Rating: 
Summary: A great introduction to the Middle Ages
Review: This is a very readable and enjoyable introduction to the philosophical, religious, and belligerent currents that swept through the Middle Ages. Dr. Cantor, an excellent teacher of history, successfully points out how major medieval upheavals that took place largely in Western Europe will continue to exert their influence well into the second millenium A.D.
Rating: 
Summary: How we got here
Review: This is an excellent introduction to the Middle Ages and is thought provoking on many different levels. Although this is a history that looks at the Middle Ages as a whole, Cantor's method is to examine Germany, England, and France and to see how they were able to succeed and fail at differnt times during the period in question. The country that did the best overall was England, due in a large part due to the politcal innovations of Henry II. Although smaller in terms of land area and population, Henry made England work better than either of the two countries. If anyone wonders how London could control 1/4 of the earth's surface, this si the time and place where this began. France and Germany were at the time little more than geographic designations (this is particularly the case with the latter). Effect centralized control was lacking for much of the period in question. The Kings of France were dominated by the nobles. A strong king could make a difference from time-to-time, but the lack of the types of institutional innovations present in England clearly undermined effectiveness. The sections on Germany are likewise instructive. Here the contest between church and state occurs more frequently than in the case of the other two. The inability of the Holy Roman Emperors to impose centralized control over the bishiprics, princes, electors and other members of the nobility was more pronounced here than elsewhere and competition with the church was even more pronounced. These conditions undermined the establishment of a political identity for German until the 1870s. I have chosen to focus on one aspect of this remarkable book, but I would not wish to give the impression that the comparative histories of these three states are all that this book is about. Rather, this book provides the general reader with a greater understanding of the dynamics of the Middle Ages.
Rating:
Summary: How we got here
Review: This is an excellent introduction to the Middle Ages and is thought provoking on many different levels. Although this is a history that looks at the Middle Ages as a whole, Cantor's method is to examine Germany, England, and France and to see how they were able to succeed and fail at differnt times during the period in question. The country that did the best overall was England, due in a large part due to the politcal innovations of Henry II. Although smaller in terms of land area and population, Henry made England work better than either of the two countries. If anyone wonders how London could control 1/4 of the earth's surface, this si the time and place where this began. France and Germany were at the time little more than geographic designations (this is particularly the case with the latter). Effect centralized control was lacking for much of the period in question. The Kings of France were dominated by the nobles. A strong king could make a difference from time-to-time, but the lack of the types of institutional innovations present in England clearly undermined effectiveness. The sections on Germany are likewise instructive. Here the contest between church and state occurs more frequently than in the case of the other two. The inability of the Holy Roman Emperors to impose centralized control over the bishiprics, princes, electors and other members of the nobility was more pronounced here than elsewhere and competition with the church was even more pronounced. These conditions undermined the establishment of a political identity for German until the 1870s. I have chosen to focus on one aspect of this remarkable book, but I would not wish to give the impression that the comparative histories of these three states are all that this book is about. Rather, this book provides the general reader with a greater understanding of the dynamics of the Middle Ages.
Rating:
Summary: Reader Friendly indeed!
Review: This is one of the best books I have discovered on the middle ages that demonstrates a balance between detail and the overall historical picture. This book brings the pieces of the puzzle together without drowining the reader in facts - all the while keeping the reader interested. Get it!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: This is one of the single most engaging books I have ever read, in large part because Cantor writes like a novelist and knows his material so thoroughly that not one single sentence seems forced or contrived. I have read the reviews others have written here and have to laugh when, in the few that are negative, people complain that Cantor uses too many different words for the same thing. The beauty of the English language is its surprising depth and, even, repetition. It's a complex language of which most people today are wholly ignorant. Further, these words represent the very heritage and history upon which this book is based. I found it refreshing to escape the paltry vocabulary used in most books, but that's not to say that Cantor's writing is inaccessible, because it's a truly captivating read. That said, a few maps and, perhaps, a timeline would have been a helpful addition.
Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Book
Review: This is truly a fascinating book. I am very interested in the history of Christianity as well as its affect on Western civilization. This book was an excellent starting point. From the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire through the middle ages, this book gave a great review of how Europe developed. Since the church was so instrumental in this development, it is discussed in great detail of course. I am not sure which parts of the book I liked best. The first few chapters were excellent, but I literally could not put the book down for the last two chapters. I really mean this. I was on a plane when my glasses broke. I was so into the book that I struggled to read the last 50 pages without my glasses, at times holding the book at arms length and squinting really really hard. If you enjoy history, I would most heartily recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: review of a key millenium will correct many an assumption
Review: This thoroughly modern treatise brings the latest thinking and information to the man-in-the-street!
It sweeps a key millenium without swamping the reader with minutiae. The language is very engaging without being populist; Cantor never sacrifices fact for the sake of making a point, as vignettes carry themselves here.
This book serves as a reminder of the relevance the Middle Ages have today, at the end of another millenium in a post-modern crisis of conscience: It debunks many a myth still abounding in our psyche.
Rather than sway into the fashionable, Cantor balances interpretations of male vs. female dominances, warrior vs. partnership ethos, or conquered vs. conqueror histories, as much as can be pieced together.
"Civilization" thus stands to balance many a polarised debate, simply in giving renewed perspective to such a formative yet so poorly understood period
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