The Christian World of the Middle Ages Hardcover - 2003

From the publisher

Christianity was the unifying principle of the Middle Ages. From Greenland to Ethiopia, daily life, culture, law and every other aspect of civilization was drawn from the same Christian source. Within this broadly Catholic tradition there co-existed many different practices, with a variety of influences criss-crossing continents and oceans. In this work, a leading historian reconstructs the faith and heritage of medieval Christendom, revealing its extraordinary impact in great empires and in tiny enclaves on the edges of the known world. From African desert monasteries to the great courts of the Holy Roman Emperors, Christian civilization's greatest achievements are caught at their high point. Bernard Hamilton details the rise of Catholic Christianity throughout the world from the fourth century and its spread through Europe, Africa and Asia. In doing so he challenges the Euro-centric view most of us have of mediaeval Christianity and brings to a wider audience the history and achievements of churches in other continents. He explains the divisions between eastern and western Christianity and offers an insight into much subsequent European and world history.