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The thirteenth, greatest of centuries 1910 [Hardcover]
eng, Pages 632. Reprinted in 2013 with the help of original edition published long back[1910]. This book is in black & white, Hardcover, sewing binding for longer life with Matt laminated multi-Colour Dust Cover, Printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, there may be some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume. We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. (Customisation is possible). Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions.Original The thirteenth, greatest of centuries 1910 [Hardcover] Walsh, James Joseph,
632 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1913
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 23, 2016
Recently, blogger Ted Urban has been flogging the idea that history should be presented "horizontally" to emphasize cultural connections and cross-disciplinary influences that are missed when historians emphasize the sequential story of particular movements or social developments. I picked up this book about the 13th century to see what a horizontal history would read like, and to look for insights into the rise of science (i.e. Albertus Magnus, Roger Bacon, and Thomas Aquinas).
Conclusion #1: Ted Urban notwithstanding, horizontal history is by no means a novel idea. Prof. Walsh here provides a history of Europe's 13th century that describes developments in many arenas of life: schools, religion, science, architecture, arts, language, trade, political philosophy, etc. etc. The only subjects neglected are wars and the monarchy (relegated to a short appendix).
Conclusion #2: horizontal history is liable to be deadly dull, to provide questionable authority for many if not most of the contemporaneous topics, and to be susceptible of ideological distortion. In the case of this book, Prof. Walsh was an unskilled writer, though presumably a popular lecturer at the Summer School that was the source of this manuscript. Although his academic credentials cover three fields relevant to the 13th century (medicine, theology, and law), still he was forced to fall back on encyclopedia-grade references for many of the historical topics. And the credibility of many assertions suffers from a knee-jerk defense of Catholicism and a defensive posture toward the reputation of Walsh's favorite century.
Conclusion #3: developments in disparate fields combined to create a dramatic increase in the concept of liberty in the 13th century. In addition to the Magna Carta, these developments included the founding of Universities, the founding of religious orders (e.g. Franciscan and Dominican), the publishing of legal scholarship, the development of technical guilds in the Cathedral cities, creation of the Hanseatic League, and literary vindication of the vernacular tongues.
Conclusion #4: I previously thought that movable type was the European invention that changed history. Not so. Books, publication, libraries, and the dissemination of research were already so intrenched in the 13th century that Gutenberg's innovations two hundred years later should be seen as on-demand technology.
Conclusion #1: Ted Urban notwithstanding, horizontal history is by no means a novel idea. Prof. Walsh here provides a history of Europe's 13th century that describes developments in many arenas of life: schools, religion, science, architecture, arts, language, trade, political philosophy, etc. etc. The only subjects neglected are wars and the monarchy (relegated to a short appendix).
Conclusion #2: horizontal history is liable to be deadly dull, to provide questionable authority for many if not most of the contemporaneous topics, and to be susceptible of ideological distortion. In the case of this book, Prof. Walsh was an unskilled writer, though presumably a popular lecturer at the Summer School that was the source of this manuscript. Although his academic credentials cover three fields relevant to the 13th century (medicine, theology, and law), still he was forced to fall back on encyclopedia-grade references for many of the historical topics. And the credibility of many assertions suffers from a knee-jerk defense of Catholicism and a defensive posture toward the reputation of Walsh's favorite century.
Conclusion #3: developments in disparate fields combined to create a dramatic increase in the concept of liberty in the 13th century. In addition to the Magna Carta, these developments included the founding of Universities, the founding of religious orders (e.g. Franciscan and Dominican), the publishing of legal scholarship, the development of technical guilds in the Cathedral cities, creation of the Hanseatic League, and literary vindication of the vernacular tongues.
Conclusion #4: I previously thought that movable type was the European invention that changed history. Not so. Books, publication, libraries, and the dissemination of research were already so intrenched in the 13th century that Gutenberg's innovations two hundred years later should be seen as on-demand technology.
