The companion to medieval society / Franco Cardini ; translated by Corrado Federici.

Originally published as: La Società medievale. Milano : Jaca Book, [2012]

Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-276) and index.

What are the Middle Ages? -- The "silent collapse" of the western Roman empire -- Christianization of Europe -- A world to be reorganized (eighth to tenth centuries) -- The church -- Women in the church and in society -- The emperor -- Kings -- The aristocracy -- Peasants -- Roads -- The city -- The discovery of the other -- Cathedrals and towers -- Education and universities -- The cultural imaginary -- Holidays and feasts -- Birth and death -- An expanding world -- Internal and external enemies -- The discovery of Asia -- Science and magic -- Languages and literature -- The new figurative art -- The fourteenth-century crisis -- Toward the Renaissance.

Presents one thousand years of medieval European society through its politics, culture, and ideas, exploring topics dealing with women, foreigners, inter-city relations, and the transmission of knowledge.