French Studies: Medieval and Renaissance Studies

This reference work contains over 3000 articles, ranging from a few sentences to 10,000 word essays, which provide information on all aspects of the Middle Ages, from the fifth century to the 15th. Cultural, religious, intellectual, social and political history is covered, and while the main concentration is on Europe and Christendom, the rise of Islam and Arabs, and of other civilizations with which Europeans came into contact is also extensively treated. Art and architecture (including the building of the great cathedrals), the growth of universities, developments in law and scientific discoveries are all treated in the same depth as political history. Archaeological, geographical, historical, linguistic, philosophical and theological topics are covered, and biographies of monarchs, bishops and major intellectual figures are included.