About

Discover a different perspective on the Middle Ages: one that goes beyond a simple survey and entrenches you in the daily human experience of living during this underappreciated era. Drawing on history, literature, the arts, technology, and science, these 36 lectures are a highly nuanced tour that will deepen the way you understand not only the Middle Ages but everything that came afterward.

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Episodes

1. The Medieval World

31m

Enjoy a preview of the developments and innovations that made the medieval period far more exciting than was once thought, including the rise of the university system, manuscript production, and the construction of majestic cathedrals, as well as evidence suggesting that medieval and modern people are more alike than different.

2. The Legacy of the Roman World

32m

Learn how the heritage and ideals of the Roman Empire shaped the early Middle Ages, how Christianity evolved to its position of power within the Roman Empire, and how Germanic peoples from outside the empire "Germanized" both Rome and religion.

3. The Christianization of Europe

31m

Travel back to the 4th-century moment when Christianity became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire to explore how the religion changed after Roman rule ended, focusing in particular on the conversion of various communities beyond the borders of the empire, in the region the Romans called "Germania."

4. After the Roman Empire - Hybrid Cultures

31m

The societies that developed out of the Roman Empire were really "hybrids" of Roman, Christian, and Germanic elements. See how examples from the literature, art, and architecture of Anglo-Saxon England reveal this blending and how the values and ideals of these cultures were combined.

5. Early Monasticism

29m

In examining this popular expression of medieval piety, you journey inside the walls of a monastery to observe the daily life of a monk following the "Rule of St. Benedict" and compare this Roman or Benedictine form of monasticism to the very different Celtic model practiced in Ireland.

6. From Merovingian Gaul to Carolingian France

30m

This lecture introduces what was arguably the most important society of the early medieval world of western Europe. The empire of the Franks was ruled first by the Merovingians and then by the Carolingian dynasty, whose most famous ruler, Charlemagne, changed the face of medieval Europe.

7. Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance

29m

Although it is Italy that has long laid popular claim to the word "Renaissance," it's hard not to marvel at the changes introduced by Charlemagne. Learn how he successfully brought about an unprecedented flowering of art, architecture, literature, music, and education.

8. Byzantium, Islam, and the West

30m

Widen your earlier focus to situate the Western medieval world in context with the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world, learning how Byzantium differed from the western Roman Empire and how the new religion of Islam placed pressure on both the Byzantine and western European medieval worlds.

9. The Viking Invasions

29m

The expansion of the people known as the Vikings—beginning in the late 8th century—was swift, violent, and far-reaching. Grasp the impact of their raids on various European societies, particularly that of the Franks, as well as the unique aspects of their culture.

10. Alfred the Great

30m

Only one English monarch has ever been termed "the Great." Learn why, in considering the man whose rule in many respects mirrored that of Charlemagne as he resolved the Viking threat, consolidated the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and implemented a program under which learning, education, and the arts flourished.

Extended Details

SeriesMedieval World

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector

The Great CoursesProducer

Dorsey ArmstrongActor