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A collection of sources detailing aspects of Europe during the High Middle Ages.
This impressive volume presents a thorough examination of all aspects of physical impairment and disability in medieval Europe. Examining a popular era that is of great interest to many historians and researchers, Irene Metzler presents a theoretical framework of disability and explores key areas such as: medieval theoretical concepts theology and natural philosophy notions of the physical body medical theory and practice. Bringing into play the modern day implications of medieval thought on the issue, this is a fascinating and informative addition to the research studies of medieval history, history of medicine and disability studies scholars the English-speaking world over.
Disability in Medieval Europe focuses on how people with disabilities lived during the High Middle Ages, as well as how society viewed them, keeping in mind the religious overtones of the time. It's interesting to note that theologians of the time made distinctions between disability while living and disability in the afterlife; many theologians considered a disability a manifestation of sin or a deformed soul, or, as stated within, "divine punishment for human misdeeds" (39). From a scientific view, medieval medicine wasn't medicine in the sense that we know it today: "In its narrowest definition, the study of medieval medicine therefore revolves around the analysis of medical textbooks, written by literate, often university or medical-school educated, health professionals" (65). The book goes on to detail medical practices and societal/religious responses to disability.
Did women really constitute a `fourth estate' in medieval society and, if so, in what sense? In this wide-ranging study Shulamith Shahar considers this and the whole question of the varying attitudes to women and their status in western Europe between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries.
The Fourth Estate details women's rights, privileges, and experiences during the Middle Ages. This is a useful source because it focuses on a variety of societal positions held by women such as being a nun, a housewife, a mother, a noblewoman, a townswoman, a peasant, and even a (supposed) witch. In the introduction, Shulamith Shahar makes an interesting point: "Nowadays, despite the remaining diversity in the status and way of life of women in the different social classes, some sociologists have defined them collectively as a 'minority group,' although not necessarily a numerical one; others, rather more reasonably, use the term 'marginal social group' (1). This terminology is important to note because women were not technically a minority, they made up nearly half of the population as they do today. They could easily be seen as a minority group, however, because in historical documentation women have been consistently overlooked. It is for this reason that The Fourth Estate is an excellent resource.
Medieval Monasticism traces the Western Monastic tradition from its fourth century origins in the deserts of Egypt and Syria, through the many and varied forms of religious life it assumed during the Middle Ages. Hugh Lawrence explores the many sided relationship between monasteries and the secular world around them. For a thousand years, the great monastic houses and religious orders were a prominent feature of the social landscape of the West, and their leaders figured as much in the political as on the spiritual map of the medieval world. In this book many of them, together with their supporters and critics, are presented to us and speak their minds to us. We are shown, for instance, the controversy between the Benedictines and the reformed monasticism of the twelfth century and the problems that confronted women in religious life. A detailed glossary offers readers a helpful vocabulary of the subject. This book is essential reading for both students and scholars of the medieval world.
Medieval Monasticism focuses primarily on the religious experience in Europe during the Middle Ages, detailing the various lifestyles and societal positions that accompanied medieval religiousness. This book traces Christianity from its earliest appearances through Europe as it spread throughout the continent. This is a useful academic resource because the detail in which the various progressions and manifestations of religiousness are depicted, including the introduction of women into religious positions. In addition, this book is in its fourth addition, suggesting that it has recently been renewed, updated, and revised, possibly making it more reliable.
A revised and updated new edition of Professor Mundy's lively introduction to Europe 1150-1300. It provides a portrait of the social, economic, political and intellectual life of Latin Christendom in the period. Wherever possible the men and women of the high middle ages are allowed to speak for themselves as Professor Mundy makes wide use of contemporary sources xxx; bringing alive the complexities and concerns of people living in medieval times. Another strength of the book is the attention devoted to groups often marginalised in other histories; looking at the experience of women, for instance, and that of the Jews in a predominantly Christian society.
This resource, which is much more broad and generalized, spans the entire High Middle Ages in Europe. Its chapters are helpfully broken into parts focusing on Europe as a whole, Economy, Society, Government, Thought, and the year 1300. Europe in the High Middle Ages is a useful resource due to the variety of topics and subtopics covered in detail. It is useful to look at this time period in a broad sense because it adds context, which encourages an informed perspective.
