The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade [Hardcover]

Susan Wise Bauer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 22, 2010

A masterful narrative of the Middle Ages, when religion became a weapon for kings all over the world.

From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T’ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.

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 the 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 thus replaces might as the engine of empire.

Not just Christianity and Islam but the religions of the Persians and the Germans, and even Buddhism, are pressed into the service of the state. This phenomenon—stretching from the Americas all the way to Japan—changes religion, but it also changes the state. 4 illustrations; 46 maps

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bauer (The History of the Ancient World) continues her witty and well-written examination of world history with a volume that is rich in detail and intriguing in anecdotal information. In describing dramatic events (such as the worldwide –impact of the eruption of Krakatoa in 535 C.E., or civil war among the descendants of Charlemagne), near-legendary individuals (like the great general turned mercenary El Cid), and decisive historical movements from the fourth century C.E. to the beginnings of the 12th century, attention is effectively paid not only to western and eastern Europe but to North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Far East, South Asia, and the Americas. The political and military rise and fall of rulers or would-be rulers and the prominence of religion in matters of conscience and state give force and power to the narrative as does the constant impact of simple human emotion and ambition on the flow of history. A bit overwhelming in its scope, Bauer's work nevertheless proves perfectly, and entertainingly, that the more things change, the more they stay the same. 20 illus., 85 maps. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

In this second title in the author’s projected four-volume world history, narratives of monarchs, generals, and clerics transport the reader through centuries of tumult culminating in the First Crusade’s capture of Jerusalem in 1099. Intentionally general interest, Bauer’s book provides a vital scorecard in the form of rosters of rulers and dozens of maps that track successions aplenty, of legitimate heirs and usurpers alike. Rightful possession of power, as in Bauer’s History of the Ancient World (2007), thematically infuses this work’s welter of accounts of imperial rises and falls in Europe, the Near East, India, China, and Japan. If it was a truth universally acknowledged that the divine sanctioned the secular, the immediacies of the latter often required doctrinal or political adjustments in the former (as in Constantine’s Council of Nicaea in 325), furnishing (in addition to pillage) the dramatic momentum to the historical episodes Bauer presents. Demonstrating insight about invariably partial sources, humanism about actors’ motivations, and an apt dramatic touch, Bauer parlays her capacious knowledge of history into the exciting and terrifying subject it can be. --Gilbert Taylor

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 746 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (February 22, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393059758
• ISBN-13: 978-0393059755
• Product Dimensions: 2 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > History > Medieval

More About the Author

Susan was born in 1968, grew up in Virginia, and was educated at home by pioneering parents, back when home education was still unheard of. She worked as a professional musician, wore a costume at Colonial Williamsburg, toured with a travelling drama group, galloped racehorses at a Virginia racetrack, taught horseback riding, worked in radio and newspaper ad sales, learned enough Korean to teach a Korean four-year-old Sunday school, and served as librarian and reading tutor for the Rita Welsh Adult Literacy Center in Williamsburg, Virginia.

In her less haphazard adult life, she earned an M.A., M.Div., and Ph.D. She has taught at the College of William & Mary in Virginia for the last sixteen years. Susan is married and the mother of four.

Susan's most recent book for Norton, The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade (2010), is the second in a four-volume series providing a narrative world history. Look for the first volume, The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome, as well!

Her previous book, The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had (2003), is a guide to reading the classic works of fiction, poetry, history, autobiography, and drama. Norton also published The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (with co-author Jessie Wise); originally published in 1999, this bestselling guide to education in the classical tradition was revised and updated in 2004 and again in 2009.

For Peace Hill Press, Susan has written a four-volume world history series for children, The Story of the World, for Peace Hill Press. Volume 1, Ancient Times, was published in 2002 (revised edition 2006); Volume 2, The Middle Ages, in 2003 (revised edition 2007); and Volume 3, Early Modern Times, in 2004. The final volume, The Modern Age, was published in 2006. She has also written a best-selling elementary writing program, Writing With Ease.

Susan is also the author of The Art of the Public Grovel (Princeton University Press) and many articles and reviews. Visit her blog at http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 115 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well done June 17, 2010

By LikeBooksTooMuch

Format:Hardcover

After spending too much of my life on technology and engineering, I have been spending my last 10 years reading History for Fun. It is my pleasure and my passion.
I'm still learning a lot about history so I can't claim to be an expert.
I can't claim that Bauer is "correct". But at this point, I read multiple histories from multiple authors to generate my own view.

But Bauer's book is a great place to start to get a readable over-view of "medieval" history to allow one to start to drill down into areas and times of particular interest. (Or maybe just get enough to move on to the next era.)

But this, by far, is the most readable history books that cover such a long period of time over such a wide area (the whole earth).

Why?

The chapters average around 10 pages. Each chapter will cover a period of about 20-50 years in a particular area (Western Europe, Middle East, India, Korea, Japan, China, etc). It makes a nice nugget. As time change, an area may be "West Francia", "Spain", or "North Africa".
Each chapter is relatively self-contained, as much as possible, within the context of a 600 page continuing narrative. Each chapter is easy to read, fascinating, and there always seems to be a little "humor" in the background.

This is a narrative; about kings, queens, popes, dukes, eunuchs, states, nations, wars... "Classic narrative history", it doesn't spend any time talking about what it meant to be a young boy in Korea in 814 or marriage rites in Persia or bathing habits in France. (Thank God.)

Susan Bauer is a great writer, but paired with Norton Press, it makes a great book. The production is just great.
Each chapter has at least one map. The map covers the area being discussed in the chapter. Every city, river, tribe, clan, state mentioned within the text is marked on the map. (There were a few little slip-ups but it became a game for me, as I love maps). There are so few productions that take the time to make sure that a map relates to the text and the text relates to the map.

The other great production part of the book is that there are 2 different footnotes. Footnotes that reference original sources are placed in the back of the book; footnotes that are really sidelines, are at the bottom of the page. I hate books that mix source references and side notes; it is just lazy publishing. But Norton does Bauer's work well. Side-lines, and there are not that many, are at the bottom of the page; you don't have to switch back and forth. (A sign the publisher cared about people actually trying to read the book.)

Third great feature of the book is that each chapter ends with a timeline, actually parallel timelines that cover major events and rulers in surrounding areas. It allows one to re-anchor the last 10-15 pages into the bigger context of time and space.
It is a long book, but if you have any interest in understanding the world between 400-1100, I think this is a great place to start. I wish this had been available 10 years ago.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable, organized history January 1, 2011

By A. Smith

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Susan Bauer has written a fabulous history of the time period often referred to as the "dark ages." It was, of course, an enormous task to summarize 1000 years of history into 650 pages, but Bauer did a wonderful job. It is superbly organized, and Bauer's prose is engaging. Each chapter has at least one map marking places indicated in the text, and the chapters are brief. It's organization also makes it easy to use as a reference if some readers aren't ambitiously motivated to read the entire volume. I heartily recommend this book for the family library.

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than a textbook, but not quite popular history June 2, 2011

By Enjolras TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I have pretty mixed feelings about this book. It's certainly more entertaining than most history textbooks, and probably a good introduction to Medieval history. Still, I wouldn't really recommend it as a popular history book that one could relax and read. It jumps around too much and throws out too many names, dates, and events too quickly. After reading it through, I felt I could barely remember much of it. I'd recommend using this book more asa reference or reading chapters about certain periods of interest. The chapters don't really connect in any significant way anyways. Ultimately, I'd like to see this book - or one like it - used as a high school textbook.