Let's Discuss History’s Longest PR Disaster

After centuries of being portrayed as a long, damp waiting room for the Renaissance, the Middle Ages have called a press conference. They would like a retraction, an apology, and perhaps a more flattering portrait.

In "Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter,” Ian Mortimer argues that the years from 1000 to 1600 were anything but a historical nap. Law, literacy, travel, homes, and the freedom to shape one’s own life changed profoundly. We tend to notice progress when someone unveils a machine, which may explain how an era that helped build the modern world ended up with such terrible press.

We’ll examine the evidence. How much credit does the medieval period deserve for the world we live in? Read the book and bring your best arguments. Armor is optional. Medieval dentistry will not be reenacted.