May 31, 2025
Chapter 1-2 (and Introduction)
The Introduction alone convinces the reader why this was a Century above all others. Though it gives many unfamiliar names and some we hardly consider that they had an “undying influence on mankind: Saladin, St. Ferdinand of Spain, Alfonso the Wise of Castile, Edward I, the English Justinian, Rudolph of Hapsburg, Robert Bruce. This was published in 1913 and perhaps these figures of history fell into oblivion. Walsh does divide the major achievements wisely as the century “of the Gothic cathedrals, the foundation of the university, of the signing of Magna Charta, and of the origin of representative government with something like constitutional guarantees throughout the west of Europe.” He names the divisions into “The Book of the Deeds, The Book of the Arts, and the Book of the Words.”
Chapter 3
The chapter “What and How They Studied at the Universities” gives some overviews of major figures at the universities of the times St. Thomas Aquinas of Paris, Roger Bacon of Oxford, Albertus Magnus of Paris.
Chapter 4-5
Walsh spends much time in the chapter “The number of Students and Discipline” to show that the number of students at the major universities of this age were a greater proportion of the population that in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Walsh refutes claims about general illiteracy of the population and monks. The student body included all those associated with the universities. What I found interesting in this chapter was that the age of university students was considerably lower than today. Students started at twelve and completed their “AB” at sixteen or seventeen years.
Chapter 6
The long chapter six has remarkable descriptions of the cathedrals that are “the best-known feature of the Thirteenth Century achievement” and “the significance of their construction . . .the basis of the great movement of education and uplift in the century.” Walsh explains how the aim of Cathedral art was also to teach those who did not read. The sculptor and glass-painter offered an encyclopedia “into a clear and precise language.” Examples of these that he describes in detail: Notre dame of Paris, Amiens, Rheims, Chartres, Bordeaux, Lincoln and York (England), Leon (Spain)
Architecture was not only confined to the churches but to castles, municipal buildings, Abbeys and Monasteries.
Chapter 7
“Arts and Crafts—the Great Technical Schools”
Walsh sees here improvement within the century’s society by opening some monotonous trades to occupations of greater interest and pleasure. This was in the arts and crafts. Handcraftsmanship in Cathedral building was at the center. These also created technical schools around them. England alone erected some twenty cathedrals during this century.
Chapter 8
Painting
Chapter 9
Libraries and Bookmen
This century created circulating libraries. Walsh names eighteen library collections in France. Folio “books” were expensive to create by hand, of course. Walsh puts a cost of purchasing one at between $80 and $100 (1913 dollars) which adjusted for inflation is approximately $2400-$3000 in 2022. Considering that alone take into account that a novice to an abbey was required to bring with him a volume copied by his own hand.
Chapter10
Literature
THE CID, THE HOLY GRAIL, THE NIBELUNGEN
The best creations of the century in literature to him were “The Nibelungen Lied” poem, “Beowulf” which surprisingly he describes as “the oldest but the least interesting on the whole,” and “Roland (the most artistically finished in form), and the poem of the Cid (the cheerfullest and perhaps the fullest of character).” These four epics is where the European literature “most appropriately begins.”
Chapter 11
“MEISTERSINGERS, MINNESINGERS, TROUVÈRES, TROUBADOURS”
Walsh turns to music in this century. This chapter deals mostly with non-religious but nevertheless focused on love “seeing that love was the inspiring force to good deeds” as H.J. Chaytor put it.
The Meistersingers who composed lyric poetry and unaccompanied art songs. Minnesingers, from the word “minne” or “love” developed from them. They were both based in Germany.
Trouvères composed poetry in Northern France and Troubadours were supported by aristocracy.
Chapter 12
“Great Latin Hymns”
This chapter on religious music opens up a whole world to explore should anyone be willing. Walsh concentrates on only on “Veni Sancte Spiritus,” “Stabat Mater--the most pathetic” and “Dies Irae—the most sublime” of the medieval poems but there is whole world in our time that is interested, performs and listens to the hymns of that we have of this age. Walsh quotes texts and the best English translations he found:
“These are the latter times, these are not
Better times;
Let us stand waiting;
Lo! How with, awfulness, He, first in
Lawfulness,
Comes arbitrating.”
Chapter 13
THE THREE MOST READ BOOKS
He names “Reynard the Fox, The Golden Legend, and Romance of the Rose.” These are anonymous but have remained in “circulation” since and even were retold by such even as Goethe.
Chapter 14
SOME THIRTEENTH CENTURY PROSE
Latin gave way to modern languages in this Century. Chroniclers described the Crusades.
“At every period of the world’s history it was true that literature was mainly made for women and that some of the best portions of it always concerned them very closely.”
Walsh mentions the chronicler Matthew Paris, author of the “Historia Major” and Vincent of Beauvais who created the first modern encyclopedia of knowledge of his time. He did this with assistance of a “whole army of young assistants, most of who were furnished him by his own order, the Dominicans.”
Chapter 15
ORIGIN OF DRAMA
Curiously, Walsh writes that St. Francis of Assisi may be “considered in one sense as the father of modern drama.” This is on account that he presented the Nativity scene using some local poor people and a figure of child in a manger with animals also.
Walsh spends more effort in recounting Mystery and Morality plays of York which he suggests influenced later English Renaissance drama and Passion plays of Tyrol. But the finest of this Century in England is “Everyman.”
Chapter 16 FRANCIS, THE SAINT—THE FATHER OF THE RENAISSANCE
As we know very well he married lady poverty and died at forty-five. He founded the first order and second orders and a third order for all the world and with St. Clare an order for women. The Third Order included King Luis of France, Elizabeth of Hungary and Dante.
Chapter 17
AQUINAS, THE SCHOLAR
This major figure of the Century is the founder of Apologetics. But there is nothing especially revealing about St. Thomas here, only that he was the greatest theologian of the Century and until the twentieth. Pope issued a bull to make him archbishop of Naples but he begged to withdraw it which the Pope did and St. Thomas returned to finishing his “Summa Theologica.”
He lectured in Paris, Bologna, Rome, Naples. He is less remembered for composing some great hymns that are still very much in use in liturgy such as “Tantum Ergo.”
Chapter 18
LOUIS, THE MONARCH
Chapter 19
Dante the Poet
There is no doubt that he was the greatest poet of the century. Wash considers Longfellow’s translation of “Divine Comedy” the American poet’s finest work. The Princeton Dante Project is now the best source on this finest epic.
Chapter 20
THE WOMEN OF THE CENTURY
The foremost women that Walsh writes about are St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) who with St. Francis founded the Second Order of the Franciscans or Poor Clares. She was followed by her sister and mother as well.
Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) devoted her short life to the poor and sick.
Queen Blanche of Castile (1188-1252) was mother of St. Louis, king of France. She the regent during his minor years and after he left on the Crusade. She ruled wisely and encouraged education and brought up her son to sainthood.
Chapter 21
CITY HOSPITALS—ORGANIZED CHARITY
Chapter 22
GREAT ORIGINS IN LAW
Chapter 23
JUSTICE AND LEGAL DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 24
DEMOCRACY, CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM AND NATIONALITY
Chapter 25
GREAT EXPLORERS AND THE FOUNDATION OF GEOGRAPHY
Chapter 26
GREAT BEGINNINGS OF MODERN COMMERCE
Appendix
I would like to copy the Appendix I to here. It lists the Rulers of Germany, Scotland, Castille and Leon. Some editions of this history omit parts here, mine does not have England and France. It goes onto Events from 1202—the Fourth great crusade under Boniface, marquis of Montferrat to 1300—“Foundation of the modern Turkish empire by Ottoman I and “First Jubilee proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII.
There is an Appendix II in some editions which is even more interesting. It lists Chapters That Might Have Been.” Some editions have 14 and some 26 chapters briefly outlined. These include • America in the Thirteenth Century. It was written about by Popes Innocent III, John XXI and Nicholas III describing Norwegian travels to Greenland and settlements on it.
The Introduction alone convinces the reader why this was a Century above all others. Though it gives many unfamiliar names and some we hardly consider that they had an “undying influence on mankind: Saladin, St. Ferdinand of Spain, Alfonso the Wise of Castile, Edward I, the English Justinian, Rudolph of Hapsburg, Robert Bruce. This was published in 1913 and perhaps these figures of history fell into oblivion. Walsh does divide the major achievements wisely as the century “of the Gothic cathedrals, the foundation of the university, of the signing of Magna Charta, and of the origin of representative government with something like constitutional guarantees throughout the west of Europe.” He names the divisions into “The Book of the Deeds, The Book of the Arts, and the Book of the Words.”
