Medieval Horizons Quotes

“The benefit of looking at the past through a series of expanding horizons is that it allows us to see change in the context of the starting point in time, without labouring under the baggage of modern value judgements. The rising skyline and the expansion of travel and trade; growing literacy and the advent of printing; the standardisation of time; the transition of the Christian religion from collective ritual to individual faith; the arrival of guns and the widening of the medical horizon; the extension of the arm of the law – all these we take for granted. Ultimately, the greatest achievement of our medieval forebears was unlocking humanity’s potential. And this too we take for granted.”
― Ian Mortimer, Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter

“We instinctively proceed to judgement on the basis of our own experiences, which are inevitably rooted in the modern world. But realising this and trying to overcome it can bring the greatest revelations. Indeed, approaching the past with this one constant in mind – the permanent questioning of received wisdom – is the prime quality necessary to be a historian”
― Ian Mortimer, Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter