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The History of the Medieval World

From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade

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The History of the Medieval World

By: Susan Wise Bauer
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T'ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled. In her earlier work, The History of the Ancient World, Susan Wise Bauer wrote of the rise of kingship based on might. But in the years between the fourth and the 12th centuries, rulers had to find new justification for their power, and they turned to divine truth or grace to justify political and military action. Right thus replaces might as the engine of empire. Not just Christianity and Islam but the religions of the Persians and the Germans, and even Buddhism, are pressed into the service of the state. This phenomenon---stretching from the Americas all the way to Japan---changes religion, but it also changes the state.

©2010 Susan Wise Bauer (P)2010 Tantor Ancient Europe Medieval Middle Ages Imperialism Crusade Middle East Military Ottoman Empire Royalty Africa Physical Exercise China Ancient History

Critic Reviews

“[A] witty and well-written examination of world history...that is rich in detail and intriguing in anecdotal information.” ( Publishers Weekly)
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I enjoyed learning something of a subject I had not visited prior, being but a retired scientist not an historian. It was very interesting a d full of surprises.

The history. Interesting.

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As a past student of European history, this book is a fabulous recap of the forgotten due to being no longer relevant to my present, like Susan Wise Bauer’s History of the Ancient World, her research into the Medieval World has produced results of excellence which she has kindly handed on for our erudition.
Thank you for your knowledgeable wisdom in words Susan Wise Bauer and your eloquent narration John Lee, very much appreciated. :-)

History in tasty bites

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The information in this book is excellent but I did not enjoy the multiple ' Author's notes' which in many books would either have been foot notes or even absorbed into the text. The reader was almost too distant in his reading and reminded me a a history teacher who used to send me to sleep or a very ordinary Shakespeare actor and if anything sadly distracted from the content.

Good detail

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