anthropology, history, religion, social science, and political science tell us about ourselves. Most everyone feels that human success is measured in terms of healthy and happy children and communities. Human thoughts and actions involve little besides love and childr...
Although the crusades ended several hundred years ago, they remain a vexed issue today, not least for Muslims, who seem to evoke the crusades whenever the problem of contemporary Muslim violence is discussed. President Obama’s National Prayer Breakfast speech suggested that the crusades have robbed the West of the right to criticise Islamic violence. Were the crusades holy wars? Were there any other motives behind the crusades? Why have popes recently apologised to Muslims for the crusades? The crusades are examined against Christian and Muslim standards. Did the Roman Catholic Church use the Word of God appropriately? Could the crusades have been prevented by an earlier Protestant Reformation? The issue of a Just War is discussed. Can the crusades be justified from a Christian point of view? What preceded the crusades in Christian-Muslim relations? Are Muslims the victims of the crusades? Can the House of Islam justify continuing their war on Christians today because of the crusades? What can be learnt from the crusades?
Body and Sacred Place in Medieval Europe investigates the medieval understanding of sacred place, arguing for the centrality of bodies and bodily metaphors to the establishment, function, use, and power of medieval churches. Questioning the traditional division of sacred and profane jurisdictions, this book identifies the need to consider non-devotional uses of churches in the Middle Ages. Dawn Marie Hayes examines idealized visions of medieval sacred places in contrast with the mundane and profane uses of these buildings. She argues that by the later Middle Ages-as loyalties were torn by emerging political, economic, and social groups-the Church suffered a loss of security that was reflected in the uses of sacred spaces, which became more restricted as identities shifted and Europeans ordered the ambiguity of the medieval world.
This collection of essays deals with a broad range of issues within the study, past and present, of the early Middle Ages. Subjects include war, power, ethnicity, gender, Charlemagne and Carolingian history. The book is largely concerned with reading the sources, both medieval and modern, and interpreting their narrators.