What do you think?
Rate this book
Medieval Europe: Crisis and Renewal
The Middle Ages harshly tested human perseverance, imagination, and survival. Living conditions were squalid for almost everyone except the ruling elite; most of the riches of Western culture were preserved in monasteries and on other continents. Then came widespread famines, prolonged wars, and plagues that marked Europe's late medieval period as one of the most harrowing times in recorded history. But Europe was not broken by these crises. Instead, Europe renewed itself and spawned fundamental artistic, religious, romantic, and political ideas that continue to shape our world to this day. A Hero's Tale This course is a hero's tale of trial, suffering, and triumph for an entire culture. Medieval Europe: Crisis and Renewal transports you to 14th-century Europe and guides you through 200 years of stunning transformations in how people viewed themselves, how they worshiped, and their relationship to land and country. Concepts as basic as national boundaries, church-state separation, individuality, and sovereignty find root in the medieval world you will explore with Professor Teofilo F. Ruiz.
The Plan of the Course
This 16-lecture course is divided into three sections. Section 1 provides a framework for medieval society through detailed descriptions of what life was like for peasants, merchants, and monarchs. In Section 2, you see how this rigid but well-entrenched social structure was shaken to the core by several crises. By name alone, medieval turning points such as the Hundred Years War and the Black Death still evoke shudders in the human psyche. In Section 3, you see the glorious renewal that followed the devastation of the 14th century: the spread of Renaissance ideas and styles from Northern Italy throughout western Europe; the creation of the modern nation in Castile, France, and England; the "rediscovery" of Plato; and far-reaching voyages of discovery. The roots of what is often inappropriately referred to as the "early modern world" are found in the transformations of the 14th and 15th centuries. Your Guide Understanding medieval Europe is a special challenge. As historian Professor Ruiz observes, "The nuts and bolts of history that reveal so much-deeds, wills, legal records, etc.-simply did not exist in the same quantity for medieval Europe as they do for the modern world." Thus, a guide as capable as Professor Ruiz is a special feature of this course. A native of Cuba who narrowly escaped a firing squad during Castro's revolution, he is a Professor of History and Chair of the department at the University of California at Los Angeles. Professor Ruiz has been named one of four Outstanding Teachers of the Year in the United States by the Carnegie Foundation. He has taught at several universities including Princeton University-as the 250th Anniversary Visiting Professor for Distinguished Teaching. Section 1: Medieval Europe (Lectures 1-4)This introductory section sets the context for the entire course. Understanding how medieval men and women imagined their society and saw themselves provides insight on how they responded to the great crises about to be unleashed. Peasants were the group most dramatically affected by late medieval crises. You examine their difficult everyday lives and crucial, but lowly, role in society. You explore the rise of towns and cities and examine the source of so much inspiring art and great learning that shaped society in the Middle Ages and beyond. You see how the power of the papacy was envied and emulated throughout Europe and how this caused landmark changes in the relationship between church and state. Section 2: Crisis (Lectures 5-8) Hunger. You study the great famines of 1315-17 and their impact on European society in succeeding decades. The inability of medieval governments to deal with the consequences of widespread hunger-rising violence, crimes against property, high mortality rates, and weakening of the population-gravely foreshadows similar reactions to other crises. War. You study the Hundred Years War, though not in a strict narrative form. The focus is on the manner in which this drawn-out conflict affected the social, economic, political, and cultural structures of late medieval Europe. You observe extensively the impact of military technology on society, the role of war in social change, the rise of knightly orders, and the contradictions between war's savagery and chivalry's ideals. The Black Death. The bubonic plague had an enormous psychological impact on Europeans in the mid-14th century. You examine the development of the church after the plague, violence against Jews and lepers following the spread of the plague, and the reaction of authorities to its onslaught. Popular Rebellions. You acquire insight into the many peasant and urban uprisings that resulted as individuals on top of society sought to maintain their position in a time of vast economic and social dislocation. Those below, and those caught in the middle, often reacted with in...
