Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-322) and index.

Chapter I. A medieval montage -- Feudal Europe -- The medieval church -- Monasticism -- The pilgrimage movement -- The Crusades -- The Council of Clermont -- The First Crusade -- The last of the Crusade -- The results of the Crusades -- The Cathedral -- The medieval university -- The medieval papacy -- A decadent papacy -- Leo IX and papal achievement s -- The Babylonian captivity (1305-1376) -- The papal schism (1378-1417) -- Heresy and dissent -- Chapter II. The Italian Renaissance -- The parameters (1300-1517) -- The nature of the Renaissance -- The political and social milieu -- "The first modern man" -- Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) -- Florence, the Athens on the Amo -- Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) -- Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) -- A return to Greek -- A return to the vernacular -- The church and the Renaissance -- The popes and the Renaissance -- Nicholas V (1447-1455) -- Pius II (1458-1464) -- Sixtus IV (1471-1484) -- Alexander VI (1492-1503) -- Julius II (1503-1513) -- Leo X (1513-1521) -- Shaking the foundations -- Lorenzo Valla (1407-1457) -- Nicholas Cusanus (1401-1464) -- Winds of change -- Chapter III Renaissance art and artists -- Painting -- Giotto (1266-13336) -- Masaccio (1401-1428) -- Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) -- Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520) -- Sculputre -- Verrocchio (1435-1488) -- Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) -- Architecture -- Filippo Bruneslleschi (1377-1446) -- Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472) -- Donato Bramante (1444-1514) -- Music -- In retrospect -- Chapter IV The Northern Renaissance -- The brethren of the common life -- Alexander Hegius (1433-1498) -- Two men from Groningen -- Humanism in Germany -- Jacob Wimpfeling (1450-1528) -- Conrad Celtis (1459-1508) -- Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522) -- Reuchlin's supporters -- Chapter V Attempts at reform: Wycliffe and Huss -- John Wycliffe (ca. 1328-1384) -- Theological roots -- In the service of the king -- Major theological concepts -- Lordship -- The Bible -- The church -- The Eucharist -- Of priests and popes -- The Lollards -- John Huss and John Wycliffe -- John Huss and the early reform movement -- A university divided -- Huss suppressed -- Huss-a Wycliffite? -- The Council of Constance (1414-1418) -- The tragedy and the triumph -- Chapter VI Erasmus and his disciples -- Youth and education , 1467-1499 -- England and John Colet, 1499-1500 -- The vision in print, 1501-1519 -- Enchiridion militis Christiani (1501) -- Adagia collectanea (1500) -- Encomium moriae -- The praise of folly (1509) -- The Greek New Testament (1516) -- Peace and conflict, 1519-1536 -- The legacy -- Chapter VII. Europe on the threshold -- An age of discovery -- Nations in the making -- Spain -- France -- England -- Germany -- Switzerland -- Italy -- Scandinavia and Eastern Europe -- Society in ferment -- The rise of the towns -- The commercial revolution -- Peasant uprisings -- Crisis in the classroom -- The religious situation -- The conciliar movement -- The papacy -- Sources of discontent -- Revival -- Chapter VIII. Martin Luther: the strategy of confrontation -- Martinus Ludher ex Mansfeld -- Brother Martin -- The Turmerlebnis -- Conflict-1517 -- Confrontation-1518-1521 -- Heidelberg, April 26, 1518 -- Luther before Cajetan, October 1518 -- The Leipzig Disputation, July 1519 -- The fateful year: 1520 -- Excommunication: June 15, 1520 -- The three treaties -- The Diet of Worms-1521 -- Chapter IX. New Wineskins for new wine -- The September Bibel -- Wittenberg in turmoil -- Karlstadt et al -- The Zwickau prophets -- Thomas Muntzer (1490-1525) -- Sermon before the princes-July 13, 1524 -- The Peasants' Revolt -- The beginning of conflict -- The twelve articles -- Thomas Muntzer and the sword of Gideon -- Luther and the peasants -- Assault on celibacy -- Cujus region, ejus religio -- The first Diet of of Speyer, 1526 -- The Second Diet of Speyer, 1529 -- The Augsburg confession -- The Marburg colloquy -- The Diet of Augsburg, 1530 -- Laying the foundation -- The German Bible -- Music for the church -- Preaching the word -- The teaching church -- The church is... -- Theology