Europe in the High Middle Ages
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- Author：William Chester Jordan
- ISBN：0140166645
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Summary
'The Penguin History of Europe series 。。。 is one of contemporary publishing's great projects' New Statesman
With a lucid and clear narrative style William Chester Jordan has turned his considerable talents to composing a standard textbook of the opening centuries of the second millennium in Europe。 He brings this period of dramatic social， political， economic， cultural， religious and military change， alive to the general reader。 Jordan presents the early Medieval period as a lost world， far removed from our current age， which had risen from the smoking rubble of the Roman Empire， but from which we are cut off by the great plagues and famines that ended it。 Broad in scope， punctuated with impressive detail， and highly accessible， Jordan's book is set to occupy a central place in university courses of the medieval period。
With a lucid and clear narrative style William Chester Jordan has turned his considerable talents to composing a standard textbook of the opening centuries of the second millennium in Europe。 He brings this period of dramatic social， political， economic， cultural， religious and military change， alive to the general reader。 Jordan presents the early Medieval period as a lost world， far removed from our current age， which had risen from the smoking rubble of the Roman Empire， but from which we are cut off by the great plagues and famines that ended it。 Broad in scope， punctuated with impressive detail， and highly accessible， Jordan's book is set to occupy a central place in university courses of the medieval period。
Reviews
Tobias
，
The High Middles Ages consisted of Crusades， scholasticism and decoroum on the one hand， and then complete and utter Jackass on the other， feeding pepper to women who failed to give birth to their stillborn babies。
Edward Evjen
，
Bone dry， little organization， braggadocious words， context: rare。
Ruth
，
glad I had some background in some other reading and study before I read this book
Allee
，
Excellent introduction to the high middle ages。 A nice contrast to the preceding book in the Penguin history of Europe series。 I finish feeling like I have a broad understanding of the most important political， ecclesiastical， and cultural （broadly defined） developments of the period， and the men and women who were involved in them。I was most impressed with Jordan's ability to summarize huge theological and intellectual theories in a way that felt comprehensive yet remained summary。 Summarizing Excellent introduction to the high middle ages。 A nice contrast to the preceding book in the Penguin history of Europe series。 I finish feeling like I have a broad understanding of the most important political， ecclesiastical， and cultural （broadly defined） developments of the period， and the men and women who were involved in them。I was most impressed with Jordan's ability to summarize huge theological and intellectual theories in a way that felt comprehensive yet remained summary。 Summarizing the work of Thomas Aquinas in 2 or 3 pages in a way that is coherent without getting bogged down is certainly impressive。As a Catholic I also felt he respected the Church while being honest about her short comings。 That's not always easy to find in secular history。 。。。more
Philip Clapper
，
Relatively brief， given the scope， but precise where it counts。 Jordan paints an expansive picture of the late medieval period。 A wonderful survey of the final half millennium of medieval Europe。
Maria
，
Jordan set out to write a textbook for beginning students to the medieval period。 He traces the period which was fixed between the fall of the Roman Empire and the plagues and famines of Europe's brush with the Black Death。 Jordan highlights the dramatic social， political， economic， cultural， religious and military changes。 Why I started this book: I love history books and I have been working my way thru Penguin's series on the history of Europe。Why I finished it: The High Middle Ages was a time Jordan set out to write a textbook for beginning students to the medieval period。 He traces the period which was fixed between the fall of the Roman Empire and the plagues and famines of Europe's brush with the Black Death。 Jordan highlights the dramatic social， political， economic， cultural， religious and military changes。 Why I started this book: I love history books and I have been working my way thru Penguin's series on the history of Europe。Why I finished it: The High Middle Ages was a time of recovery， trying to build back and build more from the collapse of the Roman Empire。。。 and it was also a time of crusades and the beginning of plagues。 A world in commotion， what many feared was the end of the world。 The more history that I learn， the greater my appreciation for my own time。 There are still many challenges to solve， equality to spread。。。 but we have come so far。 。。。more
