Western Europe in the Middle Ages: A Short History

by Joseph R. Strayer

Capturing the vigor and vitality of medieval times in an interesting and engaging manner, Strayer gives a vivid interpretation of the significance of medieval civilization, not of medieval history. This essay focuses on two First is the organization on a specialization of society and the cooperation of its people. Second is their shared ideals and beliefs. This important work illuminates how the intriguing activities of the Middle Ages have nourished our present-day civilization.

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction

207 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1974

About the author

Joseph Reese Strayer taught at Princeton University for many decades, starting in the 1930s. He was chair of the history department (1941–1961) and president of the American Historical Association in 1971. Strayer has been credited with training a large percentage of the American medievalists profession; many of his students are still teaching and active. Notable students include Teofilo Ruiz, William Chester Jordan, and Richard W. Kaeuper. Norman F. Cantor often highlighted his status as a student of Strayer's, but several of Strayer's other pupils - who wish to remain anonymous for personal and professional reasons - have expressed their doubt that Strayer ever acknowledged Cantor as his student or that Cantor had any formal affiliation with him at all.

When not teaching medieval history at Princeton, Strayer was involved with the CIA, as a member of the CIA's Office of National Estimates. The extent of his involvement, at a time when the C.I.A was running covert operations to destabilize governments around the world (Iran, Brazil, Congo, Dominican Republic, Guyana and Chile), has never been fully assessed or verified.

Norman Cantor recognized three books as most important to Strayer's legacy: Feudalism (1965), which summarized three decades of his research and thinking on the topic; On the Medieval Origins of the Modern State (1970), in which he shows the relevance of medieval historical institutions to modern governmental institutions; and The Reign of Philip the Fair (1980), representing over 30 years of archival research and the most comprehensive work on the topic in any language - other than Jean Favier's Philippe le Bel (1978). Strayer was editor of the Dictionary of the Middle Ages, the largest and most comprehensive encyclopedia of the Middle Ages in the English language.

Reviews

[Erin With the Classics · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a useful brief overview of the history of the Middle Ages. Because of its brevity, it obviously skims over or treats superficially most of the major developments. The treatment of the Early Middle Ages (5th-10th c), especially, is lacking. There were also places in the discussion of the later Middle Ages (13th-15th c) that seemed outdated now. Still, for someone just wanting a quick peek into the long and impactful millennia that was the Middle Ages, it's a good place to begin.

[Pathos The Mighty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific overview of Middle Ages Europe from roughly 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D. The author makes it clear in the Introduction that he's generalizing a great deal and his aim is to stir up enough interest in the reader for them to seek out more detailed works. In that, he succeeds. An easy to read style, not near as stuffy as other similar works I've read. If you have even a remote interest in European history or are looking for a refresher, I'd highly recommend this book.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I’ve read on the subject.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Administration of Normandy Under Saint Louis (1932)
The Middle Ages, 395–1500 (1942) – an extended textbook survey.
[Originally co-authored by Dana C. Munro in 1942, by the 1959 4th edition it was mostly all Strayer. Cantor says it is important for "its brilliant summary of European political history from about 1050 to 1350.]

Western Europe in the Middle Ages: a Short History (1955) – a brief version of the above, reprinted in later editions.

The Interpretation of History (1950)
The Course of Civilization (1961)
Feudalism (1965)
On the Medieval Origins of the Modern State (1970)
Medieval statecraft and the perspectives of history (1971)
The Albigensian Crusade (1972)
The Royal Domain in the Bailliage of Rouen (1976)
The Reign of Philip the Fair (1980)
Dictionary of the Middle Ages, editor (1982 to 1989)

[Malcolm Hebron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful overview of the period 500-1500, giving a balanced treatment of economics, politics and culture. The general lines are clear; as is perhaps inevitable with a short book of large scope, there is little room for the enlivening local detail. Clearly organised and elegantly written, though.

[Sariah Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent brief introduction to the topic of the middle ages. Easy to read, and it covers many aspects of the culture and development throughout the centuries.

[Pachara Angkharuengrattana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it's a good book for acknowledging the overall picture of middle ages. The writer's intention was to give a some important points, their interconnections, and their effects to the later period and modern West; all interwining into the middle ages of western Europe.