The Plan of the Course
This 16-lecture course is divided into three sections. Section 1 provides a framework for medieval society through detailed descriptions of what life was like for peasants, merchants, and monarchs. In Section 2, you see how this rigid but well-entrenched social structure was shaken to the core by several crises. By name alone, medieval turning points such as the Hundred Years War and the Black Death still evoke shudders in the human psyche. In Section 3, you see the glorious renewal that followed the devastation of the 14th century: the spread of Renaissance ideas and styles from Northern Italy throughout western Europe; the creation of the modern nation in Castile, France, and England; the "rediscovery" of Plato; and far-reaching voyages of discovery. The roots of what is often inappropriately referred to as the "early modern world" are found in the transformations of the 14th and 15th centuries. Your Guide Understanding medieval Europe is a special challenge. As historian Professor Ruiz observes, "The nuts and bolts of history that reveal so much-deeds, wills, legal records, etc.-simply did not exist in the same quantity for medieval Europe as they do for the modern world." Thus, a guide as capable as Professor Ruiz is a special feature of this course. A native of Cuba who narrowly escaped a firing squad during Castro's revolution, he is a Professor of History and Chair of the department at the University of California at Los Angeles. Professor Ruiz has been named one of four Outstanding Teachers of the Year in the United States by the Carnegie Foundation. He has taught at several universities including Princeton University-as the 250th Anniversary Visiting Professor for Distinguished Teaching. Section 1: Medieval Europe (Lectures 1-4)This introductory section sets the context for the entire course. Understanding how medieval men and women imagined their society and saw themselves provides insight on how they responded to the great crises about to be unleashed. Peasants were the group most dramatically affected by late medieval crises. You examine their difficult everyday lives and crucial, but lowly, role in society. You explore the rise of towns and cities and examine the source of so much inspiring art and great learning that shaped society in the Middle Ages and beyond. You see how the power of the papacy was envied and emulated throughout Europe and how this caused landmark changes in the relationship between church and state. Section 2: Crisis (Lectures 5-8) Hunger. You study the great famines of 1315-17 and their impact on European society in succeeding decades. The inability of medieval governments to deal with the consequences of widespread hunger-rising violence, crimes against property, high mortality rates, and weakening of the population-gravely foreshadows similar reactions to other crises. War. You study the Hundred Years War, though not in a strict narrative form. The focus is on the manner in which this drawn-out conflict affected the social, economic, political, and cultural structures of late medieval Europe. You observe extensively the impact of military technology on society, the role of war in social change, the rise of knightly orders, and the contradictions between war's savagery and chivalry's ideals. The Black Death. The bubonic plague had an enormous psychological impact on Europeans in the mid-14th century. You examine the development of the church after the plague, violence against Jews and lepers following the spread of the plague, and the reaction of authorities to its onslaught. Popular Rebellions. You acquire insight into the many peasant and urban uprisings that resulted as individuals on top of society sought to maintain their position in a time of vast economic and social dislocation. Those below, and those caught in the middle, often reacted with in...
Audio CD
First published January 1, 1996
3 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 5, 2023
Strong 3.5 stars. Some chapters are more informative than others, but I learned a lot. I especially appreciated the last few chapters where he described the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity, including the military and economic context behind the destruction and theft of the Americas.
[Side note: I recently read “Debt” by David Graeber, and that gave me more information on the economics of the conquest of the Americas. The demand for metals to trade in Asia in exchange for desired spices, along with the allowance of interest-bearing debt in Europe (usury had been banned for a long time) were instrumental in pushing people to take more and more from outside of Europe. I highly recommend if you’re interested in that aspect.]
This course covers roughly 1300-1500, and I am now able to distinguish what made the early Middle Ages distinct from the later period. I know the basic differences between the early Italian Renaissance and the later Northern Renaissance. The “Crisis and Renewal” part of the title indicates how Ruiz focuses on the major changes and why they happened - plagues, famines, wars, uprisings. I was hoping to get a general overview of the Medieval period before tackling his course “The Other 1492: Ferdinand and Isabella…” and it was perfect for that. It also gives good context before starting “The Terror of History: Mystics, Heretics, and Witches,” which I’ve already read and thought was fantastic.
[Side note: I recently read “Debt” by David Graeber, and that gave me more information on the economics of the conquest of the Americas. The demand for metals to trade in Asia in exchange for desired spices, along with the allowance of interest-bearing debt in Europe (usury had been banned for a long time) were instrumental in pushing people to take more and more from outside of Europe. I highly recommend if you’re interested in that aspect.]
This course covers roughly 1300-1500, and I am now able to distinguish what made the early Middle Ages distinct from the later period. I know the basic differences between the early Italian Renaissance and the later Northern Renaissance. The “Crisis and Renewal” part of the title indicates how Ruiz focuses on the major changes and why they happened - plagues, famines, wars, uprisings. I was hoping to get a general overview of the Medieval period before tackling his course “The Other 1492: Ferdinand and Isabella…” and it was perfect for that. It also gives good context before starting “The Terror of History: Mystics, Heretics, and Witches,” which I’ve already read and thought was fantastic.
