Few men could lay better claim than Chaucer to this happy accident of birth with which Matthew Arnold endows his Scholar Gipsy, if we refrain from pressing too literally the poet’s fancy of a Golden A
First published in 1930, this delightful book by G. G. Coulton (1858–1947) was first conceived as a series of broadcast lectures dealing with social conditions in Britain during the Middle Ages. With characteristic economy and precision, Dr Coulton unlocks the mysteries of the medieval mind by studying the social habits and circumstances that defined the period. Much of medieval society centred on the Church, and a significant portion of the study focuses on the ways in which politics, law, scholasticism and trade functioned in a society dominated by Christianity. Written in a clear, simple style and illustrated throughout with vignettes and plates, this book serves as an excellent introduction to medieval society.
Life in the Middle Ages will appeal to readers who want to get behind the generalizations of historians by reference to the raw material. This collection of documents covers a wide field. The topics range form clergy and laity, saints and sinners, to love, battles, pageants and some details of everyday life. The extracts are drawn from documentary material in six languages and the majority were translated for this collection; they represent thirty years' study among all kinds of medieval writings and have been chosen as specially representative of the period. The full collection is now published in two parts. The first encompasses 'Religion, Folklore and Superstition', and 'Chronicles, Science and Art', and the second, 'Men and Manners', and 'Monks, Friars and Nuns'.
First published in 1910, this book was written to appeal to the increasing body of readers who wish to get at the real Middle Ages; who, however impatient of mere dissertations and discussions, are glad to study genuine human documents, and to check the generalizations of historians by reference to first-hand facts. The Author, therefore, attempted to compile a catena of such documents, each more or less complete in itself, but mostly too long for full quotation by historians. The records here printed represent thirty years' study among all kinds of medieval writings, and could scarcely be outdone in this respect but by scholars who have better work to do. They have been chosen as specially characteristic of the period, and as appealing also to that deeper humanity which is common to all minds in all periods.
Renowned medievalist offers exceptionally detailed, comprehensive and vivid picture of medieval peasant life, including nature of serfdom, manorial customs, village discipline, peasant revolts, the Bl
First published as part of the Cambridge Miscellany series in 1932, this book provides accounts of the lives and influence of St Bernard and St Francis. The volume also contains a variety of illustrative figures and a comprehensive index.
First published in 1938 and reprinted many times, this book by the distinguished medievalist G. G. Coulton (1858–1947) was described by The Times Literary Supplement as 'a triumph of presentation ... This survey is in short an achievement notable alike for its erudition and also for the grace with which such learning is here so lightly carried. ... it would be hard to discover a better introduction to the everyday life of England during those pregnant centuries between the Norman Conquest and the Reformation'. Fifty-two chapters based on a lifetime of research cover every aspect of medieval life, from the emergence of feudalism to 'the bursting of the dykes' at the Reformation. The focus is largely on England, but the European context is also clearly defined in this remarkable synthesis: as a review in The Observer said at first publication, 'There is no one else like Dr Coulton.'
Medieval historian G. G. Coulton relinquished his own holy orders in 1885 but remained firmly engaged with Christianity. This 1919 collection of lectures is a radical and impassioned discussion of how Christianity must change to meet the needs of post-war society as soldiers return from the trenches. Drawing parallels between the lives of Jesus Christ and St Francis of Assisi, Coulton highlights how ambiguities in the surviving accounts of both men have diverted the original course of their ministry and, with it, the objectives and outlook of the church. The author also takes on the weaknesses in both Catholic and agnostic arguments and advocates a simplifying and democratisation of Christianity and the resolving of denominational differences. Included alongside the lectures is the author's comprehensive response to a number of questions raised by the original lecture series which provides a useful conclusion to the controversial anti-Catholic's plea for religious modernisation.
First published in 1933 as part of the Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought series, Coulton's Scottish Abbeys and Social Life was an expanded version of his Rhind Lectures given to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1931. Although a rigorous academic, who stressed the importance of using primary sources, Coulton was skilled at making medieval history accessible to a wider audience. He played an important role in encouraging interest in the study of social and economic, rather than political and military, history of the Middle Ages among younger scholars. In the present work, he used his wide reading of the evidence to examine how monasticism developed in Scotland, from the early Celtic period to the Reformation. Much of the material reveals a complex relationship between the monks of the various orders and the world in which they lived, and teaches the reader about the Church and Scottish society.
First published in 1918, and re-issued with forty pages of illustrations in 1919, Social Life in Britain marked a turning point in Coulton's writings. Although a rigorous academic who stressed the importance of using primary sources, Coulton was skilled at making medieval history accessible to a wider audience, by dealing with ordinary lives. He played an important role in encouraging interest in the study of social and economic, rather than political and military, history of the Middle Ages among younger scholars. In the present work, he used his extraordinarily wide reading of historical and literary sources to cover all aspects of ordinary life in medieval Britain. These include birth and childhood, education, town life, food and drink, the Church and medical methods. He also deals with aspects of women's lives, travelling, and bizarre superstitions which were widely held. A fascinating book to dip into, with a wealth of material.
