Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter
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- Create Date：2024-03-03 13:21:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ian Mortimer
- ISBN：B0CV8RMFNV
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Reviews
Emmanuel Gustin
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This is a lengthy essay， developed from a speech， about the change of mankind during the Middle Ages。 We are wrong， Mortimer argues， if we think of the Medieval period as static， and part of the problem is that we are too much fixated on the advances of modern technology。 The Middle Ages knew important technological change as well （and Seb Falk did proofread this book） but above all they brought a change in belief systems and social structures that laid the foundations of the modern age。Mortimer This is a lengthy essay， developed from a speech， about the change of mankind during the Middle Ages。 We are wrong， Mortimer argues， if we think of the Medieval period as static， and part of the problem is that we are too much fixated on the advances of modern technology。 The Middle Ages knew important technological change as well （and Seb Falk did proofread this book） but above all they brought a change in belief systems and social structures that laid the foundations of the modern age。Mortimer is an eloquent writer。 I think the reader should keep in the back of his mind that this is an essay in which Mortimer develops a position and argues it， not a work of research in which every statement is grounded in evidence。 For example， I am unconvinced by the author’s claim that an 11th century peasant did not have much individuality。 For sure， they lived very communal working lives。 They did not leave autobiographies， as almost none of them could write。 Lords of the manor controlled much of their lives， sure。 But look at the modern office， in which employers have banned the trinkets and pictures of loved ones that adorned desks， and attempted to create sterile deserts of inhuman interchangeability。 For sure this is an attempt to deny the expression of individuality， but does that mean that individuality does not exist？ Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence。 Mortimer stretches the Middle Ages to 1600。 I understand that it makes sense in a British context， because the coming to power of James I/IV in 1603 was a watershed moment。 But I regret it， in part because 1453 marks the fall of the last remains of the Roman Empire， and in part because those years 1450-1600 were marked by so much instability， violence and intolerance。 The romantic in me wants to see the Middle Ages as a relatively happy time before the bloody chaos of the early modern period。 （I find that when people use “medieval” in a pejorative sense， these years are often what they are thinking of。） But above all， I think that lengthening the Middle Ages to 1600 weakens rather than strengthens the case that they were a period of change。 This book is a very useful correction on the facile assumptions about our ancestors that still prevail。 I suspect that some of arguments that Mortimer uses might well fall apart if someone has the opportunity to analyse the details。 But there is enough substance to this book that a few flaws will not decide the case。 。。。more
Boulder Boulderson
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Frustrating book。 I can't really disagree with its central premise， there in the very title， that the middle ages matter。 I do disagree with almost every point of detail though。 Much of the arguement relies on changes， for example， in period 1450-1600。 But that's not defined as the medieval period， it's the early modern period。 Mostly due to historians consciousness of those very changes！I'd also disagree with a lot of the characterisation of the earlier period， the 1000s。 Personal self awarenes Frustrating book。 I can't really disagree with its central premise， there in the very title， that the middle ages matter。 I do disagree with almost every point of detail though。 Much of the arguement relies on changes， for example， in period 1450-1600。 But that's not defined as the medieval period， it's the early modern period。 Mostly due to historians consciousness of those very changes！I'd also disagree with a lot of the characterisation of the earlier period， the 1000s。 Personal self awareness and decoration， love of beautiful objects， were all strong Saxon characteristics。 Maybe not of every peasant， but the society as a whole。So I can't really recommend this as a book。 。。。more
Caroline
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This book is full of interesting facts and perspectives that really explain how medieval people thought differently about things and how changes between the 11th and 16th centuries led to the modern world and modern ideas that we completely take for granted and can't imagine being any different。 It's a book to read more than once as it's impossible to take everything in on the first read。 Highly recommend to anyone interested in history and how our modern society came about。 This book is full of interesting facts and perspectives that really explain how medieval people thought differently about things and how changes between the 11th and 16th centuries led to the modern world and modern ideas that we completely take for granted and can't imagine being any different。 It's a book to read more than once as it's impossible to take everything in on the first read。 Highly recommend to anyone interested in history and how our modern society came about。 。。。more