August 15, 2016
Audio download
These lectures cover the transitional period between the late Middle Ages and Early Modern Times, or about 1300 to 1500...give or take. There are many lecture sets that cover this time span (and more) that are very, very good (Drs Dialeader, Harl, Armstrong and Paxton from The Great Company) and I strongly recommend each and every one of them (especially after you win a significant lottery). this pretty much colours my review of the good Professor Teo Ruiz's 'Crisis and Renewal', so those of you considering purchasing this set should be forewarned, this set is a bit different, but nonetheless fascinating and informative.
If you're worried about Teo's accent...don't, because it's a non-issue. It's not like the help line for computer problems with Microsoft. In fact, I like it and am thinking about adopting it as my own.
Prof Ruiz's lectures look more closely at the reasons for transitioning into modern time, not just from the standard political causes/reasons (who begat whom...who killed whom...or what was the pope's opinion of the current monarch in France). He examines the situation of the common man (90–95 percent of the population)...mostly his dismal lot in life...dealing with abysmal poverty, pestilence and popular, as well as unpopular, rebellions, not mention not being able to get a decent cup of joe. It was not a great time to live for those who weren't in the upper 1%.
I'll not get into many details (there are some really good reviews on the Great Courses site), but just express my take-aways that y'all might find helpful.
1) Religion, specifically the Catholic Church, between 1300 and 1500 is beginning to lose some of it's absolute influence with the general population. The general belief in magic, and the increases in scientific curiosity is strangely hand-in-hand...leading to more acceptance of secularism. You can see the seeds of the protestant movements. The increasing secularism, however, didn't really impact the widespread misogyny that was so well established at this time, though "The Canterbury Tales" did shake things up a bit.
Literacy: With scientific advances (as slow as they were to trickle-down to the masses) came technological innovations, notably the invention of the printing press and the beginning of increasing availability of books. In 1300 literacy levels are quite low, barely 10%. By 1500 advances in literacy, though not meteoric, would lead to a general rise in curiosity and awareness about what the world was like beyond your view of the hind-end of their favorite ox. Now you could learn about classical philosophers...Aristotle, Socrates and Plato, while dreaming of exchanging the ox for a horse.
New technology: Warfare changed during this time period...the world of knightly battles gave way to the long bow (wielded by peasant grunts), which gave way to cannon...Lancelot had not a chance any more.
Technology brought advances to ship-building, sailing and navigation, thereby increasing the chances of finally getting a tasty meal (spice trade allusion), as well as that cup of joe (or perhaps some decent tea)...international, long-distance trade (and exploration ) was born...and with it: Capitalism.
These are my conclusions and take-aways...maybe a little loosely stated, but basically true. These lectures drill-down a little deeper into the regular folks...how bad they had it in 1300, and how times were getting ready to change (big time) in 1500.
The course is dated (20 years old), but a good one and I do recommend it and the other two sets from Teo as well. It's often an sale and coupons are easily had.
These lectures cover the transitional period between the late Middle Ages and Early Modern Times, or about 1300 to 1500...give or take. There are many lecture sets that cover this time span (and more) that are very, very good (Drs Dialeader, Harl, Armstrong and Paxton from The Great Company) and I strongly recommend each and every one of them (especially after you win a significant lottery). this pretty much colours my review of the good Professor Teo Ruiz's 'Crisis and Renewal', so those of you considering purchasing this set should be forewarned, this set is a bit different, but nonetheless fascinating and informative.
If you're worried about Teo's accent...don't, because it's a non-issue. It's not like the help line for computer problems with Microsoft. In fact, I like it and am thinking about adopting it as my own.
Prof Ruiz's lectures look more closely at the reasons for transitioning into modern time, not just from the standard political causes/reasons (who begat whom...who killed whom...or what was the pope's opinion of the current monarch in France). He examines the situation of the common man (90–95 percent of the population)...mostly his dismal lot in life...dealing with abysmal poverty, pestilence and popular, as well as unpopular, rebellions, not mention not being able to get a decent cup of joe. It was not a great time to live for those who weren't in the upper 1%.
I'll not get into many details (there are some really good reviews on the Great Courses site), but just express my take-aways that y'all might find helpful.
1) Religion, specifically the Catholic Church, between 1300 and 1500 is beginning to lose some of it's absolute influence with the general population. The general belief in magic, and the increases in scientific curiosity is strangely hand-in-hand...leading to more acceptance of secularism. You can see the seeds of the protestant movements. The increasing secularism, however, didn't really impact the widespread misogyny that was so well established at this time, though "The Canterbury Tales" did shake things up a bit.
