Medieval Panorama recreates one of the great ages of European civilization through a sequence of spectacular images accompanied by a lively, informed commentary. Ingeniously organized by topic and thoroughly cross-referenced, this all-embracing book enables the reader to explore and understand every facet of the Middle Ages, an era of breathtaking artistic achievement and religious faith in a world where life was often course and cruel, cut short by war, famine and disease. The book covers the entire period from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the Dark Ages to the first flowering of the Renaissance. Includes over 800 superb illustrations, drawn from archives, libraries and museums all over the world, along with key biographies, timelines, maps, glossary, gazeteer and bibliography...