Janet L. Nelson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263952
- eISBN:
- 9780191734083
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263952.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This chapter examines British works on the study of medieval European history. It explores the evolution of the field of historical scholarship in Great Britain during the twentieth century and ...
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This chapter examines British works on the study of medieval European history. It explores the evolution of the field of historical scholarship in Great Britain during the twentieth century and investigates the reasons and consequences for changes that can be situated in a wider context. It discusses medieval European history in Britain before and after World War 2 and stresses the need to get British work on medieval Europe into perspective, given that continental history is always a minority subject within medieval history.Less
This chapter examines British works on the study of medieval European history. It explores the evolution of the field of historical scholarship in Great Britain during the twentieth century and investigates the reasons and consequences for changes that can be situated in a wider context. It discusses medieval European history in Britain before and after World War 2 and stresses the need to get British work on medieval Europe into perspective, given that continental history is always a minority subject within medieval history.
Christopher Dyer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263952
- eISBN:
- 9780191734083
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263952.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This chapter examines British research and publications concerning medieval economic history. It shows that the study of medieval economy and society helps to unify a number of areas of research and ...
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This chapter examines British research and publications concerning medieval economic history. It shows that the study of medieval economy and society helps to unify a number of areas of research and has developed an important position as a hub with links to many other disciplines. It explores the evolving interpretations of the medieval economy and society that have had a strong influence on the academic community and which have played their part in bringing about a shift in attitudes towards the past in general and the middle ages in particular.Less
This chapter examines British research and publications concerning medieval economic history. It shows that the study of medieval economy and society helps to unify a number of areas of research and has developed an important position as a hub with links to many other disciplines. It explores the evolving interpretations of the medieval economy and society that have had a strong influence on the academic community and which have played their part in bringing about a shift in attitudes towards the past in general and the middle ages in particular.
Nicholas Brooks
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263020
- eISBN:
- 9780191734199
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263020.003.0015
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
Henry Loyn conveyed his enthusiasm for early medieval history and English culture to generations of Cardiff and London students. He had a wonderful gift for friendship and for bringing out the best ...
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Henry Loyn conveyed his enthusiasm for early medieval history and English culture to generations of Cardiff and London students. He had a wonderful gift for friendship and for bringing out the best in people. His scholarship was devoted to transmitting understanding of English history, rather than to changing interpretations of it. It is as a teacher and a wonderful friend that he will be remembered. He left a positive mark on all the institutions he served.Less
Henry Loyn conveyed his enthusiasm for early medieval history and English culture to generations of Cardiff and London students. He had a wonderful gift for friendship and for bringing out the best in people. His scholarship was devoted to transmitting understanding of English history, rather than to changing interpretations of it. It is as a teacher and a wonderful friend that he will be remembered. He left a positive mark on all the institutions he served.
Alexander Murray
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263020
- eISBN:
- 9780191734199
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263020.003.0020
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
People with a logical turn of mind say that the history of the world can be summarised in a sentence. A précis of mediaval historian Richard William Southern's work made in that spirit would identify ...
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People with a logical turn of mind say that the history of the world can be summarised in a sentence. A précis of mediaval historian Richard William Southern's work made in that spirit would identify two characteristics, one housed inside the other, and both quite apart from the question of its quality as a work of art. The first is his sympathy for a particular kind of medieval churchman, a kind who combined deep thought about faith with practical action. This characteristic fits inside another, touching Southern's historical vision as a whole. Its genesis is traceable to those few seconds in his teens when he ‘quarrelled’ with his father about the Renaissance. The intuition that moved him to do so became a historical fides quaerens intellectum. Reflection on Southern's life work leaves us with an example of the service an historian can perform for his contemporary world, as a truer self-perception seeps into the common consciousness by way of a lifetime of teaching and writing, spreading out through the world (all Southern's books were translated into one or more foreign language).Less
People with a logical turn of mind say that the history of the world can be summarised in a sentence. A précis of mediaval historian Richard William Southern's work made in that spirit would identify two characteristics, one housed inside the other, and both quite apart from the question of its quality as a work of art. The first is his sympathy for a particular kind of medieval churchman, a kind who combined deep thought about faith with practical action. This characteristic fits inside another, touching Southern's historical vision as a whole. Its genesis is traceable to those few seconds in his teens when he ‘quarrelled’ with his father about the Renaissance. The intuition that moved him to do so became a historical fides quaerens intellectum. Reflection on Southern's life work leaves us with an example of the service an historian can perform for his contemporary world, as a truer self-perception seeps into the common consciousness by way of a lifetime of teaching and writing, spreading out through the world (all Southern's books were translated into one or more foreign language).