Chapter 3
The chapter “What and How They Studied at the Universities” gives some overviews of major figures at the universities of the times St. Thomas Aquinas of Paris, Roger Bacon of Oxford, Albertus Magnus of Paris.
Chapter 4-5
Walsh spends much time in the chapter “The number of Students and Discipline” to show that the number of students at the major universities of this age were a greater proportion of the population that in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Walsh refutes claims about general illiteracy of the population and monks. The student body included all those associated with the universities. What I found interesting in this chapter was that the age of university students was considerably lower than today. Students started at twelve and completed their “AB” at sixteen or seventeen years.
Chapter 6
The long chapter six has remarkable descriptions of the cathedrals that are “the best-known feature of the Thirteenth Century achievement” and “the significance of their construction . . .the basis of the great movement of education and uplift in the century.” Walsh explains how the aim of Cathedral art was also to teach those who did not read. The sculptor and glass-painter offered an encyclopedia “into a clear and precise language.” Examples of these that he describes in detail: Notre dame of Paris, Amiens, Rheims, Chartres, Bordeaux, Lincoln and York (England), Leon (Spain)
Architecture was not only confined to the churches but to castles, municipal buildings, Abbeys and Monasteries.
Chapter 7
“Arts and Crafts—the Great Technical Schools”
Walsh sees here improvement within the century’s society by opening some monotonous trades to occupations of greater interest and pleasure. This was in the arts and crafts. Handcraftsmanship in Cathedral building was at the center. These also created technical schools around them. England alone erected some twenty cathedrals during this century.
Chapter 8
Painting
Chapter 9
Libraries and Bookmen
This century created circulating libraries. Walsh names eighteen library collections in France. Folio “books” were expensive to create by hand, of course. Walsh puts a cost of purchasing one at between $80 and $100 (1913 dollars) which adjusted for inflation is approximately $2400-$3000 in 2022. Considering that alone take into account that a novice to an abbey was required to bring with him a volume copied by his own hand.
Chapter10
Literature
THE CID, THE HOLY GRAIL, THE NIBELUNGEN
The best creations of the century in literature to him were “The Nibelungen Lied” poem, “Beowulf” which surprisingly he describes as “the oldest but the least interesting on the whole,” and “Roland (the most artistically finished in form), and the poem of the Cid (the cheerfullest and perhaps the fullest of character).” These four epics is where the European literature “most appropriately begins.”
Chapter 11
“MEISTERSINGERS, MINNESINGERS, TROUVÈRES, TROUBADOURS”
Walsh turns to music in this century. This chapter deals mostly with non-religious but nevertheless focused on love “seeing that love was the inspiring force to good deeds” as H.J. Chaytor put it.
The Meistersingers who composed lyric poetry and unaccompanied art songs. Minnesingers, from the word “minne” or “love” developed from them. They were both based in Germany.
Trouvères composed poetry in Northern France and Troubadours were supported by aristocracy.
Chapter 12
“Great Latin Hymns”
This chapter on religious music opens up a whole world to explore should anyone be willing. Walsh concentrates on only on “Veni Sancte Spiritus,” “Stabat Mater--the most pathetic” and “Dies Irae—the most sublime” of the medieval poems but there is whole world in our time that is interested, performs and listens to the hymns of that we have of this age. Walsh quotes texts and the best English translations he found:
“These are the latter times, these are not
Better times;
Let us stand waiting;
Lo! How with, awfulness, He, first in
Lawfulness,
Comes arbitrating.”
Chapter 13
THE THREE MOST READ BOOKS
He names “Reynard the Fox, The Golden Legend, and Romance of the Rose.” These are anonymous but have remained in “circulation” since and even were retold by such even as Goethe.
Chapter 14
SOME THIRTEENTH CENTURY PROSE
Latin gave way to modern languages in this Century. Chroniclers described the Crusades.
“At every period of the world’s history it was true that literature was mainly made for women and that some of the best portions of it always concerned them very closely.”
Walsh mentions the chronicler Matthew Paris, author of the “Historia Major” and Vincent of Beauvais who created the first modern encyclopedia of knowledge of his time. He did this with assistance of a “whole army of young assistants, most of who were furnished him by his own order, the Dominicans.”
