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Great Minds of the Medieval World
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The Middle Ages was a time of major advances in many fields of knowledge, from theology and philosophy to science, medicine, art, literature, and education.
Great Minds of the Medieval World
Overview
Course No. 4631
The Middle Ages was a time of major advances in many fields of knowledge, from theology and philosophy to science, medicine, art, literature, and education. Owing to the work of an astonishing range of visionary thinkers, this fascinating period laid the foundations of the modern Western world. In the medieval era’s great minds, we find the roots of many aspects of today’s world – from the philosophical thought of Augustine, Ambrose of Milan, and Thomas Aquinas to the scientific innovations of Avicenna and Alhacen, the enlightened statesmanship of Charlemagne and Lorenzo de Medici, and the literary creations of Dante and Chaucer.
In these 24 lectures, Professor Armstrong leads you on an enthralling journey into the lives of these seminal thinkers. You’ll encounter leading lights of this world-shaping era, including figures such as Maimonides, Hildegard of Bingen, Bernard of Clairvaux, Peter Abelard, and Francesco Petrarch. Professor Armstrong brings these historic figures to life, revealing both their intellectual contributions and the personal struggles that defined them. These compelling lectures take you deeply into the heart of one of civilization’s most dynamic and impactful eras.
Course Lectures
- Augustine of Hippo
Trace Augustine’s life, from his restless spiritual inquiry to his conversion to Christianity and ministry, studying his core teachings on language, good and evil, and free will.
Duration: 31 min - Ambrose, Jerome, and Gregory the Great
Learn about these extraordinary figures and their contributions to early Christian thought and scripture.
Duration: 29 min - Boethius and the Consolation of Philosophy
Assess Boethius’s influence on medieval education and his masterwork written while awaiting execution.
Duration: 29 min - Isidore of Seville and the Etymologies
Explore Isidore’s contributions to education and his creation of a massive encyclopedia of human knowledge.
Duration: 30 min - The Venerable Bede
Learn about Bede’s self-education, his works, and his impact on future generations of scholars.
Duration: 30 min - Alcuin, Charlemagne, and Alfred the Great
Investigate the partnership between Alcuin and Charlemagne in creating a center of learning at Aachen.
Duration: 30 min - Avicenna and the Golden Age of Islam
Discover Avicenna’s contributions to medieval medicine and key philosophical concepts.
Duration: 31 min - Alhacen and the Scientific Method
Discuss Alhacen’s theories of optics and his role in developing scientific methodology.
Duration: 30 min - Averroes and Aristotelian Philosophy
Follow Averroes’s influential comments on Aristotle and his contributions to medicine.
Duration: 32 min - Maimonides and Jewish Law
Explore Maimonides’s works on Jewish law and his integration of Greek philosophy with Jewish theology.
Duration: 30 min - Rashi and Biblical Interpretation
Discover Rashi’s commentaries on the Torah and Talmud and their lasting impact.
Duration: 29 min - Saladin and the Defeat of the Crusaders
Track Saladin’s ingenious strategies against the Crusaders and his acts of humanity.
Duration: 30 min - Hildegard of Bingen
Investigate Hildegard’s accomplishments in theology, music, and medicine as a mystic and polymath.
Duration: 31 min - Bernard of Clairvaux
Learn about Bernard’s contributions to monastic reform and his influential writings on doctrine.
Duration: 30 min - Abelard and Heloise
Trace the careers of Abelard and Heloise and how their tragic relationship fueled their intellectual accomplishments.
Duration: 30 min - Peter Lombard and the Sentences
Study Lombard’s Sentences, a key theological textbook of the Middle Ages.
Duration: 29 min - Thomas Aquinas
Investigate Aquinas’s pivotal work, the Summa Theologiae, and his arguments for God’s existence.
Duration: 30 min - William of Ockham and John Duns Scotus
Learn about their influential theories on being, knowledge, and the separation of church and state.
Duration: 30 min - Geoffrey Chaucer and Dante Alighieri
Explore the parallels in the works of these literary geniuses and their societal commentary.
Duration: 30 min - Francesco Petrarch
Learn about Petrarch’s role in the cultural shift emphasizing individuality and art.
Duration: 31 min - Lorenzo de’ Medici
Trace Lorenzo’s diplomatic accomplishments and his patronage of art and literature.
Duration: 31 min - Christine de Pisan
Discover Christine’s role as Europe’s first professional female writer and her literary influence.
Duration: 30 min - Sir Thomas Malory and Le Morte Darthur
Grasp Malory’s commentary on medieval virtues through his retelling of Arthurian legend.
Duration: 30 min - William Caxton and the Birth of Printing
Assess Caxton’s contribution as England’s first printer and his impact on literature accessibility.
Duration: 32 min
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