Paul Brand
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263952
- eISBN:
- 9780191734083
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263952.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This chapter examines twentieth-century British scholarship on medieval English legal history. Legal history has long been a marginal subject within British academic life, falling somewhat clumsily ...
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This chapter examines twentieth-century British scholarship on medieval English legal history. Legal history has long been a marginal subject within British academic life, falling somewhat clumsily between the two stools of law and history, although it is an essential part of both subjects. There were very few English medieval legal historians at work during the twentieth century and this is unlikely to change for the better in the future.Less
This chapter examines twentieth-century British scholarship on medieval English legal history. Legal history has long been a marginal subject within British academic life, falling somewhat clumsily between the two stools of law and history, although it is an essential part of both subjects. There were very few English medieval legal historians at work during the twentieth century and this is unlikely to change for the better in the future.
Chris Wickham
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264034
- eISBN:
- 9780191734601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264034.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
This chapter examines the medieval history of Europe within the context of Marxism, discussing the changes in class conflicts and their role in determining the socio-economic developments of European ...
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This chapter examines the medieval history of Europe within the context of Marxism, discussing the changes in class conflicts and their role in determining the socio-economic developments of European countries. It determines the historical contributions Marxism has made to medieval history and the future challenges it has to face. The chapter focuses on Marxist medieval history, which was dominated by the three strands of production in agrarian and feudal societies: slave plantations, peasant farming, and wage labour.Less
This chapter examines the medieval history of Europe within the context of Marxism, discussing the changes in class conflicts and their role in determining the socio-economic developments of European countries. It determines the historical contributions Marxism has made to medieval history and the future challenges it has to face. The chapter focuses on Marxist medieval history, which was dominated by the three strands of production in agrarian and feudal societies: slave plantations, peasant farming, and wage labour.
Peter Linehan
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198219453
- eISBN:
- 9780191678349
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198219453.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
A current reinterpretation of Spain's medieval history gives the most recent example of a process which was a flourishing industry when that history was still as modern as it has been at any time ...
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A current reinterpretation of Spain's medieval history gives the most recent example of a process which was a flourishing industry when that history was still as modern as it has been at any time since. Reinterpreting the past is almost the world's oldest profession, and distinguishing reinterpretation from willful distortion is the most intractable problem confronting the historian. Unlike the historian of Adam and Eve, historians of medieval Spain view their subject through many pairs of eyes, none of them their own. The historian of medieval Spain will not be able to see things and he will not be able to provide an account of them either as they really were or even as they were then believed to be or once to have been.Less
A current reinterpretation of Spain's medieval history gives the most recent example of a process which was a flourishing industry when that history was still as modern as it has been at any time since. Reinterpreting the past is almost the world's oldest profession, and distinguishing reinterpretation from willful distortion is the most intractable problem confronting the historian. Unlike the historian of Adam and Eve, historians of medieval Spain view their subject through many pairs of eyes, none of them their own. The historian of medieval Spain will not be able to see things and he will not be able to provide an account of them either as they really were or even as they were then believed to be or once to have been.
G. W. S. Barrow
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197262788
- eISBN:
- 9780191754210
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262788.003.0016
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
Kathleen Major, a medieval historian with a particular interest in archiving and the study of the diplomatic, was chief officer of the Lincoln Diocesan Record Office and a member of St Hilda's ...
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Kathleen Major, a medieval historian with a particular interest in archiving and the study of the diplomatic, was chief officer of the Lincoln Diocesan Record Office and a member of St Hilda's College, Oxford, becoming Principal in 1955 for ten years. She later held a ‘special chair’ in medieval history at Nottingham University and served on the council of the Royal Historical Society. In 1977, Major was elected Fellow of the British Academy and, in retirement, collaborated on extensive surveys of old buildings in Lincoln. Obituary by G. W. S. Barrow FBA.Less
Kathleen Major, a medieval historian with a particular interest in archiving and the study of the diplomatic, was chief officer of the Lincoln Diocesan Record Office and a member of St Hilda's College, Oxford, becoming Principal in 1955 for ten years. She later held a ‘special chair’ in medieval history at Nottingham University and served on the council of the Royal Historical Society. In 1977, Major was elected Fellow of the British Academy and, in retirement, collaborated on extensive surveys of old buildings in Lincoln. Obituary by G. W. S. Barrow FBA.
