The Making Of Medieval History

Essays on the discipline of medieval history and its practictioners, from the late eighteenth century onwards

Since its first publication in 2007, John H. Arnold’s What is Medieval History? has established itself as the leading introduction to the craft of the medieval historian. What is it that medieval historians do? How – and why – do they do it? Arnold discusses the creation of medieval history as a field, the nature of its sources, the intellectual tools used by medievalists, and some key areas of thematic importance from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Reformation. The fascinating case studies include a magical plot against a medieval pope, a fourteenth-century insurrection, and the importance of a kiss exchanged between two tenth-century noblemen. Throughout the book, readers are shown not only what medieval history is, but the cultural and political contexts in which it has been written. This anticipated second edition includes further exploration of the interdisciplinary techniques that can aid medieval historians, such as dialogue with scientists and archaeologists, and addresses some of the challenges – both medieval and modern – of the idea of a ‘global middle ages’. What is Medieval History? continues to demonstrate why the pursuit of medieval history is important not only to the present, but to the future. It is an invaluable guide for students, teachers, researchers and interested general readers.

A study of the chief personalities and forces that brought Western Europe to pre-eminence as a centre for political experimentation, economic expansion, and intellectual discovery.

The essays collected in this volume publish the proceedings of a colloquium held at the Warburg Institute on 11 January 2013 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ernst Kitzinger. His work has been, and still is, fundamentally influential on the present-day discipline of art history in a wide range of topics. He pioneered the study of iconoclasm, of Anglo-Saxon art in relation to the art of the Mediterranean, of the manipulation of Byzantine artistic forms by the rulers of Norman Sicily and of the functions and meanings of ornament in media such as textiles and architectural sculpture. The first half of the book is primarily biographical, with papers covering his extraordinary career, which began in Germany, Italy and England in the tumultuous years preceding World War II, before leading to internment in Australia and, eventually, to America. He developed a major centre for the study of Byzantium at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington DC and, in the years before his retirement, taught a new generation of students at Harvard. The second half of the book is devoted to assessments of Kitzinger's scholarship, including his concern with the theory of style, with the early medieval art of Britain and Continental Europe, with the art of Norman Sicily and with the sources and impact of iconoclasm in the East. The authors describe his pioneering contributions to the field of medieval art history and assess their impact on, and relevance to, the concerns of contemporary scholarship.

What is it that medieval historians do? And how and why do they do it? What is Medieval History? provides an accessible, far-ranging and passionate guide to the study of medieval history. The book discusses the creation of the academic field, the nature of the sources, the intellectual tools used by medievalists, and some key areas of thematic importance from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Reformation. Students, teachers, researchers and interested general readers will find the book an invaluable guide. The author explores his field through numerous fascinating case studies, including a magical plot against a medieval pope, a fourteenth-century insurrection, and the importance of a kiss exchanged between two tenth-century noblemen. Throughout the book, readers are shown not only what medieval history is, but the cultural and political contexts in which medieval history has been written. And, above all, What is Medieval History? demonstrates why the pursuit of medieval history continues to be important to the present and future world.

Excerpt from Guide to the Study of Medieval History: For Students, Teachers, and Libraries Ever since the fall of 1914 the stream of historical writing on the middle ages has become thinner and thinner, so that today it is comparatively easy to keep abreast with the literature on the subject due to the phenomenal decrease of new contributions by European scholars. This sudden lull, preceded by a period of almost feverish activity in book-making, is a peculiarly propitious time for the making of inventories of the wealth of historical literature which has been produced in the century since the close of the Napoleonic wars. Such a task for medieval history is attempted in this Guide. The book has grown out of mimeographed syllabi prepared for two courses offered in the University of California, a general course in medieval history designed especially for juniors, and an advanced course in medieval culture for seniors and graduate students. These two syllabi have furnished the bases for parts 11 and III of this Guide. Part 1, containing the most important general books useful in a study of medieval history, has been added in order to make the manual as complete and comprehensive as is possible within its limits. These general books are referred to constantly in parts II and III by cross references to the black-faced numbers by which they are designated. The table of contents furnishes an analysis of the general books in part I. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

When scholars discuss the medieval past, the temptation is to become immersed there, to deepen our appreciation of the nuances of the medieval sources through debate about their meaning. But the past informs the present in a myriad of ways and medievalists can, and should, use their research to address the concerns and interests of contemporary society. This volume presents a number of carefully commissioned essays that demonstrate the fertility and originality of recent work in Medieval Studies. Above all, they have been selected for relevance. Most contributors are in the earlier stages of their careers and their approaches clearly reflect how interdisciplinary methodologies applied to Medieval Studies have potential repercussions and value far beyond the boundaries of the Middles Ages. These chapters are powerful demonstrations of the value of medieval research to our own times, both in terms of providing answers to some of the specific questions facing humanity today and in terms of much broader considerations. Taken together, the research presented here also provides readers with confidence in the fact that Medieval Studies cannot be neglected without a great loss to the understanding of what it means to be human.