Beatrice's Last Smile: A New History of the Middle Ages

Beatrice s Last Smile is a sweeping narrative history of the medieval west from the third century to the sixteenth, focusing on the slow formation of Latin Christendom in the aftermath of the disintegration of the western Roman Empire. The book covers a range of topics, including violence, war, plague, crusades, inquisitions, heresy, witch trials, and the emergence of a distinctive western culture.

Format: Hardback
Length: 512 pages
Publication date: 13 July 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Beatrice's Last Smile: A Comprehensive History of the Medieval West

From the dawn of the third century to the commencement of the sixteenth, Beatrice's Last Smile offers a captivating narrative that spans the medieval west. This book delves into the gradual formation of Latin Christendom over a millennium, following the disintegration of the western Roman Empire. The reader embarks on a journey that traverses the Mediterranean, the North Sea, the Nile, the Volga, North Africa, Central Asia, and ultimately reaches the Americas. Throughout this sweeping narrative, Beatrice's Last Smile explores the theme of holiness, encompassing Judaism and the revelations of Muhammad. The story unfolds from the tumultuous times of fifth-century Britain and Gaul to the Hundred Years War between England and France, from the devastating plague of the sixth century to the Black Death of the fourteenth, from the initial crusaders' sacking of Jerusalem to the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlán, from Viking raids to Mongol invasions, from the inquisitions into heresy to the trials of witches, from a third-century Christian mother's tragic demise in a Roman arena to the immolation of Joan of Arc in the fifteenth, from an ancient universe devoid of heaven and hell to a medieval cosmos characterized by a fiery inferno and a shimmering paradise.

Throughout these centuries, Beatrice's Last Smile pays particular attention to the individual men and women who shaped the course of history. Their stories are intricately woven with the broader narrative of the emergence of a distinct western culture. The book offers a rich tapestry of historical events, cultural developments, and societal transformations, providing a comprehensive understanding of the medieval world.

Weight: 830g
Dimension: 167 x 242 x 47 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780199641574