Wendy Davies
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199285464
- eISBN:
- 9780191700330
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199285464.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
For most historians, what made Spain different was the distinctiveness of its medieval past, a past of overt cultural and political conflict between Christians and Muslims, and a past in which the ...
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For most historians, what made Spain different was the distinctiveness of its medieval past, a past of overt cultural and political conflict between Christians and Muslims, and a past in which the almost total Muslim conquest of 711 was gradually, across many centuries, overturned by the ‘centuries-long frontier struggle between Christians and Muslims’. This chapter first considers the major issues that have absorbed medieval historians in the 20th century. It then looks at 20th-century political developments, the use of the medieval past by 20th-century politicians, and the interaction of both with history writing. Finally, it considers the fate of historians' preoccupations of the 20th century and the issues that remain to be resolved. The interplay between contemporary politics and history writing is subtle — and unusually important.Less
For most historians, what made Spain different was the distinctiveness of its medieval past, a past of overt cultural and political conflict between Christians and Muslims, and a past in which the almost total Muslim conquest of 711 was gradually, across many centuries, overturned by the ‘centuries-long frontier struggle between Christians and Muslims’. This chapter first considers the major issues that have absorbed medieval historians in the 20th century. It then looks at 20th-century political developments, the use of the medieval past by 20th-century politicians, and the interaction of both with history writing. Finally, it considers the fate of historians' preoccupations of the 20th century and the issues that remain to be resolved. The interplay between contemporary politics and history writing is subtle — and unusually important.
JEAN DUNBABIN
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264904
- eISBN:
- 9780191754081
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264904.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
John Cowdrey was Anglican chaplain and medieval scholar at St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. His work Pope Gregory VII, 1073–1085 was hailed as a masterpiece. ...
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John Cowdrey was Anglican chaplain and medieval scholar at St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. His work Pope Gregory VII, 1073–1085 was hailed as a masterpiece. Obituary by Jean Dunbabin.Less
John Cowdrey was Anglican chaplain and medieval scholar at St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. His work Pope Gregory VII, 1073–1085 was hailed as a masterpiece. Obituary by Jean Dunbabin.
Raziuddin Aquil
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195685121
- eISBN:
- 9780199081325
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195685121.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Indian History
The introduction provides an overview of the book which examines the existing propositions on the problem of politics and governance during the Afghan period. It assesses the nature of Afghan polity ...
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The introduction provides an overview of the book which examines the existing propositions on the problem of politics and governance during the Afghan period. It assesses the nature of Afghan polity and the significance of religion and architecture in the articulation and projection of Afghan power. This chapter argues that the study of medieval Indian history suffers from what is characterized as Mughal centrism. It examines the existing propositions in secondary works, which delineate that the period of the Afghan rule witnessed the disintegration of the ‘centralized’ political structure of the Delhi Sultanate resulting in a general crisis. Contrary to the notion that the Afghan polity was tribal in nature, and that a decentralized-tribal polity is incompatible with peace and stability, the primary material indicates that rather than depending upon tribal lineages and customs only, the Afghan rulers drew on the universal tropes of kingship for the articulation of their power. The chapter also examines historiography represented by the scholars K.A. Nizami, S.A.A. Rizvi, M. Habib, R.P. Tripathi, Abdul Halim, K.R. Qanungo, S.M. Imamuddin and I.H. Siddiqui, and attempts to rectify the imbalance in the existing historiography, even as many established propositions are reconsidered and revised.Less
The introduction provides an overview of the book which examines the existing propositions on the problem of politics and governance during the Afghan period. It assesses the nature of Afghan polity and the significance of religion and architecture in the articulation and projection of Afghan power. This chapter argues that the study of medieval Indian history suffers from what is characterized as Mughal centrism. It examines the existing propositions in secondary works, which delineate that the period of the Afghan rule witnessed the disintegration of the ‘centralized’ political structure of the Delhi Sultanate resulting in a general crisis. Contrary to the notion that the Afghan polity was tribal in nature, and that a decentralized-tribal polity is incompatible with peace and stability, the primary material indicates that rather than depending upon tribal lineages and customs only, the Afghan rulers drew on the universal tropes of kingship for the articulation of their power. The chapter also examines historiography represented by the scholars K.A. Nizami, S.A.A. Rizvi, M. Habib, R.P. Tripathi, Abdul Halim, K.R. Qanungo, S.M. Imamuddin and I.H. Siddiqui, and attempts to rectify the imbalance in the existing historiography, even as many established propositions are reconsidered and revised.
