A Short Medieval Reader

Cover
Half-Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations and Symbols
Reading Primary Sources: A Short Introduction
I Prelude: The Roman World Transformed (c.300–c.600)
1.1 Toleration or favoritism? The Edict of Milan (313)
1.2 Law: The Theodosian Code (438)
1.3 The eremitical model: Athanasius, The Life of Saint Antony of Egypt (357)
1.4 Conversion: Augustine, Confessions (397–401)
1.5 Relating this world to the next: Augustine, The City of God (413–426)
1.6 The Christian view of plague: Gregory the Great, Letter to Bishop Dominic of Carthage (600)
1.7 Monasticism: The Benedictine Rule (c.530–c.560)
1.8 Merovingian Gaul’s bishop-historian: Gregory of Tours, Histories (576–594)
II
The Emergence of Sibling Cultures (c.600–c.750)
2.1 The iconoclastic argument: Synod of 754
2.2 The sacred text: Qur’an Suras 1, 53:1–18, 81, 87, 96,
98 (c.610–622)
2.3 Muslim conquests: John of Nikiu, Chronicle (c.690)
2.4 Umayyad diplomacy: The Treaty of Tudmir (713)
2.5 A model Christian queen: The Life of Queen Balthild (c.680)
2.6 Creating a Roman Christian identity for England: Bede, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731)
III Creating New Identities (c.750–c.900)
3.1 An Abbasid victory in verse: Abu Tammam, The sword gives truer tidings (838)
3.2 An early view of the Prophet: Muhammad ibn Ishaq, Life of Muhammad (754–767)
3.3 Hadith literature: Al-Bukhari, On Fasting (9th cent.)
3.4 The pope and the Carolingians: Pope Stephen II, Letters to King Pippin III (755–756)
3.5 Charlemagne as Roman emperor: Einhard, Life of Charlemagne (825–826?)
3.6 Modeling the state on Old Testament Israel: The Admonitio Generalis (789)
3.7 Manors in the West: Polyptyque of the Church of Saint-Mary of Marseille (814–815)
IV Political Communities Reordered (c.900–c.1050)
4.1 Fragmentation in the Islamic world: Al-Tabari, The Defeat of the Zanj Revolt (c.915)
4.2 Evanescent centralization in al-Andalus: Ibn ‘Abd Rabbihi, Praise Be to Him (929–940)
4.3 Donating to Cluny: Cluny’s Foundation Charter (910) and various charters of donation (10th–11th cent.)
4.4 Defining sexual sins: Burchard of Worms, Decretum (c.1020)
4.5 Love and complaints in Angoulême: Agreement between Count William of the Aquitainians and Hugh IV of Lusignan (1028)
4.6 The Peace of God at Bourges: Andrew of Fleury, Miracles of Saint Benedict (1040–1043)
4.7 Rebellion at Cologne: Annals of Lampert of Hersfeld
(1077–1079)
4.8 The powerful in the Byzantine countryside: Romanus I
Lecapenus, Novel (934)
4.9 Imperial rule under two sisters: Michael Psellus, Zoe and Theodora (before 1063)
4.10 Poland’s self-image: Boleslaw’s coin (992–1000)
4.11 The Vikings as they saw themselves: Egil’s Saga (10th cent./13th cent.)
4.12 The Vikings as the English saw them: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (c.1048?)
V New Configurations (c.1050–c.1150)
5.1 Launching the Investiture Conflict: Pope Gregory VII (1073–1085), Admonition to Henry IV (1075)
5.2 The royal response: Henry IV, Letter to Gregory VII (1075)
5.3 The Norman Conquest depicted as the Normans saw it: The Bayeux Tapestry (end of the 11th cent.)
5.4 Calling the crusade: Robert the Monk, Pope Urban II Preaches the First Crusade (1095)
5.5 Jewish martyrs: Solomon bar Samson, Chronicle (c.1140)
5.6 The Muslim view of the First Crusade: Ibn al-Qalanisi, The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades (before 1160)
5.7 Logic: Peter Abelard, Sic et Non (?1122–1126)
5.8 On marriage: Peter Lombard, Sentences (1148–1151)
VI
Ambitions Realized and Thwarted (c.1150–c.1250)
6.1 A troubadour love song: Bernart de Ventadorn, When I see the lark (c.1147–after 1172)
6.2 Disciplining and purifying Christendom: Decrees of Lateran IV (1215)
6.3 Keeping tabs: An Episcopal Visitation Record (1268)
6.4 Mocking the papal bureaucracy: The Gospel According to the Marks of Silver (c.1200)
6.5 Devotion through poverty: Peter Waldo in the Chronicle of Laon (1173–1178)
6.6 Devotion through mysticism: Jacques de Vitry, Life of Mary of Oignies (1213)
6.7 The mendicant movement: Saint Francis, A Rule for Hermitages (1217–1221) and The Testament (1226)
6.8 Saladin’s jihad: Ibn Shaddad, Life of Saladin (1195–1216)
6.9 The Fourth Crusade: Niketas Choniates, O City of Byzantium (c.1215)
6.10 English common law: The Assize of Clarendon (1166)
6.11 The Manorial Court of Bec: Proceedings for the Abbey of Bec (1246)
6.12 King and nobles: Magna Carta (1215)
VII Empires of Land and Mind (c.1250–c.1350)
7.1 The Hungarian king bewails the Mongol invasions: Béla IV, Letter to Pope Innocent IV (c.1250)
7.2 The Spanish Cortes: Alfonso X, Cortes of Valladolid (1258)
7.3 The Hanseatic League: Decrees of the League (1260–1264)
7.4 Jews in England: Henry III, Order to the Chief Officers of the Jewish Exchequer (1253). Edward I, Statute of the Jewry (1275)
7.5 A charismatic ruler: Joinville, Life of Saint Louis (1298–1309)
7.6 The papal challenge: Boniface VIII, Unam sanctam (1302)
7.7 Scholasticism: Thomas Aquinas, On Love (1271)
7.8 The vernacular comes into its own: Dante, Inferno, Canto V (Paolo and Francesca) (1313–1321)
7.9 Inquisition: Jacques Fournier, Episcopal Register (1318–1325)
7.10 Gender and its discontents: Court record of Rolandina Roncaglia (1354)
VIII Catastrophe and Creativity (c.1350–c.1500)
8.1 A Turkish hero: Ashikpashazade, Othman Comes to Power (late 15th cent.)
8.2 The effects of the plague: Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron (1349–1353)
8.3 Warding off the plague through processions: Ibn Battuta, Travels (before 1368)
8.4 The woolworkers (ciompi) revolt at Siena: Donato di Neri
and Neri di Donato, Chronicle of Siena (1371)
8.5 Chivalric and non-chivalric models: Froissart, Chronicles (c.1400)
8.6 Aftermath of the Peasant Revolt in England: The Case of Richard de Leycester (1381)
8.7 National feeling: Jeanne d’Arc, Letter to the English (1429)
Sources
Index of Authors
Index of Titles