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

For anyone who has read any of Susan Wise-Bauer's other books they will recognise the easily readable format immediately. Like the author's large volume on ancient history this offering covers the history of the Medieval world in small easily digestable bites. The flow of time progresses through the text as events are tracked in various locations in both the west and east. Readers should be warned that you can leave the valley of the Rhone in the 9th Century and be wisked away to China in the following chapter. There is a cast of thousands and plenty of dates but the clipped, concise nature of the chapters helps the reader absorb the blizzard of information far easier than longer chapters might allow for. The sudden change in geography also helps implant the information as events happening in the East and West, while togther in time, are often quite different in nature so that information is easily categorised and stored in one's memory. This book is a joy to read and the format makes for steady advances through the chapters. In each sitting one might read only one ten page chapter, on the next snowy day ten or more can be digested with ease. Wise-Bauer's style is, in turn, easy and friendly, witty and sharp. It is almost as if the author is on the other side of a table in a comfortable discussion over coffee. "The History of the Medieval World" has something for everyone from the casual reader (despite being a long book) to the more deeply read on the period.

Here goes my first review. First off, I read history purely for entertainment value, and I'm always looking for good ones to cover all the gaps in between about 4000 AD and now. (pretty much all of it). I've bought alot of books, good and and bad ones. The bad ones are usually written by someone who is super smart and knowledgable in history, but just not that good at writting. Bauer definitely does not have that issue. This book, and the other (History of the Ancient World) in the series, is exactly what I've been looking for. Bauer does an excellent job of making history readable and entertaining. The format is, in my opinion, the way a good history book should be written, narrative/story book format in chronological order, with just a pinch of humor thrown in. Lots of other history books are "studies" in some particular history related topic. Those are fine, if you are a scholar. If you just want to read the story of what happened on our planet about 1500 years ago, this is the right book. My only complaint would be that after finishing this one I'll be spoiled and have to wait 2 or 3 years before continuing on into the renaissance period.

I spent a few years reading American History and then decided to try European, starting with the Middle Ages. I am no historian and I have minimal prior knowledge, so I was looking for a good introduction to the Middle Ages. I tried Manchester's A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance: Portrait of an Age and quickly set it aside. It contained errors even an amateur like me could spot. I then tried Wickham's The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages 400-1000 (The Penguin History of Europe) and less quickly set it aside. Wickham is a well researched book but definitely not for beginners, despite its marketing. Then I found this book by Bauer, which was perfect for my needs. Let me start by saying something critical that actually is a positive. This is the reason I give the book just four stars. It is also the reason I like the book so much and highly recommend it: This is old fashioned history, the way our grand parents learned history. The focus is on kings, queens, emperors and the generals who served them. I am half way through the book and long ago lost track of all the wars, assassinations and uprisings. Discussions of how the common people lived? There is none of that. There is no mention of developments in science, commerce, the arts, philosophy, etc. Slavery? Taxation? The treatment of women? You will have to look elsewhere. I say this is a strength because the Middle Ages spans an enormous period of time. I could read ten books on the period and still feel I was only scraping the surface. But you have to start somewhere just to get "oriented" to the period, and learning about rulers, wars and shifting borders is an excellent orientation. Who were the Franks? Who was Justinian? Who were the Vandals? Who were the Persians? Who was Leo the Great? These are the sort of things you need to know before you can delve more deeply into other aspects of the history, and these are the sort of things Bauer covers. OK, let me tell you what is awesome about this book. 1. It is highly readable. The book is broken down into short chapters that are like "episodes." Each episode is almost like a short story, but they fit together into a complete history. The writing is engaging, with enough focus on rulers' foibles, adventures and intrigues to fill a bookshelf of novels. 2. Maps!!! There is a map accompanying almost every chapter. I haven't been paying close attention, but I don't recall a single chapter without one. These aren't generic maps the publisher dropped in, with place names unrelated to what is discussed in the accompanying chapters. No. Each map is drawn specifically to clarify the text. My only problem with the maps is that, in the Kindle edition, they are very low resolution. If you can't read a place name in one of the maps, zooming in probably won't help. The zoomed name will be pixelated. 3. World view: Bauer does not limit herself to Europe. She also covers North Africa, the Arab world, Persia, India, Tibet, China, the Eurasian Plains, Korea, Japan and even, briefly, the Americas. Most people will read this book because they are interested in Europe, but you would miss much focusing exclusively there. Reading Bauer, you see Islam and the Tang Dynasty rising simultaneously as the Byzantine Empire falters. What happens in one part of the world does impact others. For example, the rise of Islam places pressure on Byzantine, which gives the Lombards the chance they need to evict most of the remaining Byzantine troops from Italy — and hopes of restoring the Western Roman Empire quietly fade. Let me close by qualifying one thing I have said. While topics such as science, commerce or the lives of common people receive little mention, religion is covered extensively and well. You can't understand the Middle Ages if you don't understand the role of religion. Bauer covers Christianity, the religions that preceded it, heresies, ecumenical councils, the rise of Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism and more, all with insights into how rulers exploited religion to unify or control subjects. I have learned much. For example, I never knew Islam was built on a pre-existing Arab religion that already embraced a deity called Allah and a holy city Mecca. Overall, this is a highly readable introduction to the Middle Ages. It is not history at its best, but that flaw is its strength.

This book I already own and read on Kindle, I received it yesterday. I discovered it while looking for a book on classical education, the author has a book about it . The book is very well organized, that is one of its best features, the way it’s written is very clear and engaging. I wouldn’t have found or got the book but for Amazon, I have read so many books that weren’t available in my country. It has made a change. So this is a thank you to Amazon and Jeff Bezos for making all of this possible, and to wish him and his team a safe journey and return.

I've considered it worth buying because in it there are many events, from the conversion of Constantine to the first crusade, and it also has maps! TRANSLATED Valeu a pena comprar isso porque nele existem muitos eventos, da conversão de Constantino até a primeira cruzada, e ainda há mapas!

what I expected.

First off, this book is very large, as is the topic it covers. It is essentially an overview of the medieval period, from the last days of the Romans, for the main continents across the world - and it is truly fascinating and engrossing. Amazingly, the author achieves their goal very well indeed. Each chapter deals with a different culture, moving forward slowly in time to indicate clearly the evolution of the period from each perspective. However, this is never overwhelming. The 'story' of each land/culture flows well (and often humorously), and never becomes dry or just a barrage of names or titles. Societies and influences are clear, and it's easy to get an idea of what is happening, where and why. As an overview of a very long period over a very wide area, it is excellent and (miraculously!) never unwieldy. There's enough detail for readers who find appeal in a particular time or location to then look for further, more detailed accounts elsewhere. An excellent text, recommended.

Enjoyed it! Fast shipper