As the last millennium dawned, Europe didn't amount to much. Illiteracy, starvation, and disease were the norm. In fact, Europe in the year 1000 was one of the world's more stagnant regions—an economically undeveloped, intellectually derivative, and geopolitically passive backwater. Three short centuries later, all this had changed dramatically. The flowering of medieval civilization between the years 1000 and 1300 forms the focus of this series by the gifted historian Professor Philip Daileader. He fascinatingly reveals the concepts and mind-sets of the High Middle Ages and the medieval.
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The Middle Ages was a time that tested human perseverance, imagination, and spirit. People rose to the challenges of disease, war, and other crises and changed how they viewed themselves, how they worshiped, and how they related to land and country. This exciting course transports you to 14th-century Europe and guides you through 200 years of stunning transformations.
Explore the ways in which the Middle Ages changed our world forever with this insight-packed, two-course set. Start with The Medieval Legacy, in which you’ll uncover the remarkable ways in which the medieval world still influences our thinking, our collective consciousness, and our ways of life. Then continue with Years That Changed History: 1215, which invites you to consider how the social, cultural, political, geographical, and religious shifts that occurred in this year alone had such a huge impact on the entire world.
What were the Late Middle Ages—medieval or modern? Any period that falls between two eras bears the hallmarks of transition. Witness the medieval carnage of frequent wars, improved weaponry, and the Black Death, and discover the modernity of intellectual and cultural maturing, and philosophical movements that celebrated the individual. Professor Philip Daileader is your guide with The Late Middle Ages, the final course in his excellent trilogy that began with The Early Middle Ages and The High Middle Ages.
The Middle Ages were far from dark. On the contrary, the era was full of fascinating figures and world-altering events. Learning and innovation flourished, with the printing press, Arabic numerals, and the heavy plow all being introduced into Western society during this time. Yet despite these developments exerting far-reaching influence over the course of history, few people have a firm grasp of the medieval narrative or how its ripples gave way to everything that followed. For an accurate picture of how the political, social, and religious structure of present-day Europe came to be-and even why we're speaking English today-studying the key events between the years 500 to 1500 is of critical import. Presented in 24 gripping lectures by medievalist and popular Great Courses Professor Dorsey Armstrong of Purdue University, Turning Points in Medieval History delivers an unparalleled look at these moments that profoundly changed the arc of history.
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