Later Medieval Europe traces medieval history from the divine right of kings to the political philosophies of writers such as Machiavelli and the medieval city-states to the unification of Spain. Daniel Waley and Peter Denley focus on the growing power of the state to illuminate changing political ideas in Europe between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. Spanning the entire continent and beyond, and using contemporary voices wherever possible, the authors include substantial sections on economics, religion, and art, and how developments in these areas fed into and were influenced by the transformation of political thinking.
The fourth edition has been fully revised and updated and includes three exciting new chapters. The first, Medieval Mentalities will introduce the mentality of the age, starting with how medieval thinkers saw their place in time and space, going on to discuss the monistic basis to medieval society and its implications for authority, the sense of community, the social order, and how people were prepared for their place in it. The second, Medieval People, discusses population and demography, the issues of gender, family, marriage and the life cycle. Lastly Boundaries Real and Imagined: Christendom and its Others is an innovative new chapter which focuses on attitudes to and the treatment of 'outsiders', including lepers, homosexuals, Jews, Muslims and pagans, and the blurring of distinctions between real and imaginary otherness (monsters and witches).
Later Medieval Europe is now accompanied by a companion website which includes:
- Documents and visual illustrations to accompany each chapter with commentary and links to other websites.
- Case studies of the key historiographical debates.
- Teaching aids, interactive maps, a glossary, a 'Who's Who', and guides for teachers and students on the questions at issue.
Suitable as an introductory text for undergraduate courses in Medieval Studies and Medieval European History.
