Europe's Long Twelfth Century: Order, Anxiety and Adaptation, 1095-1229 (European History in Perspective, 72)

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'.-- Preface -- Introduction: Approaches To The Twelfth Century And Its 'renaissance' -- 1. Varieties Of Political Order In The Latin West -- The German Empire, The Papacy, And Northern Italy -- Multicultural Kingdoms And The Mediterranean World: Sicily And Iberia -- Competing Monarchies In France And England -- Christianization And The Kingdoms Of Northern And Eastern Europe -- 2. People, Economy, And Social Relations -- Population -- Peasants, Lords, And Patterns Of Settlement -- Towns And Cities -- Trade, Commerce, And Economic Growth -- 3. Spirituality And Its Discontents -- Patterns Of Religious Experience -- The Church And Its Religious Orders -- Heretics And Friars In The Urban Context -- Order, Exclusion, And The Fourth Lateran Council -- 4. Intellectual Syntheses -- The Intellectual World: Contexts, Institutions, And Personnel -- Varieties Of Latin Culture -- The Uses Of Vernacular Literature -- 5. The Crusades And The Idea Of Christendom -- The Conception And Meaning Of The Crusades -- Popular Piety And The First Crusade -- The Crusader States And The Crusading Movement To 1229 -- The Travails Of The Crusading Ideal -- Christendom And The Wider World -- Conclusion. John D. Cotts. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 227-233) And Index. 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. He also provides an overview of political life and detailed examples of the original thought and religious enthusiasm of the time, and the Crusades are presented 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. -- Publisher description John D. Cotts introduces the twelfth century as a period when European society was radically transformed by new cultural possibilities. Covering political, economic and intellectual issues, as well as the Crusades, Cotts focuses on the ways in which Europeans encountered these possibilities, and how they dealt with the moral problems that arose.