Medieval Horizons

Why the Middle Ages Matter

By: Ian Mortimer

Narrated by: Ian Mortimer

The essential introduction to the Middle Ages by the bestselling author of The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England

We tend to think of the Middle Ages as a dark, backward, and unchanging time characterized by violence, ignorance, and superstition. By contrast, we believe progress arose from science and technological innovation, and that inventions of recent centuries created the modern world.

We couldn't be more wrong. As Ian Mortimer shows in this fascinating book, people's horizons-their knowledge, experience, and understanding of the world-expanded dramatically. Life was utterly transformed between 1000 and 1600, marking the transition from a warrior-led society to that of Shakespeare.

Just as The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England revealed what it was like to live in the fourteenth century, Medieval Horizons provides the perfect primer to the era as a whole. It outlines the enormous cultural changes that took place—from literacy to living standards, inequality, and even the developing sense of self—thereby correcting misconceptions and presenting the period as a revolutionary age of fundamental importance in the development of the Western world.

©2023 Ian Mortimer (P)2024 Tantor

Wow!! Probably the best book I’ve ever read.

Enjoyed listening to a few of the chapters more than once. Will definitely re read in the future and check out his other books.

Fills iwith a different perserspective

I have been reading about Medieval times since I was a child and have always found it fascinating. This book offers a different perspective from the now-dated "Dark Ages" histories I read while young, and is devoid of the concentration on bishops, knights, and nobles. I love historical novels of the period (not bodice-ripping romance novels), but this book grounded me in the reality. My perspective of the Medieval age has been updated.

Outstanding Scholarship provides New Understandings of centuries, important to understanding our own time.

This is truly an example of how informative scholarship can completely alter prior understanding of an historical period. The reader makes his own writing engaging. The strength of his argument coupled with the bountiful support from reliable sources makes his position utterly breathtaking. Highly recommended both for young students and established historians.

Changing perspectives

I was aware of most of the 'facts' presented here, such as the 'loss' of glassmaking knowledge in Europe with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, But not quite the corollary to that, the loss of mirrors. And how that had a profound impact, and the importance of their rediscovery. Definitely interesting and worth the time to get a new understanding of the not so dark 'dark ages.'

Excellent

Dr. Mortimer provides a convincing and compelling argument that fundamental and revolutionary changes occurred during the Middle Ages that "unlocked humanity's potential" and set-up transitions that were responsible for creating the world as we know it today. It is well-written, easy-follow, and extremely enlightening. (He also does a fine job of narrating the audiobook.)