Covering a colourful period of medieval history from the schism between the eastern and western churches to the death of Dante, The Two Cities provides an introduction to key topics such as:

• The crusades
• The expansionist force of the Normans
• Major developments in the way kings, emperors and popes exercised their powers
• A great flourishing of art and architecture
• The foundation of the very first universities

Four major sections covering The Social and Economic Structure, The Church, Political Change, and Perceptions of the World, analyse and discuss the delicate relationship between the spiritual and secular worlds - the two 'cities' of the title.

This third edition has been updated throughout to incorporate new literature and ideas that have emerged since the previous edition including sexuality and the environment, as well as additional material on Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Making extensive use of primary sources and new trends in historical research and scholarship, this book provides a fresh approach to students in the most rounded, lively and integrated view of the High Middle Ages available.