Gerald P. Dwyer, Jr. and James R. Lothian
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271405
- eISBN:
- 9780191601200
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271402.003.0004
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic Systems
This chapter reviews the history of international monies and the theory related to their adoption and use. There are four key characteristics of these currencies: High unitary value, relatively low ...
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This chapter reviews the history of international monies and the theory related to their adoption and use. There are four key characteristics of these currencies: High unitary value, relatively low rates of inflation for long periods, issuance by major economic and trading powers, and spontaneous, as opposed to planned, adoption internationally. The economic theory of the demand for money provides support for the importance of these characteristics.Less
This chapter reviews the history of international monies and the theory related to their adoption and use. There are four key characteristics of these currencies: High unitary value, relatively low rates of inflation for long periods, issuance by major economic and trading powers, and spontaneous, as opposed to planned, adoption internationally. The economic theory of the demand for money provides support for the importance of these characteristics.
H. Jenkins Geraint
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263129
- eISBN:
- 9780191734861
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263129.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter comments on Keith Robbins' lecture on the history of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It criticizes Robbins' failure to discuss the Welsh language, which is critical to the understanding and ...
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This chapter comments on Keith Robbins' lecture on the history of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It criticizes Robbins' failure to discuss the Welsh language, which is critical to the understanding and validation of Celtic Studies as a subject. It stresses the need to revitalize the study of medieval Welsh history, which is close to collapse because of changing student demands.Less
This chapter comments on Keith Robbins' lecture on the history of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It criticizes Robbins' failure to discuss the Welsh language, which is critical to the understanding and validation of Celtic Studies as a subject. It stresses the need to revitalize the study of medieval Welsh history, which is close to collapse because of changing student demands.
Konrad Hirschler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781474408776
- eISBN:
- 9781474418812
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474408776.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
The written text was a pervasive feature of cultural practices in the medieval Middle East. At the heart of book circulation stood libraries that experienced a rapid expansion from the twelfth ...
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The written text was a pervasive feature of cultural practices in the medieval Middle East. At the heart of book circulation stood libraries that experienced a rapid expansion from the twelfth century onwards. While the existence of these libraries is well known our knowledge of their content and structure has been very limited as hardly any medieval Arabic catalogues have been preserved. This book discusses the largest and earliest medieval library of the Middle East for which we have documentation – the Ashrafiya library in the very centre of Damascus – and edits its catalogue. This catalogue shows that even book collections attached to Sunni religious institutions could hold rather unexpected titles, such as stories from the 1001 Nights, manuals for traders, medical handbooks, Shiite prayers, love poetry and texts extolling wine consumption. At the same time this library catalogue decisively expands our knowledge of how the books were spatially organised on the bookshelves of such a large medieval library. With over 2,000 entries this catalogue is essential reading for anybody interested in the cultural and intellectual history of Arabic societies. Setting the Ashrafiya catalogue into a comparative perspective with contemporaneous libraries on the British Isles this book opens new perspectives for the study of medieval libraries.Less
The written text was a pervasive feature of cultural practices in the medieval Middle East. At the heart of book circulation stood libraries that experienced a rapid expansion from the twelfth century onwards. While the existence of these libraries is well known our knowledge of their content and structure has been very limited as hardly any medieval Arabic catalogues have been preserved. This book discusses the largest and earliest medieval library of the Middle East for which we have documentation – the Ashrafiya library in the very centre of Damascus – and edits its catalogue. This catalogue shows that even book collections attached to Sunni religious institutions could hold rather unexpected titles, such as stories from the 1001 Nights, manuals for traders, medical handbooks, Shiite prayers, love poetry and texts extolling wine consumption. At the same time this library catalogue decisively expands our knowledge of how the books were spatially organised on the bookshelves of such a large medieval library. With over 2,000 entries this catalogue is essential reading for anybody interested in the cultural and intellectual history of Arabic societies. Setting the Ashrafiya catalogue into a comparative perspective with contemporaneous libraries on the British Isles this book opens new perspectives for the study of medieval libraries.
