The End of the Middle Ages: Essays and Questions in History

A collection of essays and questions that examines late medieval religious and political life, tracing how spiritual movements, mystical writers, and communal orders intersected with institutional crises and dynastic struggles to produce the early modern world. Chapters profile lay religious movements such as the Beguines and convent communities, analyze mysticism through figures like Mechtild of Magdeburg and Meister Eckhart, and discuss papal relocation, schism, and the French incursions into Italy as catalysts of change. The essays argue that endings were gradual and uneven, with medieval forms persisting even as new political, social, and religious patterns emerged.