Death and Life in the Tenth Century

The tenth century knew well in its course the evils of the world, the flesh, and the devil: battle, murder, and devastation; plague, pestilence, and famine; rebellion and riot; fornication and lust in places high and low, secular and sacred; ignorance, brutality, silence, and despair.

But the tenth century also knew good. Religion, art, and literature flourished; and culture and learning were just as much a part of the life of Church and Court as were war and intrigue.

In Death and Life in the Tenth Century, both sides of this unique and vital period are portrayed by Eleanor Shipley Duckett, one of the twentieth century's most respected medieval scholars. Whether writing of the witty and vengeful scholar Liutprand of Cremona, or of the nun Hrotsvitha, who strove to write Christian plays in Terence's style, Duckett offers a rich and vivid portrait of political and cultural life in the tenth century.