Caesar
，
I managed to finish this book， something that cannot be said about the previous entry in the series。 While not particularly insightful because it's such a short book and the need to give information of four century gives little space to go in-depth on a topic I would maintain that it does a good job surveying many important events and people that shaped those centuries。It's not too dry but not engaging either; I would recommend it to someone who knows very little about that era and want a starti I managed to finish this book， something that cannot be said about the previous entry in the series。 While not particularly insightful because it's such a short book and the need to give information of four century gives little space to go in-depth on a topic I would maintain that it does a good job surveying many important events and people that shaped those centuries。It's not too dry but not engaging either; I would recommend it to someone who knows very little about that era and want a starting point。 。。。more
Praveen Kishore
，
Crisp， Insightful， Accessible and Interesting。 A great book on Europe during high middle ages， covering the period AD 1000-1350。
Michael
，
Decent overview of the time period。 I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book of the series。 It's hard to go into too much depth in such a work， but I felt like at times it was too high-level， with seemingly historical meaningless figures taking up too much。 On the other hand， looking at the political and social positions of different peoples around Europe was done well。 I don't know if I could have structured the book any better， but I didn't feel like the flow and chapters of the book worked Decent overview of the time period。 I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book of the series。 It's hard to go into too much depth in such a work， but I felt like at times it was too high-level， with seemingly historical meaningless figures taking up too much。 On the other hand， looking at the political and social positions of different peoples around Europe was done well。 I don't know if I could have structured the book any better， but I didn't feel like the flow and chapters of the book worked well。 In the end， it's a good overview， but I would guess there are better books on this period。 。。。more
Roger Winger
，
Difficult to follow
Jim Swike
，
An Excellent Resource for research and / or Term paper。 Well-researched and well done。 Enjoy！
Ian Mapp
，
Third in a series of 9 books。 Looks like book 4 is still not written - so I may be jumping on a few centuries。This was much easier to read than book 2 and more like the promise shown in book 1。 Covers the era between 1000 and 1400 - shortish chapters based on regions/countries。 Some plateworks of photos - mainly architecture。 Plenty of maps。Expected topics covered - crusades， royalty （nice listing of all major countries kings/queens）， famines， plagues， religion。 Noteworthy bit of trivia - Canons Third in a series of 9 books。 Looks like book 4 is still not written - so I may be jumping on a few centuries。This was much easier to read than book 2 and more like the promise shown in book 1。 Covers the era between 1000 and 1400 - shortish chapters based on regions/countries。 Some plateworks of photos - mainly architecture。 Plenty of maps。Expected topics covered - crusades， royalty （nice listing of all major countries kings/queens）， famines， plagues， religion。 Noteworthy bit of trivia - Canons first used in European battles in the 1300s。1517-1648 next。 。。。more
Martin
，
A good introduction into a period in history where dynastic relations start to get really confusing。
David
，
I found this a mixed bag。 The author provides a fascinating social hisory， especially his conclusions on the impact of the disasters of the 14th century。 Still I saw his descriptions of the various dynastic struggles a diffciult slog。
Daniel Winter
，
The book in general gives an in depth analysis of differing time periods in European Medieval history with precise details to names of kings， princes etc and dates of incidences。 However， the book fails to convey this in a coherent manner often skipping from one medieval player to an other without completing the explanation on the former， which often led to confusion when reading the text。 The same can be said for when Jordan is discussing a particular event。 He will leave this event in the dark The book in general gives an in depth analysis of differing time periods in European Medieval history with precise details to names of kings， princes etc and dates of incidences。 However， the book fails to convey this in a coherent manner often skipping from one medieval player to an other without completing the explanation on the former， which often led to confusion when reading the text。 The same can be said for when Jordan is discussing a particular event。 He will leave this event in the dark and move on to something else 100 years onwards in the same chapter of the book which again causes further confusion and having to research the topic further on the internet which should not happen with a book so precise on its subject （Europe in the a High Middle Ages）。 Would recommend to those who relish on niche historical trivia。 。。。more