Dallas
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Worthy， well-written， entertaining。 Convincing in its thesis that our age grossly undervalues progress made from 1000 AD to 1600 AD in a wide range of human endeavors。 Highly recommended！
Oli Turner
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#medievalhorizons by #ianmortimer proving that the #medieval period was full of dramatic social， economic and technological change。
Kieran
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A powerful case that the Middle Ages were not some backwater between the ancient greats and the modern era。
Mel
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This book cements Ian Mortimer as one of my very favourite historians。 His enthusiasm for Medieval history is infectious， and his passion for detail is astonishing。 I have a new found appreciation of the advances made from 1000 - 1600 in England but suspect that the entire inspiration for this book was utter indignance at Yuval Noah Harari's outlandish suggestion in Sapians that someone from the year 1000AD would be more impressed with the sound of a modern mobile ringtone than with any of the c This book cements Ian Mortimer as one of my very favourite historians。 His enthusiasm for Medieval history is infectious， and his passion for detail is astonishing。 I have a new found appreciation of the advances made from 1000 - 1600 in England but suspect that the entire inspiration for this book was utter indignance at Yuval Noah Harari's outlandish suggestion in Sapians that someone from the year 1000AD would be more impressed with the sound of a modern mobile ringtone than with any of the changes that occurred before the Reformation。 Mortimer is quite hung up on this but presents a thoroughly engaging and iron-clad argument as to why Harari's postulatuon is absurd。Mortimer presents a revised context for how we view progress。 Instead of using technological development as the measuring stick for progress， we should view social developments just as highly。 It is this particular stance that made the book so interesting。 I loved the discussion on how plague drove social change， how the translation of the bible into English drove independent thought， and how the reintroduction of mirrors transformed people's sense of identity。All in all， a fascinating and eye opening book。 。。。more
ROL
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This book has a clear aim: to prove the importance of social， political and economic developments during the Middle Ages， especially in light of the widespread ideas that "mediaeval" is a synonym for backwardness and that nothing really happened by way of "progress" for more than 500 years。 This attitude has even crept into works by notable historians - Yuval Noah Harari has a particularly egregious example which is heavily referenced throughout the book - so there is a clear need for the author This book has a clear aim: to prove the importance of social， political and economic developments during the Middle Ages， especially in light of the widespread ideas that "mediaeval" is a synonym for backwardness and that nothing really happened by way of "progress" for more than 500 years。 This attitude has even crept into works by notable historians - Yuval Noah Harari has a particularly egregious example which is heavily referenced throughout the book - so there is a clear need for the author to redress the balance。For me the book fundamentally succeeded in its aim， right from the outset。 From the literal horizon of buildings growing in height to changes in the economy， warfare and even individual self-conception， the book offers a compelling case for looking beyond a purely technological view of historical change and appreciating how much the Middle Ages laid the groundwork for the subsequent technological developments which characterise the rise of industry and technology in the 400 years from 1600。 What's more， it does this while remaining readable and accessible for a layman like me。Unfortunately， being so convincing so early on also brings downsides。 Having convinced me of the thesis in the first chapter， it began to feel later on that the book was overly labouring the point， even while it was making decent arguments。 For example， the author continues to 'dunk on' the quote from Yuval Noah Harari mentioned above， to the extent where I actually found it a little tiresome to see it brought up over and over again。The chapters also varied in how well they held my interest。 This was particularly true for the middle chapters， where I felt the chapters on 'Comfort' and 'Speed' were overly bogged down in lists of what chattels people owned and averages of how many miles people could travel in a day， respectively。As a result of both these points I was considering giving the book a 3* rating at one point。 However， the final two chapters （on 'Literacy' and 'Individualism'） and the conclusion salvaged this book for me。 Gone were the dreary lists of chattels and the ad nauseam take-downs of Harari's throwaway line， replaced with a clear narrative on developments during the Middle Ages which prove （conclusively， in my opinion）， that the Middle Ages really do matter。For such a convincing and engaging book （mediaeval speed discussions notwithstanding） anything less than 4* would be unfair。 Much better than I was expecting when I picked it up in a museum bookshop。 。。。more
