Misconceptions About the Middle Ages [Paperback]

Interest in the middle ages is at an all time high at the moment, thanks in part to The Da Vinci Code. Never has there been a moment more propitious for a study of our misconceptions of the Middle Ages than now.

Ranging across religion, art, and science, Misconceptions about the Middle Ages unravels some of the many misinterpretations that have evolved concerning the medieval period, including:

• the church
• war
• science
• art
• society

With an impressive international array of contributions, the book will be essential reading for students and scholars involved with medieval religion, history, and culture.

Introduction (by Stephen J. Harris) Part 1: The Church  1. Was the Medieval Church Corrupt? (by Frans Van Liere)  2. Papal Infallibility (by Elaine M. Beretz)  3. The Age of Faith : Everyone in the Middle Ages Believed in God (by Peter Dendle)  4. Everyone was an Orthodox, Educated Roman Catholic (by Michael D.C. Drout)  5. The Myth of The Virgin Nun (by Mary Dockray-Miller)  6. The Medieval Popess (by Vincent Dimarco)  7. Medieval Monks: Funnier than You Thought (by Liam Ethan Felsen)  8. Medieval Attitudes Toward Muslims And Jews (by Michael Frassetto)  Part 2: War and the State  9. The Crusades: Eschatological Lemmings, Younger Sons, Papal Hegemony and Colonialism (by Jessalynn Bird)  10. The Myth of the Mounted Knight (by James G. Patterson)  11. The Power of Medieval Kings (by Jeroen Laemers)  Part 3: Science  12. The Myth Of The Flat Earth (by Louise M. Bishop)  13. The Medieval Sense of Self (by Ronald J. Ganze)  14. The Middle Ages Were a Superstitious Time l£¡