Brian Willis
，
A good overview of the period， organized quite accessibly。 Each section covers a century， and each chapter covers either a majorly developing country （England， France）， region （Central Europe with subheadings on Italy， Germany， etc） or sociopolitical development （literacy， art， the Church）。 The Crusades also get their own chapter - fair enough。 While not the most scintillating prose， it conveys the ideas lucidly and comprehensively enough given the aim of the series and the size of the book。The A good overview of the period， organized quite accessibly。 Each section covers a century， and each chapter covers either a majorly developing country （England， France）， region （Central Europe with subheadings on Italy， Germany， etc） or sociopolitical development （literacy， art， the Church）。 The Crusades also get their own chapter - fair enough。 While not the most scintillating prose， it conveys the ideas lucidly and comprehensively enough given the aim of the series and the size of the book。The book felt like review for me （for the most part） but that explains my own 3 star rating。 4 stars very possible for those needing an insightful overview of the evolution of Medieval Europe （this is the period in which most countries， particularly in Western Europe began to take the shapes and forms politically and socially， begin to look and feel familiar， although still very feudal obviously）。 Not a bad book for an overview。 。。。more
Yair Zumaeta Acero
，
La tercera estación en este viaje a través de la historia de Europa implica un desembarco en la Alta Edad Media de la mano del director del programa de estudios medievales de la universidad de Princeton， William Chester Jordan y su libro “Europe in the High Middle Ages”， tercer libro de la serie “The Penguin History of Europe” de la editorial Penguin。 Un trabajo que abarca la siempre apasionante y evocadora historia medieval europea entre el año 1。000 hasta mediados del siglo XIV。Para quien arri La tercera estación en este viaje a través de la historia de Europa implica un desembarco en la Alta Edad Media de la mano del director del programa de estudios medievales de la universidad de Princeton， William Chester Jordan y su libro “Europe in the High Middle Ages”， tercer libro de la serie “The Penguin History of Europe” de la editorial Penguin。 Un trabajo que abarca la siempre apasionante y evocadora historia medieval europea entre el año 1。000 hasta mediados del siglo XIV。Para quien arribe a estas tierras medievales habiendo leído las dos entregas anteriores， reconocerá en este libro el estilo general de la serie: Un relato centrado menos en cronologías detalladas， batallas， dinastías， nombres y eventos; y más en una visión global de la historia， los pesos y contrapesos políticos y el desarrollo económico y cultural del continente。Para el caso de la historia general del viejo continente durante la Alta Edad Media， la columna vertebral del relato será la consolidación， crecimiento， dominio y declive de la iglesia católica， la figura papal y su relación con las monarquías y naciones emergentes de Europa， protagonistas que dejan de verse como las víctimas de las invasiones bárbaras y foráneas propias de la Temprana Edad Media， para convertirse en reinos poderosos y autónomos capaces inclusive de extender su órbita de dominio por fuera del continente a través de las Cruzadas。Un recorrido donde el autor de manera clara y concisa nos introduce en lo mejor y lo peor de este periodo。 Desde el crecimiento de las ciudades， el surgimiento de la universidad y el arte gótico （con un subcapítulo especializado en el desarrollo de la arquitectura gótica y el arte religioso de la época acompañado de grandiosas fotografías）， el resurgimiento del estudio de la literatura y el pensamiento clásico y helenístico， el amanecer de los romances， las gestas de caballería y las “Chanson”， los juramentos de honor y los caballeros cristianos de reluciente armadura; el protagonismo de majestuosos reyes como Ricardo Corazón de León， Federico Barbarroja， Federico II Hohenstaufen， Guillermo el Conquistador， Esteban I de Hungría， Felipe II y Luis IX de Francia; la formación de las naciones europeas y la consolidación de los centros comerciales y de poder como no se había visto desde la caída del Imperio Romano; todo ese esplendor opacado también por el vasallaje y el feudalismo depredador como modelos sociales y económicos inamovibles， la pobreza， las interminables y recurrentes guerras， las persecuciones religiosas y la infinita codicia sanguinaria disfrazada de guerra santa a través de la Cruzadas， desgracias que alcanzarían su cenit a principios del Siglo XIV con la Gran Hambruna de 1315 y la aparición de la todopoderosa y devastadora Peste Negra que barrió un tercio de la población europea y que servirá como colofón del relato。