A Short History of the Middle Ages, Fourth Edition

Book excerpt: Barbara H. Rosenwein's bestselling survey text continues to stand out by integrating the history of three medieval civilizations (European, Byzantine, and Islamic) in a lively narrative that is complemented beautifully by 70 full-color plates, 46 maps, and 13 genealogies, many of them new to this edition. The fourth edition begins with an essay entitled "Why the Middle Ages Matter Today," and the book now covers East Central Europe in some depth. This edition includes three "Seeing the Middle Ages" features, each discussing a work of art in depth: An Ivory Diptych of Christ and the Virgin, Saint Luke, Gospel Book of Otto III; and A Shrine Madonna. The sections for further reading have been updated, and ancillary materials, including study questions, can be found on the History Matters website (www.utphistorymatters.com).