Overview

The centuries between 700 and 1449 encompassed the bulk of the Middle Ages, the first glimmerings of the Renaissance, dramatic technical and cultural advances in Asia, the expansion and contraction of the Muslim Empire, and the pinnacle of the Mayan and Incan civilizations in the New World.

It was a time of ferment and chaos, but also a period of stasis. This was particularly true in Europe, where the collapse of the Roman Empire left a centuries-long void that no single nation or unifying body was able to fill. Lacking a central presence to focus culture, and without the economic resources generated by large, well-organized alliances, much of Europe descended into purely local governance, often centered around lords who ruled their immediate vicinities without the means to pursue any larger ambitions.

The often-desperate poverty that covered Europe was matched by a deepening ignorance. Intellectual pursuits like education...