Chapter 15
ORIGIN OF DRAMA
Curiously, Walsh writes that St. Francis of Assisi may be “considered in one sense as the father of modern drama.” This is on account that he presented the Nativity scene using some local poor people and a figure of child in a manger with animals also.
Walsh spends more effort in recounting Mystery and Morality plays of York which he suggests influenced later English Renaissance drama and Passion plays of Tyrol. But the finest of this Century in England is “Everyman.”
Chapter 16 FRANCIS, THE SAINT—THE FATHER OF THE RENAISSANCE
As we know very well he married lady poverty and died at forty-five. He founded the first order and second orders and a third order for all the world and with St. Clare an order for women. The Third Order included King Luis of France, Elizabeth of Hungary and Dante.
Chapter 17
AQUINAS, THE SCHOLAR
This major figure of the Century is the founder of Apologetics. But there is nothing especially revealing about St. Thomas here, only that he was the greatest theologian of the Century and until the twentieth. Pope issued a bull to make him archbishop of Naples but he begged to withdraw it which the Pope did and St. Thomas returned to finishing his “Summa Theologica.”
He lectured in Paris, Bologna, Rome, Naples. He is less remembered for composing some great hymns that are still very much in use in liturgy such as “Tantum Ergo.”
Chapter 18
LOUIS, THE MONARCH
Chapter 19
Dante the Poet
There is no doubt that he was the greatest poet of the century. Wash considers Longfellow’s translation of “Divine Comedy” the American poet’s finest work. The Princeton Dante Project is now the best source on this finest epic.
Chapter 20
THE WOMEN OF THE CENTURY
The foremost women that Walsh writes about are St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) who with St. Francis founded the Second Order of the Franciscans or Poor Clares. She was followed by her sister and mother as well.
Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) devoted her short life to the poor and sick.
Queen Blanche of Castile (1188-1252) was mother of St. Louis, king of France. She the regent during his minor years and after he left on the Crusade. She ruled wisely and encouraged education and brought up her son to sainthood.
Chapter 21
CITY HOSPITALS—ORGANIZED CHARITY
Chapter 22
GREAT ORIGINS IN LAW
Chapter 23
JUSTICE AND LEGAL DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 24
DEMOCRACY, CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM AND NATIONALITY
Chapter 25
GREAT EXPLORERS AND THE FOUNDATION OF GEOGRAPHY
Chapter 26
GREAT BEGINNINGS OF MODERN COMMERCE
Appendix
I would like to copy the Appendix I to here. It lists the Rulers of Germany, Scotland, Castille and Leon. Some editions of this history omit parts here, mine does not have England and France. It goes onto Events from 1202—the Fourth great crusade under Boniface, marquis of Montferrat to 1300—“Foundation of the modern Turkish empire by Ottoman I and “First Jubilee proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII.
There is an Appendix II in some editions which is even more interesting. It lists Chapters That Might Have Been.” Some editions have 14 and some 26 chapters briefly outlined. These include • America in the Thirteenth Century. It was written about by Popes Innocent III, John XXI and Nicholas III describing Norwegian travels to Greenland and settlements on it.
April 26, 2021
Wonderful treasure!
I can’t say enough about this book. It opens the eyes to the silly conceits of our age, our stuffy, smug satisfaction with a vary superficial level of attainment. The Thirteenth Century really was glorious.
The prose style is a bit old fashioned, but it is packed with interesting insights. You can’t read much of it in one sitting, but keep going. It took me a year to finish.
I can’t say enough about this book. It opens the eyes to the silly conceits of our age, our stuffy, smug satisfaction with a vary superficial level of attainment. The Thirteenth Century really was glorious.
The prose style is a bit old fashioned, but it is packed with interesting insights. You can’t read much of it in one sitting, but keep going. It took me a year to finish.
August 15, 2017
this was an interesting read that have a lot of info about a topic I had never really thought about before.
February 15, 2020
This was a great book that connected many dots of history for me.
I came across the book on the LibriVox app and decided to give it a try and got hooked on it.
I came across the book on the LibriVox app and decided to give it a try and got hooked on it.
September 2, 2025
The best history books were written before the 1960s.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews