Quote:
Originally Posted by kindlekitten
I don't know what to tell you Florence, like I said before, any college level 101 entry to European Studies textbook starts with discussing the church (papacy) in Europe. that book I mentioned will give a good look at the Crusades, the power of the church, the monarchs of several nations and the Templars which were a major player during the time. otherwise, just enter the google phrase I gave you and start reading.
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I have already done some reading on the middle ages, especially in France. My main source is
Georges Duby, who is well-known here for his in-depth studies of this period. There are many myths about the middle ages as being sort of a blank in history between the Roman empire and the renaissance. It is true that the Renaissance is when many of the roots of our modern way of thinking appeared, but they didn't appear out of nowhere. The middle ages were a much more complex and rich period than is generally represented. Maybe Duby's writings focus more on the things that are not generally known and accepted, such as the ones you can find in the 101 books you are referring to, and as a result that is mostly what I remembered. I'm not saying that these books are completely wrong, but that a lot of the things that they say should be taken with a grain of salt, and taken in context, which was very different from ours.
The religious institutions certainly had a lot of power, but what did that mean then? The church was very different from what we know today, which is an international institution with a strict discipline and hierarchy. Monasteries had a lot of influence locally, but Rome was very far away and the local lord was much closer, and their wealth came from the land they owned. I remain convinced that no single institution can be said to have ruled the western world, not in the way we are accustomed to think.
Also, reducing the transition from the middle ages to the modern age to just the reformation is missing so much of the great and fascinating changes that took place over that period of time.
Edit: not sure I'm making my meaning very clear here, but it's late and I have to go to bed now
