Summary of the book “A Short History of the Middle Ages” by Rosenwein. 6th edition of the book, the entire summary is in English. The highlights of each chapter are also included. Quite a long summary but so you don't have to read the whole book anymore!
,Contents
Chapter 1: Prelude: the Roman Empire Transformed (c. 300-c. 600)............................................. 2
Highlights:................................................................................................................................. 2
Summary:...................................................................................................................................3
Chapter 2: The Emergence of Sibling Cultures (c.600-c.750).........................................................9
Highlights:................................................................................................................................. 9
Summary:.................................................................................................................................10
Chapter 3: Creating New Identities (c.750-c.900)......................................................................... 23
Highlights:............................................................................................................................... 23
Summary:.................................................................................................................................24
Chapter 4: Political Communities Reordered (c.900-c.1050)........................................................32
Highlights:............................................................................................................................... 32
Chapter 5: New Configurations (c.1050-c.1150)...........................................................................45
Highlights.................................................................................................................................45
Summary.................................................................................................................................. 47
Chapter 6: Ambitions Realized and Thwarted (c. 1150-c. 1250).................................................. 65
Highlights.................................................................................................................................65
Summary.................................................................................................................................. 66
Chapter 7: Empires of Land and Mind (c. 1250-c. 1350)..............................................................85
Highlights.................................................................................................................................85
Summary.................................................................................................................................. 87
Chapter 8: Catastrophe and Creativity (c. 1350-c. 1500)............................................................ 100
Highlights...............................................................................................................................100
1
,Chapter 1: Prelude: the Roman Empire Transformed (c. 300-c. 600)
Highlights:
- Reign of Emperor Constantine 306-337
- Promotes the Christian God; sponsors Christian churches; issues (with
co-emperor Licinius) the Edict of Milan (313); and presides over the Council of
Nicaea (325).
- Edict of Milan 313
- Declares toleration for all the religions of the Roman Empire; restores Church
property taken during the persecutions
- Council of Nicaea 325
- Declares the laws and doctrines of the Christian Church; condemns the Arian
view of Christ’s nature.
- Death of Augustine of Hippo 430
- The major Church father in the West. His City of God defines the relationship
between this world and the next; his Confessions remain a model of
self-exploration.
- Reign of Emperor Justinian 527-565
- Sponsors major legal initiatives including the Codex Justinianus and the Digest
that will be consulted and built upon for centuries; temporarily reconquers North
Africa and Italy; builds Hagia Sophia at Constantinople; supports the construction
of San Vitale at Ravenna.
- Benedictine Rule 530-560
- Written mainly for the monks of Monte Cassino, it became (9th c.) the major
monastic rule in the West.
- Pope Gregory the Great 590-604
- Asserts the power and importance of the papacy in Italy and elsewhere; send
missionaries to England to convert the kings and people to the Roman Catholic
form of Christianity.
2
, Summary:
Introduction:
- The Roman Empire was not a monolith but rather a patchwork of diverse regions and
communities.
- The political, military, religious, economic and cultural leadership was passing from the
old elites of the cities to the provincials (Romans living outside of Italy).
- Emperor Diocletian (r.284-305) had divided the Empire into 4 parts, each ruled by
a different man.
- > recognition of the importance of the provinces.
- Provinces lost their centrality when barbarians moved in c.400-c.500
- Contributed to the political demise of the western half of the Roman
Empire
Provincialisation of the Empire (c.250-c.350):
- Crisis of the 3rd century
- 2 different groups from 2 different directions bore down on the frontiers of the
empire: East - Persians, north - barbarians (= not Roman citizens, not Latin- or
Greek-speaking)
- Made clear that the Roman Empire was too big to be ruled by one man,
especially when it was not peace time
- Roman response: reforms for new prominence to the provinces, expansion
of the army (consisting of Barbarians), fortifications.
- Pandemic
- Political succession crisis
- 235-284 20 different emperors
- > breakaway empires
- Reduced the quality of currency (more metal instead of silver) and higher taxes
(assessed on land and individual heads) to pay for army
- Emperor Diocletian (r.284-305): divided into 4 parts (Tetrarchy), later reduced to 2
(would later lead to east and west roman empire)
- Diocletian brought the crisis under control, Constantine brought it to an end.
A New Religion
3
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