John D. Cotts – författare

Between 1095 and 1229, Western Europe confronted a series of alternative cultural possibilities that would fundamentally transform its social structures, its intellectual life, and its very identity. It was a period of difficult decisions and anxiety rather than a triumphant 'renaissance'.In this fresh reassessment of the twelfth century, John D. Cotts:- Shows how new social, economic and religious options challenged Europeans to re-imagine their place in the world- Provides an overview of political life and detailed examples of the original thought and religious enthusiasm of the time- Presents the Crusades as the century's defining movement.Ideal for students and scholars alike, this is an essential overview of a pivotal era in medieval history that arguably paved the way for a united Europe.

Between 1095 and 1229, Western Europe confronted a series of alternative cultural possibilities that would fundamentally transform its social structures, its intellectual life, and its very identity. It was a period of difficult decisions and anxiety rather than a triumphant 'renaissance'.In this fresh reassessment of the twelfth century, John D. Cotts:- Shows how new social, economic and religious options challenged Europeans to re-imagine their place in the world- Provides an overview of political life and detailed examples of the original thought and religious enthusiasm of the time- Presents the Crusades as the century's defining movement.Ideal for students and scholars alike, this is an essential overview of a pivotal era in medieval history that arguably paved the way for a united Europe.

Peter of Blois pursued the life of a twelfth-century intellectual with vigor and passion tinged with anxiety. After a thorough education in the arts, theology, and law at some of medieval Europe's finest schools - including those at Chartres, Paris, and Bologna - he served in the courts of royalty and archbishops alike. He attended diplomatic embassies, advised princes, argued legal cases at the papal court in Rome, and may well have gone on crusade to the Holy Land. All the while, along with several treatises, he wrote, compiled, issued, and re-issued a collection of letters to the intellectual elite of Europe. These letters detail the spiritual and professional anxieties of an educated professional always looking for employment and in considerable despair over the fate of his soul. Peter's dilemma, essentially insoluble, was how to carve out a place in a rapidly changing intellectual and political landscape. ""The Clerical Dilemma"" is the first book-length study of Peter of Blois' life, thought, and writings in any language. John D. Cotts uses Peter's letters and treatises to recreate the thought of the twelfth-century literati, illuminating the ambiguities, contradictions, and fundamental dynamism of that world. Paying careful attention to the difficult manuscript tradition of the letter collection, Cotts explores how Peter brought classical, patristic, monastic, and scholastic traditions into an uneasy synthesis, and deployed them in letters whose recipients represent a cross-section of contemporary intellectuals - from cathedral canons, to prominent scholars, to cardinals and popes. The book will be of interest to all those interested in the religious, political, and intellectual history of the twelfth century, providing new avenues for studying the ways in which medieval writers composed and revised their texts.

*** CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title ***John D. Cotts’s Europe’s Long Twelfth Century is an award-winning overview of a key phase in Europe’s medieval history. It reflects on how the region grappled with a variety of cultural possibilities that would ultimately transform the way people thought, lived and thought of themselves. Cotts convincingly contends that the 12th century was fundamentally a period of difficult decisions, adaptation and anxiety, rather than the glorious 'renaissance' mooted in earlier assessments of the era.The book presents a balanced appreciation of social, economic and religious developments at a time when Europeans were needing to re-imagine their place in the world. It reflects on the vital significance of the Crusades and offers an unparalleled gateway into 12th-century political and intellectual life.This new edition includes:- A wealth of material which considers Europe in the context of a global Middle Ages - New and expanded sections on kingship, political life in the Latin West, environmental history, architecture/visual culture and the Bible’s role in intellectual life- Enhanced coverage of topics like family, sexuality, the medieval peasantry, and religious minorities/persecution- Historiographical updates throughout, a range of new maps and a chronology