Peter Linehan
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198219453
- eISBN:
- 9780191678349
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198219453.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
‘Modernization and Europeanization’ — the two concepts held together by invisible feudal rivets signify the appropriation of medieval history by contemporary propagandists. They recall the opinion ...
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‘Modernization and Europeanization’ — the two concepts held together by invisible feudal rivets signify the appropriation of medieval history by contemporary propagandists. They recall the opinion expressed by Constance of Burgundy, Alfonso VI's queen, apropos of the liturgical issue, that before her time papal doctrine had rarely crossed the Pyrenees. But Constance's typically Burgundian observation was not so much mistaken as confused about the direction in which the current had been flowing. It was Europe that was taken by surprise by Spain, not Spain by Europe.Less
‘Modernization and Europeanization’ — the two concepts held together by invisible feudal rivets signify the appropriation of medieval history by contemporary propagandists. They recall the opinion expressed by Constance of Burgundy, Alfonso VI's queen, apropos of the liturgical issue, that before her time papal doctrine had rarely crossed the Pyrenees. But Constance's typically Burgundian observation was not so much mistaken as confused about the direction in which the current had been flowing. It was Europe that was taken by surprise by Spain, not Spain by Europe.
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226300719
- eISBN:
- 9780226300726
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226300726.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, World Early Modern History
Three quarters of the way through the eighteenth century, Johann Christoph Gatterer, professor of history at the University of Gottingen, prepared a map collection in forty-four sheets, of which ...
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Three quarters of the way through the eighteenth century, Johann Christoph Gatterer, professor of history at the University of Gottingen, prepared a map collection in forty-four sheets, of which twenty-four formed a historical atlas from approximately a.d. 100 to 1500. Gatterer's atlas for use in classrooms indicates how far maps for history had advanced toward respectability. The eighteenth century experienced a livelier pace of change: from its earliest decade, maps were published, often in groups of two or three, detailing moments of medieval history. Innovations were intermittent, suggesting that mapmakers worked with little competition or cooperation among themselves, at least in this part of their labors. By the middle of the eighteenth century, two models for a historical atlas had been devised: a topical plan in chronological order, exemplified by Hase's “Greatest Empires”; and a succession of time intervals projected on a uniform, usually universal background, exemplified by the Paris draft, Dupre, and others.Less
Three quarters of the way through the eighteenth century, Johann Christoph Gatterer, professor of history at the University of Gottingen, prepared a map collection in forty-four sheets, of which twenty-four formed a historical atlas from approximately a.d. 100 to 1500. Gatterer's atlas for use in classrooms indicates how far maps for history had advanced toward respectability. The eighteenth century experienced a livelier pace of change: from its earliest decade, maps were published, often in groups of two or three, detailing moments of medieval history. Innovations were intermittent, suggesting that mapmakers worked with little competition or cooperation among themselves, at least in this part of their labors. By the middle of the eighteenth century, two models for a historical atlas had been devised: a topical plan in chronological order, exemplified by Hase's “Greatest Empires”; and a succession of time intervals projected on a uniform, usually universal background, exemplified by the Paris draft, Dupre, and others.
Allen Fromherz
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780748642946
- eISBN:
- 9781474418850
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748642946.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
This book tells stories of interaction, conflict, and common exchange between Berbers, Arabs, Latins, Muslims, Christians, and Jews in North Africa and Latin Europe. Examining shared commerce, ...
