The Fifteenth Century: The Prospect of Europe

by Margaret Aston

Foreword
The orientation of Europe
News and knowledge
Travels and questions
The layman's voice
The Church and the world
The sense of renewal
Bibliography
Notes on the Illustrations
Index

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval History, Renaissance

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Jan-Maat]

Like all the volumes in the Library of European Civilisation series this book is richly illustrated (although the relation of the illustrations sometimes seems tangential to the text) and is printed in a pleasantly easy to read font.

The thesis of the book is that the developments during the fifteenth century lead to the formation of what we think of as Europe as opposed to Christendom and that this is a world that feels more familiar and modern to us.

The weight of this argument is carried by the first and the last chapter with the intervening ones concentrating on travel and religion as experienced by the laity and the clergy.

It is a nice enough book but no The Waning of the Middle Ages.

[Rindis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read from the Library of World Civilization series, which seems to be pretty good in all. The books come with a large number of illustrations well placed with the text they're illustrating. However, these are older books and the layout can be cramped.

The thesis of this one is that at the beginning of the 15th Century, western culture can be seen as "Christendom", but by the end of the century, there is a move towards a European (instead of religious) community.

After talking about it in the first chapter, there's no more direct discussion in the rest of the book, but it does go on to tackle a variety of subjects in considerable length, ranging from changing views of knowledge, how the past was different from the present (and the creation of the idea that historical figures should not be presented in contemporary dress and scenery), to the changing relationship of the church and the layman.

In all, it is a very informative read, and a great starting point on the period.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the second I have read in the series History of European Civilization Library. This first was A. G. Dickens' Reformation and Society in Sixteenth Century Europe. What a difference a century can make. This subject of Aston's book seemed to me much more remote than that of Dickens', perhaps because of my awareness of my own family's Puritan and Huguenot origins. Aston's book extends beyond the 1400's in both directions farther than Dickens, but that is not a bad thing. Three main events of the century: the fall of Constantinople, the invention of the printing press, and the voyages to America at the end of the century are put in context. How economic, social, and religious attitudes were affected by discoveries of the renaissance are especially emphasized. Greek and Roman, but not Arab, sources of inspiration for the gradual enlightenment of Europe are highlighted. There is a brief reference to Pacioli, but no other reference to mathematics is made, and very little to science, much more emphasis is given to art and architecture. I do not think this is as good a book as Dicken's, but it was still valuable to a layman like myself who learned a great deal in a relatively brief 203 pages.

[Ann Rahfeldt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas, but hard to penetrate

[LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my husband's college textbook, sitting on a shelf forty years later. I picked it up and really enjoyed it. Amazing how modern the fifteenth century was. I was touched by the admiration of all things ancient gradually growing into a self-realization rather than condemnation. ch V, the Church and the World, deserves a second look when I get ready to write Glastonbury Grail IV about Mary Tudor. It isn't that period, but it is the changes in thinking that lead into it.

[John E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally part of the History of European Civilization Library and like the other books in the series a short, dense, and nicely illustrated history. Centers on the idea that it was in the 15th century that the concept of "Europe" begins to be the identifier for the region over the concept of "Christian".