Alex （Spells & Spaceships）
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Great book that is really enlightening on why the middle ages are important and putting into perspective how advancements during the period were just as important and impactful for people living during them as they have been for us in the modern day。Although not a book that will necessarily keep you glued to the page day and night， I feel it's a really important one to change or enhance your perception of the middle ages。This would be essential reading for anyone writing a novel with the middle Great book that is really enlightening on why the middle ages are important and putting into perspective how advancements during the period were just as important and impactful for people living during them as they have been for us in the modern day。Although not a book that will necessarily keep you glued to the page day and night， I feel it's a really important one to change or enhance your perception of the middle ages。This would be essential reading for anyone writing a novel with the middle ages as a setting as there is so much to learn from how ones' house was furnished to how fast a messenger could pass on some information。 Important reading！ 。。。more
E
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I seem to have been frustrated multiple times recently by misleading titles/subtitles。 This is another such instance。 Mortimer is widely regarded as a medieval expert--and for good reason--but this word decidedly did not explain what the subtitle promised。In fact， it's sort of a weird book。 It's almost like a compendium of what life was like and how that changed over the years 1000 to 1600--and yet Mortimer's already written that book （known as a "time traveler's guide"）。 So maybe this book was I seem to have been frustrated multiple times recently by misleading titles/subtitles。 This is another such instance。 Mortimer is widely regarded as a medieval expert--and for good reason--but this word decidedly did not explain what the subtitle promised。In fact， it's sort of a weird book。 It's almost like a compendium of what life was like and how that changed over the years 1000 to 1600--and yet Mortimer's already written that book （known as a "time traveler's guide"）。 So maybe this book was an opportunity to go into much greater detail--or perhaps he simply failed in his effort to show why the middle ages matter。Yet， despite all that， it's a fine book for what it is。 Certainly an interesting era of European history （to be clear， he focuses almost entirely on England here）， one we should pay more attention to。 。。。more
Emerson Stokes
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A must-read for those stepping into medieval history As someone who （as of right now） has only read one medieval book prior to this one， I’m not an authoritative voice on the matter。 However， Medieval Horizons illustrates a depiction of the period that helps provide scope for the development in Europe between 1000 and 1600。 Ian Mortimer shows how the Middle Ages wasn’t just a period of stagnancy and ignorance but a gradually evolving era that influenced the modern era that came after。 I believe A must-read for those stepping into medieval history As someone who （as of right now） has only read one medieval book prior to this one， I’m not an authoritative voice on the matter。 However， Medieval Horizons illustrates a depiction of the period that helps provide scope for the development in Europe between 1000 and 1600。 Ian Mortimer shows how the Middle Ages wasn’t just a period of stagnancy and ignorance but a gradually evolving era that influenced the modern era that came after。 I believe I’ll keep this book in mind whenever I take another dive into the Middle Ages to see how well Mortimer’s perspective lines up with history。 。。。more
Laura
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Very informative and written in an entertaining manner。 It makes a very interesting point showing all the advances and changes that took place within the period， as it's true that we tend to think that nothing worth taking into account happened in The Middle Ages。 Very informative and written in an entertaining manner。 It makes a very interesting point showing all the advances and changes that took place within the period， as it's true that we tend to think that nothing worth taking into account happened in The Middle Ages。 。。。more
John Shackleton