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This book tells stories of interaction, conflict, and common exchange between Berbers, Arabs, Latins, Muslims, Christians, and Jews in North Africa and Latin Europe. Examining shared commerce, slavery, mercenary activity, art, and intellectual and religious debates, this book argues that North Africa was an integral part of western Medieval history. It argues that North Africa and Europe together experienced the Twelfth Century Renaissance and the Commercial Revolution. When Europe was highly divided during twelfth century, North Africa was enjoying the peak of its power, united under the Berber Almohad Empire. In the midst of a common commercial growth throughout the medieval period, North Africa and Europe also shared in a burst of spirituality and mysticism. This growth of spirituality occurred even as representatives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam debated and defended their faiths, dreaming of conversion even as they shared the same rational methods. The growth of spirituality instigated a Second Axial Age in the history of religion. Challenging the idea of a Mediterranean split between Islam and Christianity, the book shows how the Maghrib (North Africa) was not a Muslim, Arab monolith or as an extension of the exotic Orient. North Africa, not the Holy Land to the Far East, was the first place where Latin Europeans encountered the Muslim other and vice versa. Medieval North Africa was as diverse and complex as Latin Europe. North Africa should not be dismissed as a side show of European history. North Africa was, in fact, an integral part of the story.Less
This book tells stories of interaction, conflict, and common exchange between Berbers, Arabs, Latins, Muslims, Christians, and Jews in North Africa and Latin Europe. Examining shared commerce, slavery, mercenary activity, art, and intellectual and religious debates, this book argues that North Africa was an integral part of western Medieval history. It argues that North Africa and Europe together experienced the Twelfth Century Renaissance and the Commercial Revolution. When Europe was highly divided during twelfth century, North Africa was enjoying the peak of its power, united under the Berber Almohad Empire. In the midst of a common commercial growth throughout the medieval period, North Africa and Europe also shared in a burst of spirituality and mysticism. This growth of spirituality occurred even as representatives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam debated and defended their faiths, dreaming of conversion even as they shared the same rational methods. The growth of spirituality instigated a Second Axial Age in the history of religion. Challenging the idea of a Mediterranean split between Islam and Christianity, the book shows how the Maghrib (North Africa) was not a Muslim, Arab monolith or as an extension of the exotic Orient. North Africa, not the Holy Land to the Far East, was the first place where Latin Europeans encountered the Muslim other and vice versa. Medieval North Africa was as diverse and complex as Latin Europe. North Africa should not be dismissed as a side show of European history. North Africa was, in fact, an integral part of the story.
J. M. Hussey
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198264569
- eISBN:
- 9780191601170
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198264569.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Written both for the non‐specialist and for the specialist seeking a survey of the subject and wishing to know something of a Church that was one of the main vitalizing forces in the East Roman ...
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Written both for the non‐specialist and for the specialist seeking a survey of the subject and wishing to know something of a Church that was one of the main vitalizing forces in the East Roman Empire. It attempts: to trace the mediaeval history of the Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (c.600–1453)—a formative period for the Church—in terms of challenge and response; to outline the organization of the Byzantine Church, indicating its essential role in the imperial polity and in Christendom; and finally to suggest the way in which its members tried to achieve what was, and still is, the heart of Orthodoxy, i.e. the gradual theosis or deification of each individual Christian. The short introduction to the book is preceded by a list of rulers (Byzantine Emperors), popes, and patriarchs of Constantinople. Part I is the main part of the book, and discusses the landmarks in ecclesiastical affairs within the Empire as well as the creative influence exercised on the Slavs and the increasing contacts with westerners, particularly after 1204. It is arranged in eight chapters that address successive periods of development of the Church. Part II gives a brief account of the structure of the mediaeval Orthodox Church, its officials and organization, its monasticism, the development of the eucharist and the liturgical year, and the spirituality of laity, monks, and clergy.Less
Written both for the non‐specialist and for the specialist seeking a survey of the subject and wishing to know something of a Church that was one of the main vitalizing forces in the East Roman Empire. It attempts: to trace the mediaeval history of the Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (c.600–1453)—a formative period for the Church—in terms of challenge and response; to outline the organization of the Byzantine Church, indicating its essential role in the imperial polity and in Christendom; and finally to suggest the way in which its members tried to achieve what was, and still is, the heart of Orthodoxy, i.e. the gradual theosis or deification of each individual Christian. The short introduction to the book is preceded by a list of rulers (Byzantine Emperors), popes, and patriarchs of Constantinople. Part I is the main part of the book, and discusses the landmarks in ecclesiastical affairs within the Empire as well as the creative influence exercised on the Slavs and the increasing contacts with westerners, particularly after 1204. It is arranged in eight chapters that address successive periods of development of the Church. Part II gives a brief account of the structure of the mediaeval Orthodox Church, its officials and organization, its monasticism, the development of the eucharist and the liturgical year, and the spirituality of laity, monks, and clergy.
