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A History of the Middle Ages

Dana Carleton Munro (1866 - 1933)

This overview of the 9th through the 13th centuries in Europe and the Middle East begins with the empire of Charles the Great, which extended the sway of Christendom. Munro writes that "among the Saxons Charles found it necessary to forbid human sacrifice and the eating of the bodies of witches." In the century after Charles's death his empire was divided and invasions of Saracens, Slavs, Hungarians and, above all, Vikings strengthened the hold of feudal localism as people were compelled to seek the protection of the nearest strongman. Despite these challenges, the Capetians established a successful dynasty in what would become France. English institutions developed under Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and Plantagenet kings. The German Emperors encountered the resourceful Italian city-states and challenged the popes. The Moslem world rose and threatened Constantinople and western crusaders invaded eastern lands. Nor in his survey of the martial and political landscape, does Professor Munro neglect the monastic orders, the new universities, and the daily lives of the people, both high and low. (Summary by Pamela Nagami, M.D.)

Genre(s): War & Military, Political Science, Middle Ages/Middle History

Language: English

Keyword(s): middle ages (39), Islam (29), Knights (22), crusades (13), papacy (10), frederick barbarossa (6), feudalism (5), medieval church (4), saladin (3), castles (3) ... [Show full list]

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 Ch. 1: Introduction Pamela Nagami
00:12:26
Play 02 Ch. 1: The Empire of Charles the Great, Pt. 1 Pamela Nagami
00:14:47
Play 03 Ch. 2: The Empire of Charles the Great, Pt. 2 Pamela Nagami
00:12:30
Play 04 Ch. 3: The Church Pamela Nagami
00:12:47
Play 05 Ch. 4: The Invasions Pamela Nagami
00:11:50
Play 06 Ch. 5: Feudalism Pamela Nagami
00:21:18
Play 07 Ch. 6: The German Kingdom (to 1122) Pamela Nagami
00:19:39
Play 08 Ch. 7: The Kingdom of France (to 1108) Pamela Nagami
00:17:50
Play 09 Ch. 8: England (to 1135) Pamela Nagami
00:21:39
Play 10 Ch. 9: The Moslem World (750-1095) Pamela Nagami
00:17:02
Play 11 Ch. 10: The Byzantine Empire Pamela Nagami
00:18:02
Play 12 Ch. 11: The Crusades, Pt. 1 Pamela Nagami
00:12:31
Play 13 Ch. 11: The Crusades, Pt. 2 Pamela Nagami
00:17:17
Play 14 Ch. 12: The Monastic Orders Pamela Nagami
00:21:06
Play 15 Ch. 13: Life of the Nobles (Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries) Pamela Nagami
00:20:17
Play 16 Ch. 14: Life of the People (Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries) Pamela Nagami
00:19:55
Play 17 Ch. 15: Schools and Universities Pamela Nagami
00:15:59
Play 18 Ch. 16: The Church in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, Pt. 1 Pamela Nagami
00:12:15
Play 19 Ch. 16: The Church in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, Pt. 2 Pamela Nagami
00:12:45
Play 20 Ch. 17: Germany and Italy, Pt. 1 Pamela Nagami
00:16:06
Play 21 Ch. 17: Germany and Italy, Pt. 2 Pamela Nagami
00:19:00
Play 22 Ch. 18: France (1108-1314) Pamela Nagami
00:16:29
Play 23 Ch. 19: England (1135-1327) Pamela Nagami
00:21:23
Play 24 Ch. 20: The Other European Nations Pamela Nagami
00:16:41