Un libro que claramente no pretende ser una obra magistral sobre la Alta Edad Media ni abordar con detalle los eventos que dieron forma a este período de la humanidad。 En mi humilde opinión， cumple claramente con el objetivo del autor （y de la serie de “The Penguin History of Europe” ） que es dar una visión general de un lapso de tiempo en la historia de Europa y ser un punto de partida universal para que el lector profundice sobre los temas de mayor interés （en este caso， con un capítulo completo dedicado a las lecturas adicionales sugeridas por el autor）。 Eso sí， los detalles sobre las Cruzadas -salvo la primera y la tercera- son bastante esporádicos y poco profundos y ni hablar de la “Guerra de los Cien Años”， cuya mención no abarca más de dos páginas （afortunadamente para las Cruzadas contamos con el espectacular libro de de Christopher Tyerman titulado Las guerras de Dios: Una nueva historia de las Cruzadas; y para la Guerra de los Cien Años siempre será más que perfecto consultar A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century de Barbara W。 Tuchman o esa ciclópea obra de 4 volúmenes de Jonathan Sumption）。 Por lo demás， será un libro ideal para reposar en esta tercera parada y proseguir el viaje hacia el “Renacimiento” （cuya obra hasta donde tengo entendido， estará a cargo del profesor de Princeton Anthony Grafton， la cual aún no ha sido editada， existiendo un bache temporal hasta las Reformas Protestantes del Siglo XVI que se abordan en el quinto libro de la serie） 。。。more
Tanner Nelson
，
This is a good work of popular history。 It is accessible， but it also imparts the essential stories and events from 1000-1400。 I really enjoyed it。 I listened to it on Audible and the narrator， Leon Nixon， really made the book come alive to me。 Typically narrators of histories are dry， a little bland， and often older men with British accents。 Leon’s down-to-earth American accent really helped me buy into the history。 I would probably read this book again。
Tom
，
A brilliant， comfortable review of 1000-1200’s by a fine， conversational scholar。 Jordan is both an insightful scholar and a fine storyteller， the perfect companion for a review of thus interesting period。 I highly recommend it！
Carlos Wang
，
目前讀過的四本中感覺最普通的。較之《古典歐洲的誕生》那本的主題性，《羅馬帝國的遺產》那種學究味，或是克肖《地獄之行》的文采飛揚，喬丹這本顯得非常平庸。它只是簡單的敘述了這段歷史，沒有什麼個性，比較像是出版社邀稿然後交功課了事。儘管他確實什麼重點都說了，但還比不上Judith M。 Bennett那本教科書有趣。可惜。
Kathleen Layson
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 its beautiful
NDV135
，
Exactly what I was looking for， a good， concise， brief overview of all aspects of the period that will helps give me context as I dive deeper and deeper into it。
Juan Serenellini
，
Es una introducción al tema， muy superficial pero toca temas poco explorados， como Europa del Este y obvia muchos otros como la guerra de los cien años。 El capítulo 20 es maravilloso y vale el libro。
Andy
，
Book 3， lets hope it’s narrative follows the same format as the opening book in the series。。。。。 at least its a short book。。。。 fingers crossed。。。。。going in！After a short introduction to the general layout of the book & the world the book has inherited C1000AD we’re swiftly away， no long intro’s here！ The structure of the book seems sound enough with the narrative going via century （we start in the 11th） through to the mid 14th Circa the Black Death Plague。Hopefully we’ll learn more about the peop Book 3， lets hope it’s narrative follows the same format as the opening book in the series。。。。。 at least its a short book。。。。 fingers crossed。。。。。going in！After a short introduction to the general layout of the book & the world the book has inherited C1000AD we’re swiftly away， no long intro’s here！ The structure of the book seems sound enough with the narrative going via century （we start in the 11th） through to the mid 14th Circa the Black Death Plague。Hopefully we’ll learn more about the peoples this time as we did in the first book？We have maps of regions of Europe to start each chapter giving major towns/cities/peoples & at the back is a history/Index of all the Kings of Europe of the different peoples for the period covered。 Also at the back is a chapter with “Further reading” which names around 4-5 books for each chapter/section of the book， so if you wanted to read more about the Magyars History， a pointer or two is given which is where I’ll be heading at some point。 The 11th Century chapter sees us introduced to the major powers in turn via the regions of Europe， namely the Mediterranean， Northern Europe & British Isles， Francia/France & finally Central Europe。 The narrative is quite brief in truth but it’s easier to follow than the previous book & most importantly we get to learn about the peoples of the time be they Spanish， Venetian or Anglo-Saxon which is why I signed up for this series in the first place。 The author does reach back before the year AD1000 （official start of the book） & shows us the origins of some of the races highlighted albeit very briefly。 