Medieval Historiography as Modern Political and Social Thought
Norman F. Cantor
It is necessary to begin with a disclaimer: completely relativist appraisal of medieval historiography out order. Historical scholarship has advanced its present state knowledge and sophistication in large part because the critical examination primary sources. Twentieth-century benefited from exhaustive labours scholars sincerely convinced that particular questions which they were moved pose past most meaningful instructive mankind. Serious historians men who have helped us illuminate all richness perplexity seldom been vulgar apologists for contemporary establishment, either intellectual or political. Neither they, on whole, conscious propagandists some existing hoped-for social Nevertheless study history always strikingly conditioned by needs fashions, twentieth century as previous eras. well known image Middle Ages obtained at any given period early modern Europe tells more about difficulties dilemmas, commitments than it does world itself. The Renaissance thinkers first branded 'barbaric' 'dark' rebellion against certain aspects scholasticism clerical authority. To justify their own departure prevailing orthodoxies, found psychologically didactically useful project disdain backwards time pronounce thousand years European man boorish intellectually retrograde.
Journal of Contemporary History