Wim Blockmans - Introduction to Medieval Europe 300-1500

Introduction to Medieval Europe 3001500

Introduction to Medieval Europe 3001500 provides a comprehensive survey of this complex and varied formative period of European history, covering themes as diverse as barbarian migrations, the impact of Christianisation, the formation of nations and states, the emergence of an expansionist commercial economy, the growth of cities, the Crusades, the effects of plague, and the intellectual and cultural life of the Middle Ages. The book explores the driving forces behind the formation of medieval society and the directions in which it developed and changed. In doing this, the authors cover a wide geographic expanse, including Western interactions with the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic World.

This third edition contains a wealth of new features within the book and on the free-to-access companion website that help to bring this fascinating era to life, including:

In the book:

A number of new maps and images to further understanding the period

Clear signposting and extended discussions of key topics such as feudalism and gender

Expanded geographic coverage into Eastern Europe and the Middle East

On the companion website:

An updated, comparative and interactive timeline, highlighting surprising synchronicities in medieval history, and annotated links to useful websites

A list of movies, television series and novels related to the Middle Ages, accompanied by introductions and commentaries

Assignable discussion questions and the maps, plates, figures and tables from the book available to download and use in the classroom

Clear and stimulating, the third edition of Introduction to Medieval Europe is the ideal companion to studying Europe in the Middle Ages at undergraduate level.

Wim Blockmans is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Leiden.

Peter Hoppenbrouwers is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Leiden.

Praise for previous editions

Introduction to Medieval Europe provides an excellent overview into the fascinating world of the Middle Ages. It covers issues such as mentalities of men and women as well as giving an insight into the world of medieval politics. Included is a thought-provoking chapter on continuities which provides a new framework for the understanding of a world distant to us both in time and place.

Thomas Smberg, Malm University, Sweden

This is an extraordinarily wide-ranging introduction, covering Europe in its broadest sense from the British Isles to Turkey. It not only explains the political, intellectual and religious developments that occurred between the late Roman period and the Reformation but it also gives an insight into what life must have been like for most people. An essential first port of call for anyone wishing to understand the Middle Ages.

Jonathan Harris, Royal Holloway University, UK

The particular strength of this new edition of Introduction to Medieval Europe 3001550 is the authors ability to trace the development and transformation over time of large scale social, economic, and religious structures and mentalities. How did pagans become Christians? How did slaves and peasants become serfs? How did armed horsemen become knights? Few if any other textbooks at this level can offer students such a sure guide along the path to understanding how the outlines of medieval society took shape.

Sean Field, University of Vermont, USA

This commendably clear and concise overview of the medieval period should be essential reading for all students coming to the subject for the first time. The coverage of social, economic and intellectual themes is particularly strong. Readers will appreciate the profusion of maps, diagrams and other illustrations which buttress the text.

Simon Barton, University of Exeter, UK

In their new edition on the Middle Ages, Blockmans and Hoppenbrouwers offer a rich, accessible, and valuable resource for students and lecturers of medieval history alike. With its expanded list of tables, figures, illustrations, color maps, primary source boxes, and annotated bibliographies, this revised text is a must-have for anyone interested in the formation of pre-modern Europe. Through a careful re-organization of materials and an extended treatment of the period along sensible thematic and chronological lines, this work will continue to reign among the leading introductory surveys on the medieval world.

Kriston Rennie, University of Queensland, Australia

In the crowded field of historical surveys of medieval Europe, Blockmans and Hoppenbrouwers have managed to produce something distinctive and original. Their book gives a clear, well-written overview of the political, social, economic and artistic developments in these important centuries with helpful explanations of technical terms and good suggested further reading. Eastern Europe is given full weight and thoughtful illustrations give valuable insights into a culture more visual than literate. But more than this the authors demonstrate why medieval Europeans deserve to be studied, their influence on later times and different places, how many of our own preoccupations derive from theirs. Blockmans and Hoppenbrouwers make the European Middle Ages not just fascinating, but relevant as well.

Andrew Roach, University of Glasgow, UK

This is a work that helps its reader to grasp the defining contours of medieval history, without being subjected to a whirlwind of narrative detail. It is refreshing in its pan-European scope, bringing Lithuania to stand alongside France, and in its effective location of key issues in broader frameworks of change and continuity. Most of all, it treats the alterity of the Middle Ages on its own terms and explains just what it is that makes understanding that fundamentally different world quite so interesting and worthwhile.

Stephen Mossman, University of Manchester, UK

Blockmans and Hoppenbrouwers Introduction to Medieval Europe has established itself as the classic survey in English on the Latin West in the Middle Ages. The second edition is even more commendable: the books unique European perspective has been improved by situating the Latin West within neighbouring cultures and suggesting new ways of integrating European historiography. This is an indispensable starting point for students, scholars and, indeed, for any audience that wishes to familiarise itself with the essential European dimension of the history of the Latin West between 300 and 1500.

Martial Staub, University of Sheffield, UK

Introduction to Medieval Europe 300-1500

Third Edition

Wim Blockmans and Peter Hoppenbrouwers

Third edition published 2018

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

and by Routledge

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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2018 Wim Blockmans and Peter Hoppenbrouwers

The right of Wim Blockmans and Peter Hoppenbrouwers to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.