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Superbly illustrated examples of why the period from the 11th to 16th century was as revolutionary as the more recent half a millennium。 Will completely inform how I teach y7 and y8 alongside his earlier， fantastic Centuries of Change
James Austin
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Another master work by one of Britain’s foremost Medieval historians。 Dr Ian Mortimer， one of our most imaginative historians once again demonstrates the importance of the past in the present。In Medieval Horizons， Dr Mortimer Shows that although our Medieval ancestors are different from us in many ways; similarities remain and that much of our modern society has its foundation in the Medieval period。 On the question of periodisation， however。， despite Dr Mortimer outlining his rationale for choo Another master work by one of Britain’s foremost Medieval historians。 Dr Ian Mortimer， one of our most imaginative historians once again demonstrates the importance of the past in the present。In Medieval Horizons， Dr Mortimer Shows that although our Medieval ancestors are different from us in many ways; similarities remain and that much of our modern society has its foundation in the Medieval period。 On the question of periodisation， however。， despite Dr Mortimer outlining his rationale for choosing 1000 to 1600 as the cut-off points， I nevertheless felt that the end date was a bit of a stretch。 For me， 1600 has always felt Early Modern。 The threads that for me， run through all of Dr Mortimer’s books are his continuing ability to ask questions that traditional academic history books often shy away from。 For instance， how fast did news travel between the years c。 1000 and 1600。 I also relish Dr Mortimer’s ability to describe not only what the evidence shows， but how it might be interrogated。 How historians write history has always fascinated me。Whether you are familiar with Dr Mortimer’s work， or whether you are encountering his work for the first time， I thoroughly recommend this book。 It was illuminating and enlightening。 。。。more
Manon Palmer
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Forget everything you think you know about the Middle Ages。 Embark on a journey to Medieval England， and discover why the Middle Ages actually matter。 In today's modern society， we tend to think of smartphones， airplanes and nuclear warfare as the epitome of technology。 We often say that "if a peasant from 1100 woke up in 2023， they would probably faint upon hearing a ringtone for the first time"。 Well， they might。 But the Middle Ages， as described by the author， spanned over six centuries， from Forget everything you think you know about the Middle Ages。 Embark on a journey to Medieval England， and discover why the Middle Ages actually matter。 In today's modern society， we tend to think of smartphones， airplanes and nuclear warfare as the epitome of technology。 We often say that "if a peasant from 1100 woke up in 2023， they would probably faint upon hearing a ringtone for the first time"。 Well， they might。 But the Middle Ages， as described by the author， spanned over six centuries， from 1000 to 1600， and to think that there was close to no change during those times only reinforces bias。 A peasant from 1100 would be shocked to discover that in 1600， people weren't serfs anymore， wore dyed clothes， had found a New Land， or even slept on pillows， in rooms where a chimney was built in， and windows were made of glass。 Ian Mortimer has made it his mission to expand our horizons， and has executed it beautifully。 It is simple to forget， in the light of all the recent inventions， that our predecessors walked so we could run。 In this book， the author chooses to develop several themes based on what we， as a society， take for granted and what we think this era was really like。 War， because we always tend to think of the Middle Ages as barbaric and violent ; Inequality， and what life for the poor， women， and people of colour actually was ; Comfort， to evaluate how far we've come since sleeping in huts with one meal a day ; Speed， and how travel times reduced considerably in 600 years ; Literacy， for we often forget that someone from the 1600 wouldn't have spoken the same language as someone from the 1100 （！） ; and finally Individualism， explaining how we came to regard ourselves as human and becoming aware of our nature。 All in all， I felt a deep sense of connection to our Medieval ancestors。 Whether they were peasants， merchants or nobles， I felt grateful for people I have never met。 Everything that they have been put through - plague， hunger， disease， death and war - led to us being here today， in our comfortable homes， being able to read about them。 。。。more
Mark Gannon
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Five stars easily earned。 I took my time with this book because I wanted to appreciate the message。 Never again will I look at the 'Middle Ages' as some stagnant， backward age， void of intellectual curiosity。 Five stars。 Five stars easily earned。 I took my time with this book because I wanted to appreciate the message。 Never again will I look at the 'Middle Ages' as some stagnant， backward age， void of intellectual curiosity。 Five stars。 。。。more
Joanne
