The Twelfth-Century Renaissance: A Reader

The twelfth century was a time of new ideas and creative innovation spurred on by patron-monarchs like King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, poets like Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes, lovers and intellectuals like Abelard and Heloise, and religious thinkers like Bernard of Clairvaux and Hildegard of Bingen.

In his thoughtful introduction, Novikoff explores the term "twelfth-century renaissance" and whether or not it should be applied to a range of thinkers with differing outlooks and attitudes. With reference to this ongoing historiographical debate, Novikoff embraces the harmony of disharmonies and allows the authors of the twelfth century to define the period for themselves. He situates classic works against a broad backdrop of other sources, many appearing in translation for the first time, in order to highlight the period's diverse currents of thought. Sixteen black-and-white images are included.

Alex J. Novikoff teaches medieval history at Fordham University, where he has also served as the associate chair and director of undergraduate studies at the Center for Medieval Studies. He is the author of The Medieval Culture of Disputation: Pedagogy, Practice, and Performance (2013) and articles on medieval intellectual and cultural history, historiography, and interfaith relations. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain and a recipient of the Berlin Prize.