It doesn’t get bogged down with endless names/dates， merely highlights major events in the named region by the named peoples & how their social/economic， political & religious society was made up along with their rivalries/alliances with （in the case of Italy） other states/countries/cities。 You get to learn about Sicily for example & appreciate it’s pivotal position in the 11th century as the Arabs， The pope， Byzantines & eventually it’s conquerors the Normans vie to control it along with it’s Muslim， catholic， orthodox & Jewish population。 There are many examples to give （i’ve given jus a flavour） but trust me when I say by reading this you will much better understand how the jigsaw of Europe came together from around the year AD1000 onwards。 If you already know about such things then I doubt you’ll find anything new in this book as it covers the basics only。 For me， I knew what I was told about the Scandinavians of the 11th Century but for sure I knew little of the early formation of the Italian states & the central Mediterranean so it was a good read overall as I learnt more than I already knew & more importantly it started to put it all into order / timelines which I was a little loose about in some regions。The one thing that stands out in the opening chapters is that many of the races/peoples mentioned in this book evolved long before the year AD1000 but were NOT covered in the prior book which irks me even more now about the second book in the series。 It has though given me an appetite to learn more about individual peoples/nations that started to emerge from around C750 AD through to the later medieval period。The 12th Century begins with religion， the Pope， the Holy Roman Empire & explains the emergence/expansion of the church via various holy orders/monasteries which leads onto the 1st Crusade & illustrates how religion became a greater part of medieval man’s life/culture as opposed to the prior centuries。 It’s quite a development & not the gradual erosion into/control over people’s lives I thought the church had been post the fall of the Roman Empire。 Christendom vs Pagans ive covered through various peoples but not in this context where Christendom becomes more powerful & all encompassing in daily lives， fervour would be a good description。 This is the part of Christendom （or any religion） that I despise。。。。 its control （power） over people。 The year 1096 seems particularly barbaric where the early “crusades” many not even reaching Constantinople let alone the “holy land” set about the European Jews & massacred them en masse en route to the East， many of these “bands” were even set upon & massacred themselves by the Hungarians & Bohemians as they provoked violence on the Jews within those countries borders， the worst atrocities were carried out in the Rhineland where whole Jewish communities were butchered。 It’s a part of history i’d never heard about before or at least not in this aspect/detail。Education through religious institutions dominates this century as centres of learning pop-up & spread across Europe which go on to become universities。 Books start to be readily copied through mostly monasteries。。。。 again the religious impact （read bias）。 This era is more about the spread of learning & social economics & we forego certain regions， namely Scandinavia， Eastern Europe & the Byzantium Empire all of which are not covered as the author concentrates mainly on Western Europe & the crusades。 Which I think is remiss as the evolvement of certain nations/races/regions in Europe， are not covered。 I say Europe， as in the modern era version as we know it。The 13th Century starts with more social history as urbanisation is fully in effect in the West。 We learn of the Pope， Innocent III who initiated the rise/consolidation of the power/influence of the Papacy over its near neighbours namely Sicily & the Holy Roman Empire first， before its sphere spread to the rest of Western Europe。 The 4th crusade aims to retake Jerusalem but it’s high jacked by the Venetians who take Constantinople much to the Pope’s dismay but he puts it down simply to “God’s will”。 Its a bit of a whirlwind tour through the history of the period but as ive said before （on occasion！） its joining the dots for me & i’m happy with the succinct delivery。 The major powers in Western Europe （France & England） feature in this chapter having whole sections to themselves as always。。。。。。。。 finally though the central （Poland， Hungary & Bohemia） & Northern （Scandinavia & Baltic states） regions appear on our horizon but it feels like they have been jettisoned into our historical narrative & all that has gone on before is presumed for the reader。。。。。。 at least though we finally get a picture of what’s happening/developing in Eastern Europe （which doesn’t form part of the Byzantium Empire） although sadly we get very little， bar a mention， of what the Mongols are doing in the Eastern regions of Europe。 