Michael D. Bailey
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801451447
- eISBN:
- 9780801467318
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801451447.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter first summarizes the key developments related to superstition which have been traced in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, before advancing the story of “medieval” superstition into ...
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This chapter first summarizes the key developments related to superstition which have been traced in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, before advancing the story of “medieval” superstition into the early modern era and ultimately into the realm of modernity itself. Though there was no definitive moment of disenchantment in sixteenth-to eighteenth-century discourses on superstition, disenchantment and a supposedly dramatic realignment of conceptions and concerns about superstition came to figure prominently in the notion of a major rupture between the “medieval” and the “modern” that eventually solidified in European history and became a key conceptual basis for European modernity. The chapter suggests how the complex history of medieval superstition sheds valuable light on supposedly disenchanted modernity and the processes of historical change that have led to it.Less
This chapter first summarizes the key developments related to superstition which have been traced in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, before advancing the story of “medieval” superstition into the early modern era and ultimately into the realm of modernity itself. Though there was no definitive moment of disenchantment in sixteenth-to eighteenth-century discourses on superstition, disenchantment and a supposedly dramatic realignment of conceptions and concerns about superstition came to figure prominently in the notion of a major rupture between the “medieval” and the “modern” that eventually solidified in European history and became a key conceptual basis for European modernity. The chapter suggests how the complex history of medieval superstition sheds valuable light on supposedly disenchanted modernity and the processes of historical change that have led to it.
Wendy J. Turner
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781526125316
- eISBN:
- 9781526136213
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526125316.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Social History
Medieval terminology for mental health was a complex matrix of identifiers from legal, medical, and social sources and included terms for many mental, emotional, neurotic and psychotic conditions ...
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Medieval terminology for mental health was a complex matrix of identifiers from legal, medical, and social sources and included terms for many mental, emotional, neurotic and psychotic conditions recognized today. Intellectual disability was one of those categories, especially in the legal realm, with the most-often used term being idiota. Governmental officials that became aware of properties in distress (unplanted, squatters ruining a site, etc) relieved individuals identified as idiota of their responsibilities and placed them into wardship with guardians, who not only cared for the wards but also their properties. The process of examination and civil ‘diagnosis’ of ability encompassed an individual’s intelligence, memory, cognitive ability, discretion, and, at times, appearance. The medieval terms, while not ‘intellectual disability’, certainly described differences in intellectual ability and used vocabulary appropriate for separate conditions, identifying a faulty memory, weak intelligence, difficult time managing property or goods, issue with coping day-to-day, or inability to have discretion. Medieval legal and administrative arms of the crown and local towns each used their own standards to judge competency and intelligence, yet all of them recognized the same wide variety of intellectual conditions and categories of symptoms for intellectual disabilities and other mental health conditions.Less
Medieval terminology for mental health was a complex matrix of identifiers from legal, medical, and social sources and included terms for many mental, emotional, neurotic and psychotic conditions recognized today. Intellectual disability was one of those categories, especially in the legal realm, with the most-often used term being idiota. Governmental officials that became aware of properties in distress (unplanted, squatters ruining a site, etc) relieved individuals identified as idiota of their responsibilities and placed them into wardship with guardians, who not only cared for the wards but also their properties. The process of examination and civil ‘diagnosis’ of ability encompassed an individual’s intelligence, memory, cognitive ability, discretion, and, at times, appearance. The medieval terms, while not ‘intellectual disability’, certainly described differences in intellectual ability and used vocabulary appropriate for separate conditions, identifying a faulty memory, weak intelligence, difficult time managing property or goods, issue with coping day-to-day, or inability to have discretion. Medieval legal and administrative arms of the crown and local towns each used their own standards to judge competency and intelligence, yet all of them recognized the same wide variety of intellectual conditions and categories of symptoms for intellectual disabilities and other mental health conditions.
