Over the weekend I read a fun little church history book, Age of Knights and Friars, Popes and Reformers. Church history has been a interest of mine ever since I took a class in the Counter-reformation and English Reformation at the University of Wisconsin. I was one of 3 undergraduates in the class which was taught by Robert Kingdon. Needless to say, it was intense for an undergraduate. But, I learned a lot. So, I am always on the lookout for interesting books on that period. This book is a notch below "scholarly" as it doesn't contain footnotes, although at the end of each section it contains references to the primary literature. His viewpoint is definitely Protestant, but I would say he is not a Catholic basher.
The book is a fast read, concentrating mainly on the people who were outstanding in the periods, whether for good or bad reasons. A lot of it was just rehash of things I knew, but it was interesting to find out that the writings of Wyclif were brought to Hus's attention by a marriage between King Wenceslaus' sister and the English king. The book stops with Luther posting his 95 theses.
I would recommend the book to anyone wanting a fast overview of the late medievel church.
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