S. Wise Bauer

"Chronicles the period between the 4th and 12th centuries, when rulers in Europe, the Mideast and Asia turned to religious reasons to justify political and military action, a time that included the development of Islam, the crowning of Charlemagne and the rise of the T'ang Dynasty. By the author of The History of the Ancient World."

The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade

Jeni Enjaian

I enjoyed this book a whole lot more than I thought I would, mainly because it's a "textbook" type book which limits the amount of depth that Bauer can reach on any of the myriad topics briefly discussed in its over 600 page length. The following are my thoughts (mostly positive) about the book.

One, Bauer's narrative is extremely comprehensible. Many of her topics are extremely unfamiliar to the average American, to most Americans actually. Academic prose, while useful for some of these topics, would put this book far out of reach for all but a limited few. It also makes it much easier to get through its massive depth at a relatively quick pace.

Two, Bauer ends each chapter with a comparative timeline which helps the reader place the events of the current chapter in correct order with previously discussed topics. (Each chapter varies between a number of loci throughout the world.) I did not study these charts in depth but if I taught world history, these charts would be prized resources.

Three, the wide variety of topics sparked my interest in all kinds of history. That's always a plus in my book.

Four, Bauer, in this book, comes as close to true world history as is humanly possible. Her narrative is weighted a bit towards the Roman empire and its successors simply because that's where most of the extant evidence is.

I definitely recommend this book. I've already added her other books to my "to-read" list.

The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade

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