Its （Sections on Central & Northern Europe） all very brief for me & in no-way as thorough， as the chapters concerning the church or the western powers that have dominated the book to date。The 14th century sees us start with more Christendom swiftly followed by Famine & the Plague as the Black Death reaches Europe & lays waste to the population。 It really is a game changing series of events on the populous of Europe & those that survive through the events certainly have a different life to those that went before， it’s reasoned that the middle ages end with these events， which seems a reasonable assertion， in fact western Europe doesn’t reach pre-plague population levels until the 1600’s。 The other detail that popped out at me was the victimisation of witches/Jews in this period ie non-Christians who started to be persecuted openly as opposed to being tolerated before。At journeys end I think I could have handled more history & felt for certain regions/eras it was a little sparse compared to others， the impact of Christendom being one I could have done less with but I guess to the victor goes the writing of history。。。。。 I also have the feeling that the book jus petered out come the end， although perhaps on reflection that period itself （of The Black Death） brought about a big impact on life In Europe in the time。Overall I’d have to give it a three， middle of the road for sureNext up would have been renaissance Europe C 1350-1550 BUT it hasn’t been written yet！！ 。。。more
Jessica Harn
，
This book has everything， from the history to the culture to the church gossips of the late Middle Ages in Europe。 A must read for anyone interested in a full account of Europe in the Middle Ages
Laurie
，
A fine general overview of the political， religions， intellectual and social happenings of Europe in middle ages。 The author does a particularly good job illustrating the changes in worldview during this period as it was influenced by the tumultuous events of the period。
Ratratrat
，
E' stato un piacere leggere questo libro， che in non troppe pagine racconta al storia europea fra il 1000 e il 1350。 la vita， i regni， le crociate， l'economia。。。il tutto rivisitato con commenti e giudizi， cenni ad altre possibili interpretazioni storiografiche。。 rivisto tanto， imparato cose nuove。。 e si conclude con un'invenzione foriera di guai: la polvere da sparo。 E' stato un piacere leggere questo libro， che in non troppe pagine racconta al storia europea fra il 1000 e il 1350。 la vita， i regni， le crociate， l'economia。。。il tutto rivisitato con commenti e giudizi， cenni ad altre possibili interpretazioni storiografiche。。 rivisto tanto， imparato cose nuove。。 e si conclude con un'invenzione foriera di guai: la polvere da sparo。 。。。more
Philip Koslow
，
Another addition to the Penguin Series on the history of Europe and a welcome addition indeed。 Clearly written and focused on the evolving social， monarchial and political environment that defined an era profoundly influenced by the Catholic church， this historical survey is a worthy read for anyone seeking an understanding of a period that begins the unfolding of the Renaissance era to follow。 An insight into a wide swath of European events from 1000 to 1350 are featured from Poland to France t Another addition to the Penguin Series on the history of Europe and a welcome addition indeed。 Clearly written and focused on the evolving social， monarchial and political environment that defined an era profoundly influenced by the Catholic church， this historical survey is a worthy read for anyone seeking an understanding of a period that begins the unfolding of the Renaissance era to follow。 An insight into a wide swath of European events from 1000 to 1350 are featured from Poland to France to England to Italy and beyond are equally represented。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Beth Kakuma-Depew
，
Excellent overview of the High Middle Ages。 The author's over-arching theme focuses on the vibrant culture that peaked in the thirteenth century （1200s）， and then crashed after the Great Famine and the Black Plague of the fourteenth century （1300s）。 So not really a happy ending。 I appreciated the regional focuses， like Central Europe and Southern Europe that get left out of conventional Anglo-French versions of Medieval history。 The tone is scholarly and British， but the content generally doesn' Excellent overview of the High Middle Ages。 The author's over-arching theme focuses on the vibrant culture that peaked in the thirteenth century （1200s）， and then crashed after the Great Famine and the Black Plague of the fourteenth century （1300s）。 So not really a happy ending。 I appreciated the regional focuses， like Central Europe and Southern Europe that get left out of conventional Anglo-French versions of Medieval history。 The tone is scholarly and British， but the content generally doesn't get too deep， allowing reader a great starting point for further study， or just an awesome overview to tie together previous knowledge。 I would estimate it at an Undergraduate College level。 。。。more
Xander
，