The History of the Medieval World

From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade

By: Susan Wise Bauer

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 22 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T'ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled. In her earlier work, The History of the Ancient World, Susan Wise Bauer wrote of the rise of kingship based on might. But in the years between the fourth and the 12th centuries, rulers had to find new justification for their power, and they turned to divine truth or grace to justify political and military action. Right thus replaces might as the engine of empire. Not just Christianity and Islam but the religions of the Persians and the Germans, and even Buddhism, are pressed into the service of the state. This phenomenon---stretching from the Americas all the way to Japan---changes religion, but it also changes the state.

©2010 Susan Wise Bauer (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

“[A] witty and well-written examination of world history...that is rich in detail and intriguing in anecdotal information.” ( Publishers Weekly)

it too focused and detailed on Western history.

I wish there were more details on Turkic history. overall, this book cover most of the history from years of 200s to 1100s.

History of the Midieval World

I have come to understand the talent of Ms Bauer in being able to grasp history and it's effects on today's society. She is a wealth of information regarding history. Though a not in depth study it allows you to more than dip a toe into the history that has shaped civilization to its current situation. I am a believer that we must look backwards to help see the future. Susan helps clear that vision for me and for that I greatly appreciate her works. I highly recommend it for historians and casual laypeople that want to get a cursory understanding of this topic.

New information

Every chapter had nuance of new history. Packed full of great detail worth reading and rereading.

To fast!

I like Susan Wise Bauer. I've read the first part too. Liked both. She is a very precise and tells History anew. things I was told at school are being reviewed. I'm thankful. but because she is so full of content, I think he, the narrator, speaks very fast! it's needed time to consider what you are listening!

Fantastic! But ambitious

Absolutely love Wise Bauer's style. She adds a healthy flair of humanity to the retelling of these ancient tales. I read her "History of the Ancient World" and decided to give this one a go.

Totally worth the read, but I have one criticism. Nearing the end, I feel (and maybe it's because they abridged the final version) like the information was rushed. The transition from the dark ages to the rise of feudal monarchy in the West was, to my ears, a bit too fast for the cast of the rest of the book.

It's a lovely title that I will likely purchase in physical form.

Great summary

History in broad strokes that sparks curiosity for a more in-depth look smaller slices of history.

Names is History are Wild

I like learning about the past, as I think it’s important. This one was definitely a compendium of instances, and honestly the names are what stuck out to me the most. That and the amount of family interbreeding with family to “keep the power in line” *shudders* No thank you! Definitely a good read/listen if you want to know more about how wild people in history were.

Great storytelling

My only regret is that there wasn’t more. It seems odd to cover hundreds of years of history and write it was too short but it was.

Good Read bad history

It was fun listening to the history on this disc, however, the history is really not that good. She gets many facts wrong. Don't take everything you read in this work as the absolute truth.

On second thought

Early Christian story is the general accepted point of view, which I am sure is extremely unreliable, especially in describing motives to these people who formed and forced its doctrines.