Europa. Jerarquía y revuelta: (1320 - 1450) (Historia de Europa nº 1)

Fontana History of Europe

by George Arthur Holmes

This book provides a classic introduction to a key period in the history of Europe - the transition from medieval to Renaissance Europe." "In this updated edition, Professor Holmes traces the main political events as well as describing broader changes in social structure and culture. He reveals the interactions between politics, society and ideas that contributed to the problems and changes of this period.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval History, European History, Medieval

414 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

George Arthur Holmes FBA (born 22 April 1927 in Aberystwth–died 29 January 2009) was Chichele Professor of Medieval History at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, 1989-94.

Reviews

[David Sarkies]

A overview of the latter middle ages
17 June 2012

This book pretty much read like my Medieval and Renaissance History subject at university, though it was set over a much tighter period. The period explored is between 1300 to 1450, which is the later medieval period, at a time when the Renaissance was just beginning in Italy and the Byzantine empire was in decline. It was during this time that Constantinople fell to the invading Turks (who had laid seige the city). The Iberian Peninsula had been liberated from the Moor occupiers, but was not yet modern Spain (rather it was the two kingdoms of Aragon and Castille), though they had merged by 1450. This was also the period of the Spanish Inquisition (which is not surprising since the idea was to remove the remaining non-Christians on the peninsula). Meanwhile, England and France were at war, and would remain so the entire time, and at the conclusion of the war (which was the Hundred Years War) England had been expelled from the continent.

So, that was the run down of the period and I guess we should consider what important events occurred during this time and how it changed history as we know it. Well, the most important invent was the fall of Constantinople. Well, actually, the book ends three years before the actual fall, but it was during this period that we begin to see the migration of the orthodox church from Greece and Anatolia over to Italy, which in turn began to usher in the Renaissance. However, the Turks had already had the city surrounded, and were beginning to push into Greece and the Balkan Peninsula (which they would continue to invade over the next 200 years). Constantinople was already in its death throes, which it had been since the Venetians sacked the city in 1204.

It is also during this period that we begin to see the decline of the Catholic Church which over the next hundred years would usher in the Reformation. While there were a number of mini-reformations before Luther, many of these (such as the Hussites) occurred after this time period. The important event was what was known as the Babylonian Captivity. I cannot say too much about this particular event, except that at this time there were numerous disputes as to who was Pope, and the struggle between the church and state was coming to a head. The Babylonian Captivity, called after the period of 70 years that the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, involved the papal seat being moved to the French city of Avignon. During this time Rome had become little more than a ghost town.

Germany didn't exist per se, but was rather a large collection of principalities and city states headed up by the Holy Roman Emperor. This position wasn't like your typical king, in that you would inherit the position from your father, but rather you would be elected for life. This was not democratic at all namely because the only candidates were nobility and only the nobility could vote: in fact only the heads of the German states could vote. However this was before the Hapsburgs came onto the scene.

The Hierarchy in the title referred to the semi-fuedal system that was evident at this time, though we do see the decline of the fuedal system during this period as the populace became more mobile. Politically there was still a strict hierarchical structure that was dominated by social positions and family ties. People still worked the land and still did not travel much beyond their villages, however mercantile trade was beginning to develop and we begin to see the foundations of the modern banking system appearing in Northern Italy as well as the development of Mercantile Republics (such as Florence and Venice).

The revolt in the title has nothing to do with revolt against governments, that wasn't to happen for another two hundred years, but rather it was the revolt against the church. The period of the twin pillars of Christendom was coming to an end, particularly since many of the kings were becoming quite annoyed at the Pope's constant interference in their affairs. This event, as mentioned, opens the door for the Reformation, particularly where a number of princes rallied behind Luther and protected him from the agents of the Pope. This could never have happened if the Pope still held ultimate authority over Western Europe.

[Ainsley]

Wandering through the corridors of time can be an utterly strange and compelling experience, particularly when your guide is as lucid and informative as George Holmes is in this account of the History of Europe from 1320 - 1450. This Late Medieval period saw the birth of Printing, the Church in Schism, the fall of Constantinople and the fall of the Armored knight. This book is relatively short at about 350 pages and substitutes detail for narrative, which in my books makes it a great read.

[Lauren Albert]

A great look at the fragmentation of the period without many of the “nations” that came later. He covers the papal schism, the beginnings of reformation and renaissance.

[Robert Kleinberg]

“Latin Christendom in the early fourteenth century… [was] a single civilization” which shared one religion, one religious hierarchy, a lingua franca (Latin), a concept of law, and common practices in higher education – but politically, “a fragmentation of authority bordering on anarchy.” So begins George Holmes, the late Professor of Medieval History at Oxford, on the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, the birth of modern Europe.

Holmes shows that the fourteenth century was a period of economic contraction, related to population declines from famines (1315-17) and plague (1347-9). The ensuing cracks in social structures were revealed in political revolts that failed to overthrow the traditional order, but weakened it and undermined the power of the Church which depended on landed wealth.

Not long after, the focus of higher learning in universities shifted from scholastic reasoning and the works of Aristotle to a broader scope of liberal arts including history, philosophy and rhetoric. This humanism also expressed itself in painting and sculpture that combined emotional realism with realistic spatial perspective. A similar new perspective in cartography accompanied the explosion of European exploration after Columbus.

Holmes provides depth and rich detail on politics and economics as well as ideas and culture. Later chapters discuss the papacy and its challenge from the Bohemian (Czech) Hussite movement; the collapse of Byzantium under the Ottoman Turks; the foundation of modern Spain; and the beginnings of the Italian Renaissance.

Despite his vast knowledge, Holmes’s book has several quirks. The text flows as though spontaneously written. Within a sound overall structure, a stream of fact and detail pours out which the reader needs to put into perspective.

Holmes barely seems to consider England as part of Europe: his own country receives little attention except for economic issues and two pages on the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Holmes is more interested in continental affairs, especially in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany.

In discussing the Church, Holmes paints its defects rather lightly. He describes the huge income derived by the papacy from controlling many personnel appointments. But he does not mention the hypocrisy and corruption of the clergy documented by Boccaccio and other contemporary writers. On the preference of French popes and cardinals to locate the seat of the Church in Avignon rather than Rome (1309-1377), he accepts that this was for improved security and geographical convenience. A more plausible explanation would be that Rome was a physical mess, while Avignon was an idyllic haven in which Church leaders could enjoy French cooking and loose women.

The late Oxford don was not well served by his publishers. The Blackwell second edition (2000) fails to correct typographical and a few minor errors in his long paragraphs. There are no footnote citations even for direct quotations. The mediocre maps, placed at the back rather than amid the text, omit many locations to which Holmes refers. Blackwell did not even provide the hardback edition a decent cloth cover.

This sharp and brilliant book deserves better treatment by its publisher, and attentive study by readers.

[Marco Amutari]

Excelente libro, cubre el periodo a plenitud, se ve la perspectiva desde todos los frentes.