The High Middle Ages

By: Philip Daileader, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Philip Daileader

At the dawn of the last millennium in the year 1000, Europe was one of the world's more stagnant regions - an economically undeveloped, intellectually derivative, and geopolitically passive backwater, with illiteracy, starvation, and disease the norm for almost everyone.

Yet only three centuries later, all of this had changed. A newly invigorated cluster of European societies had revived city life, spawned new spiritual and intellectual movements and educational institutions, and had begun, for reasons both sacred and profane, to expand at the expense of neighbors who traditionally had expanded at Europe's expense. This series of 24 lectures, filled with memorable detail, examines how and why Europeans achieved this stunning turnaround. By its conclusion, you will be able to describe and analyze the social, intellectual, religious, and political transformations that set into motion this midsummer epoch of the medieval world - an epoch you will come to know very well through Professor Daileader's vivid descriptions and examinations of its people, including

• the warrior aristocracy of knights, castellans, counts, and dukes;
• free and unfree peasants; and townspeople, both artisans and merchants;
• its vibrant stirrings of religion and intellect, including monastic life and charismatic figures like Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas;
• the lives of those outside the religious mainstream, especially heretics and Jews;
• and its major political developments and events, including the First Crusade, the Norman Conquest of England, and the granting of the Magna Carta.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2001 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2001 The Great Courses

40000 foot view

By the instructor’s own admission this is a fairly superficial covering of the High Middle Ages I would have liked a little more detail in what people’s lives were like. Otherwise I found this lecture series to be very enjoyable and not tedious as some are.

Wonderful Introduction

Dr. Philip Dialeader introduces the High Middle Ages with concietiousness, balance and humor. His course blends various historical approaches with great story telling and as with all his courses for the Learning Company, he turns a compassionate eye on all the many players of the medieval stage as he considers their struggles and triumphs. Anyone wanting to know more about this fascinating and transformative period of Western history will be delighted by Dialeader's lectures for The Great Courses.

excellent history and characters

Part of a trio - excellent chapters on many aspects of the period - plenty of detail, colorful detail

Great content, great lecturer

This guy makes the content so intriguing. I am an avid fan of history, but I can be turned off if the format is not too interesting. In this case, I simply could not stop listening. I will be seeking out anything else Professor Daileader has on Audible as soon as I have finished the other Middle Ages courses

Annnnnnd

I enjoyed this unbiased lecture series. I now see the high Middle Ages as a active growth period in the development of history. Annnd I got a kick of how the professor says connecting words.

My favorite course bar none

I've listened to dozens of Great Courses lecture series and this one is the one I like the most of them all. Daileader is funny, varied, clear, memorable and detailed.

The professor sounds catching cold all the time

The organization of story telling is perfect, though.
In now-days, seeing where we were coming through, you surely become extremely optimistic about almost everything.

Fantastic course!

Philip's performance and knowledge is outstanding, as always. I will definitely listen to this course again!

interesting topic and wonderful professor

Prof. Daileader is one of my favorites. This is the second of his three part treatment of the Middle Ages. The first one I liked better - more of a narrative history and helped me flesh out my understanding of the decline of Rome and what followed.

This one would be an excellent choice for someone who prefers social over narrative history. It also would be a good first introduction to the period.

If you are a history lover like me, just plan to listen to all of this professor's courses! Even my least favorite of his courses are a total pleasure to listen to. I was sorry to have this one end.

very informative

would definitely recommend to anyone who cares about european history. does a great job covering the big events as well as explaining the less well known aspects of the middle ages.