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I am someone who has always held a fascination for the medieval ages but never studied it academically but I love to read about it and visit castles and museums to find out more。 I read Ian Mortimer's brilliant book 'The time traveller's guide to medieval England' a few years ago when it came out and really enjoyed it。 So when I heard about this book I knew it was for me。 Ian Mortimer writes like a man who loves his subject and his explanations are interesting， humorous and clearly worded for a I am someone who has always held a fascination for the medieval ages but never studied it academically but I love to read about it and visit castles and museums to find out more。 I read Ian Mortimer's brilliant book 'The time traveller's guide to medieval England' a few years ago when it came out and really enjoyed it。 So when I heard about this book I knew it was for me。 Ian Mortimer writes like a man who loves his subject and his explanations are interesting， humorous and clearly worded for a non-academic like me。 I really enjoyed this book and will never look at the middle ages quite the same way again。 Every chapter teemed with fascinating facts and I particularly enjoyed chapter 5 on speed， especially regarding the postal service。 Wow！ Just wow！ Chapter 6 however was my absolute favourite。 It blew my mind to read all about Tyndale。 I don't remember learning about this man in school。 Why not peoples？ He's all I can talk about at the moment。 He should be on our bank notes。 Public Library's should be named after him。 I'm definitely naming my next cat after him！ If you don't know who he is and what he did for this country then it is well worth getting this book just to find out。 。。。more
Nikki Malin
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I certainly understand more about the Middle Ages thanks to this book。 I also understand more about today。 A fascinating exploration of a much misunderstood period of history and a provocative read which makes you question what you know and have taken as the truth。 I found myself with a wry smile on many occasions at some of the parallels between then and now。
Jacob Stelling
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As a medievalist， I have to admit I’m partial to a book seeking to re-assert medieval history’s supremacy， and this book， with its central metaphor of broadening horizons， does much to challenge the popular understanding of ‘medieval’。 Although Mortimer did outline his own rationale for defining the Middle Ages as 1000-1600， I felt some of the chapters， in particular the chapter on the English bible， stretched the limits of medieval a bit much for my tastes， as I would instinctively categorise t As a medievalist， I have to admit I’m partial to a book seeking to re-assert medieval history’s supremacy， and this book， with its central metaphor of broadening horizons， does much to challenge the popular understanding of ‘medieval’。 Although Mortimer did outline his own rationale for defining the Middle Ages as 1000-1600， I felt some of the chapters， in particular the chapter on the English bible， stretched the limits of medieval a bit much for my tastes， as I would instinctively categorise that period as early modern。 Overall， an important book which challenged many misconceptions about the Middle Ages， written with Mortimer’s trademark warmth。 。。。more
Rooney Smyth
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4。5 starsThis was such a great read。 It’s a perfect diving in point for anyone interested in the medieval era， and separating fact from fiction when it comes to the preconceptions and ideas we have about the Middle Ages。I found the structure to be particularly helpful when thinking about the different ways progress occurs - as Mortimer says， “horizons”。 I loved that this history focussed just as much on the experience of the peasant， slave or serf as it did on the nobility， reflecting on how the 4。5 starsThis was such a great read。 It’s a perfect diving in point for anyone interested in the medieval era， and separating fact from fiction when it comes to the preconceptions and ideas we have about the Middle Ages。I found the structure to be particularly helpful when thinking about the different ways progress occurs - as Mortimer says， “horizons”。 I loved that this history focussed just as much on the experience of the peasant， slave or serf as it did on the nobility， reflecting on how they each may have experienced different points in time， and the role different social classes played in shaping their societies。 Mortimer is adamant that we see the Middle Ages not through our modern， tech-focussed ideas of what society should be， instead seeking to understand attitudes， values， and “horizons” as they evolved throughout the era。 This is really useful for those， like me， interested in understanding medieval literature and art， and the context it emerged from。I listened to the audiobook， which I highly recommend， mostly because the way Mortimer says “me-diEE-val” is hilarious and once you notice it， you can’t not。 More thoughts can be found on my book Instagram @excali。books ✨ 。。。more
Liz
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