Kind of like a mystery

Mysteries of the Middle Ages

I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. I'm not sure he met his stated goal to explain how feminism, science and art arose from the dark ages, but he sure gave it a strong push. I suspect that "feminism" might have been a word his publisher  put into the subtitle, because he didn't write about the topic as we know it today, but instead wrote much about how medieval abbesses, nuns, and queens demonstrated that women can wield power and intelligently attack problem. I guess that foreshadows feminism.

     The circles of Hell are fairly crammed with the once rich and powerful, especially with kings and other titled personages and with members of the higher clergy...For Dante, as for all other thinking people of his time, the worldliness of churchmen and their constant craving after wealth and power were the most destructive forces looks in the world.

Later, in praise of Dante, he writes,

Dante may be circumspect about his own peccadilloes, but not about this satisfaction in seeing his tormentors punished nor in seeing those responsible for the chief political ills of the medieval world receive their eternal comeuppance. He is a medieval man and has no need to feign the pious sympathy occasionally evinced by our contemporary media figures. If he feels like chortling, he'll chortle.

Be warned--reading this book may send you off to re-read The Divine Comedy.