Traces the influence and legacy of the Roman Catholic Church across two centuries (1050-1250 AD). The text describes folklore and church architecture as well as the Crusades, the Inquisition, papal government, the College of Cardinals, the confessional, chivalry, hospitals and marriage.
In this book Morris examines the building of Christian society between 1050 and 1250. The two centuries covered were among the most creative in the history of the Church and saw the emergence of much that is considered characteristic of European culture and religion: universities, commercial cities, hospitals, the crusades, the inquisition, papal government, canon law, and marriage in its "western" form.
Professor Morris sets out to given an account of the religious history of the Latin west ... he has done so comprehensively, and with a magnificent deployment of historical scholarship and literary skill ... The book is superbly organized, and as one expects from its author it is a model of lucidity ... a thought-provoking as well as a comprehensively informative survey. It triumphantly succeeds in satisfying the needs of the expert, the student and the general reader; may it soon be made available at a less formidable price.
