Birth of Europe

Jacques Le Goff is Professor of History at L’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. He is among France’s “great” historians, and is considered internationally to be one of the foremost scholars of his generation. He has written widely on medieval history, and his books include Medieval Civilization (Blackwell, 1990), Intellectuals and the Middle Ages (Blackwell, 1993), and The Medieval World (1997).

"Recommended ... .Illustrate[s] the continuing differences on how scholars treat the past, differences found among early modern scholars as well as medievalists." (Sixteenth Century Journal, Summer 2009) "A book that never fails to be informative, readable and provocative. [Le Goff] has been the bravest and best of champions for medieval history. This book, written by its author at the age of 80, is in every sense an inspiration." (BBC History Magazine)"[A] superb and necessary book. This provocative assessment from a lifetime of scholarship might help us to place ourselves, not just territorially, but in that other precious element of history: time." (The Guardian)"Le Goff authoritatively traces the initial development of virtually all aspects of modern society." (The Morning Star)"A fine survey of medieval Europe that will benefit both specialists and non-specialists alike." (History: Reviews of New Books)"Le Goff's book not only embodies his long-term project of a new political history but is a politically engaged history in the most valuable sense: it should be on the compulsory reading list of politicians everywhere." (Reviews in History)

• Series Editor’s Preface ixAcknowledgments xiMaps xiiIntroduction 1Preludes: Before the Middle Ages 61 The Conception of Europe (Fourth to Eighth Centuries) 142 An Aborted Europe: The Carolingian World (Eighth to Tenth Centuries) 293 A Dream of Europe and the Potential Europe of the Year 1000 404 Feudal Europe (Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries) 495 The ‘‘Fine’’ Europe of Towns and Universities (Thirteenth Century) 996 The Autumn of the Middle Ages or the Spring of a New Age? 154Conclusion 194Chronology 202A Selective Thematic Bibliography 211Index 252