This author explored the broad contours of Western history and the landscape of academic medieval studies across Europe and North America. While academic reviews were often mixed, his books frequently became bestsellers, thanks to a fluid, often colloquial writing style and lively critiques of figures and ideas. Though intellectually conservative and skeptical of methodological fads, he advocated for greater inclusion of women and minorities in historical narratives. His work often reflected on his complex relationship with academia and the evolution of historical thought.
This book, first published in 1970, examines significant protest movements of the twentieth century and looks at the similarities and differences between the various dissents and rebellions. It discusses the emergence of protest as an ideal, a viable force for reform.
The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era
There may not be a more fascinating a historical period than the late fourteenth century in Europe. The Hundred Years' War ravaged the continent, yet gallantry, chivalry, and literary brilliance flourished in the courts of England and elsewhere. It was a world in transition, soon to be replaced by the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration -- and John of Gaunt was its central figure. In today's terms, John of Gaunt was a multibillionaire with a brand name equal to Rockefeller. He fought in the Hundred Years' War, sponsored Chaucer and proto-Protestant religious thinkers, and survived the dramatic Peasants' Revolt, during which his sumptuous London residence was burned to the ground. As head of the Lancastrian branch of the Plantagenet family, Gaunt was the unknowing father of the War of the Roses; after his death, his son usurped the crown from his nephew, Richard II. Gaunt's adventures represent the culture and mores of the Middle Ages as those of few others do, and his death is portrayed in The Last Knight as the end of that enthralling period.
Ring around the rosies,A pocketful of posies,Ashes, ashes,We all fall down.—"Ring Around the Rosies," a children's rhyme about the Black DeathThe Black Death was the fourteenth century's equivalent of a nuclear war. It wiped out one-third of Europe's population, taking some 20 million lives. And yet, most of what we know about it is wrong. The details of the Plague etched in the minds of terrified schoolchildren—the hideous black welts, the high fever, and the awful end by respiratory failure—are more or less accurate. But what the Plague really was and how it made history remain shrouded in a haze of myths.Now, Norman Cantor, the premier historian of the Middle Ages, draws together the most recent scientific discoveries and groundbreaking historical research to pierce the mist and tell the story of the Black Death as a gripping, intimate narrative.
Much of what we know about the greatest medical disaster ever, the Black Plague of the fourteenth century, is wrong. The details of the Plague etched in the minds of terrified schoolchildren -- the hideous black welts, the high fever, and the final, awful end by respiratory failure -- are more or less accurate. But what the Plague really was, and how it made history, remain shrouded in a haze of myths.Norman Cantor, the premier historian of the Middle Ages, draws together the most recent scientific discoveries and groundbreaking historical research to pierce the mist and tell the story of the Black Death afresh, as a gripping, intimate narrative. "In the Wake of the Plague" presents a microcosmic view of the Plague in England (and on the continent), telling the stories of the men and women of the fourteenth century, from peasant to priest, and from merchant to king. Cantor introduces a fascinating cast of characters. We meet, among others, fifteen-year-old Princess Joan of England, on her way to Spain to marry a Castilian prince; Thomas of Birmingham, abbot of Halesowen, responsible for his abbey as a CEO is for his business in a desperate time; and the once-prominent landowner John le Strange, who sees the Black Death tear away his family's lands and then its very name as it washes, unchecked, over Europe in wave after wave. Cantor argues that despite the devastation that made the Plague so terrifying, the disease that killed more than 40 percent of Europe's population had some beneficial results. The often literal demise of the old order meant that new, more scientific thinking increasingly prevailed where church dogma had once reigned supreme. In effect, the Black Deathheralded an intellectual revolution. There was also an explosion of art: tapestries became popular as window protection against the supposedly airborne virus, and a great number of painters responded to the Plague. Finally, the Black Death marked an economic sea change: the onset of what Cantor refers to as turbocapitalism; the peasants who survived the Plague thrived, creating Europe's first class of independent farmers. Here are those stories and others, in a tale of triumph coming out of the darkest horror, wrapped up in a scientific mystery that persists, in part, to this day. Cantor's portrait of the Black Death's world is pro-vocative and captivating. Not since Barbara Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror" have medieval men and women been brought so vividly to life. The greatest popularizer of the Middle Ages has written the period's most fascinating narrative.
This study contains almost 150 written texts in the form of short stories, essays, novels, biographies and memoirs to give the reader an insight into every aspect of Jewish life and experience. It includes contributions from many well-known Jews including Anne Frank, Philip Roth, and Franz Kafka.
A fascinating look at life in the Middle Ages that focuses on eight extraordinary medieval men and women through realistically invented conversations between them and their counterparts.
Now revised and expanded, this edition of the splendidly detailed and lively history of the Middle Ages contains more than 30 percent new material.
In this groundbreaking work, Norman Cantor reveals how our contemporary understanding of the Middle Ages—with its vivid imagery of wars, tournaments, plagues, saints, and knights—was shaped in the twentieth century. The medieval world was not merely uncovered through research; it had to be conceptually created. Cantor explores the lives and works of twenty prominent medievalists, illustrating how their personal experiences and emotional perspectives influenced their interpretations of the era. This scholarship is presented as a passionate and colorful endeavor, showcasing the dynamic personalities and creative intellects that offered fresh insights into the past. The book represents a revolution in academic methodology, paving the way for new approaches to teaching the humanities and historiography, appealing to both students and the general public. It distills an immense body of knowledge, allowing readers to grasp the essential connections between medieval civilization and twentieth-century culture while enjoying the process. This engaging, humorous, and informative read is essential for anyone interested in the past and future of Western civilization.