Literacy: With scientific advances (as slow as they were to trickle-down to the masses) came technological innovations, notably the invention of the printing press and the beginning of increasing availability of books. In 1300 literacy levels are quite low, barely 10%. By 1500 advances in literacy, though not meteoric, would lead to a general rise in curiosity and awareness about what the world was like beyond your view of the hind-end of their favorite ox. Now you could learn about classical philosophers...Aristotle, Socrates and Plato, while dreaming of exchanging the ox for a horse.
New technology: Warfare changed during this time period...the world of knightly battles gave way to the long bow (wielded by peasant grunts), which gave way to cannon...Lancelot had not a chance any more.
Technology brought advances to ship-building, sailing and navigation, thereby increasing the chances of finally getting a tasty meal (spice trade allusion), as well as that cup of joe (or perhaps some decent tea)...international, long-distance trade (and exploration ) was born...and with it: Capitalism.
These are my conclusions and take-aways...maybe a little loosely stated, but basically true. These lectures drill-down a little deeper into the regular folks...how bad they had it in 1300, and how times were getting ready to change (big time) in 1500.
The course is dated (20 years old), but a good one and I do recommend it and the other two sets from Teo as well. It's often an sale and coupons are easily had.
May 16, 2025
I do not write fan letters. However, the exception proves the rule. I am a 63-year-old student of history, son of a history professor, husband of a brilliant Basque woman.
I recently completed the Great Courses, Medieval Europe: Crisis and Renewal. I am captivated by his insights and breadth of reading and references.
As a descendant of Cotton Mather, I found the misogyny and witchcraft material particularly interesting. As the husband of a Spaniard, the discussion of Spain throughout was also compelling.
I am a student of Dante, and I learned so much of interest to me from your discussion of the Comedy, including the later addition of the Divine.
I'm a student of Aristotle, and I had not realized that he is the philosopher in the Comedy.
I heard quite a few echoes from A Distant Mirror and Prosperity & Violence.
I cannot think of a time I've been so excited to follow up on a read.
I recently completed the Great Courses, Medieval Europe: Crisis and Renewal. I am captivated by his insights and breadth of reading and references.
As a descendant of Cotton Mather, I found the misogyny and witchcraft material particularly interesting. As the husband of a Spaniard, the discussion of Spain throughout was also compelling.
I am a student of Dante, and I learned so much of interest to me from your discussion of the Comedy, including the later addition of the Divine.
I'm a student of Aristotle, and I had not realized that he is the philosopher in the Comedy.
I heard quite a few echoes from A Distant Mirror and Prosperity & Violence.
I cannot think of a time I've been so excited to follow up on a read.
July 5, 2022
Mr. Ruiz definitely has a lot of knowledge about the time period and especially the place he talks about here. He can seem rather pushy though. Perhaps part of that is his accent and apparent lack of a full grasp of English. There were times when he would make a statement and then in his tripping over the English language would correct or even negate his initial statement. It was distracting and to a certain degree annoying because I think they were mostly because he was trying so hard to talk as fast in English as he can in Spanish. He did give many great insights and I particularly enjoyed that he went beyond 1300 which is were most of the other professors in this series stopped. That really gave a better understanding about how all the events influenced and shaped later times.
August 3, 2023
A topical history of Medieval Europe focusing on "history from below." I appreciated how Ruiz encouraged critical thinking from his audience by referencing influences on his approach to history (such as Marxism) and demonstrated how this approach was helpful and welcomed critiques of various approaches. Throughout, Ruiz showed both how great works of culture influenced medieval and Renaissance life and how circumstances (such as geography, the plague, famine) influenced works of culture. There is a determined balance of the shaping power of ideas and of the physical world.
June 23, 2017
Fín yfirferð yfir sögu miðalda V-Evrópu. Ruiz fjallar um félagssögu tímabilsins, hörmungarnar og hvernig samfélagið náði smám saman að byggja sig upp að nýju þrátt fyrir stöðugar plágur, hernað og deilur kristni og konunga.
April 7, 2022
Huge to almost overwhelm in scope, but stick with it, he has an eye opener of a view to share.
December 9, 2022
Great courses lectures. Excellent overview of European history 1300-1500.
April 14, 2009
Did you know that in the great famine, some people turned to cannibalism? Professor Ruiz connects this with Grimm's Fairy Tales. Gotta love any lecture that can do that...
July 28, 2009
These lectures contain some intereting information on early Europe that goes beyond "standard" dates and events, describing what it was like to live as a peasant during the period.
June 4, 2013
6: interesting, but I am not a huge fan of history by topics.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews