This new translation of Huizinga’s 'Autumntide of the Middle Ages' celebrates the centenary of a book that ranks as one of the most perceptive and influential analyses of the late medieval period.  This new and now unabridged English translation of Huizinga’s Autumntide of the Middle Ages (Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen) celebrates the centenary of a book that still ranks as one of the most perceptive and influential analyses of the late medieval period. Its wide-ranging discussion of fourteenth and fifteenth century France and the Low Countries makes it a classic study of life, culture, and thought in medieval society. The translation of the original text captures the impact of Huizinga’s deep scholarship and powerful language. The translation is based on the Dutch edition of 1941 – the last edition Huizinga worked on. It features English renderings of the Middle French poems and other contemporary sources. A complete bibliography of Huizinga’s sources will facilitate further research, while an epilogue addresses the meaning and enduring importance of this classic work. This new English translation of Huizinga’s 'Autumntide of the Middle Ages' ('Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen') celebrates the centenary of a book that still ranks as one of the most perceptive and influential analyses of the late medieval period. Its wide-ranging discussion of fourteenth and fifteenth century France and the Low Countries makes it a classic study of life, culture, and thought in medieval society. The new and now unabridged translation of the original text captures the impact of Huizinga’s deep scholarship and powerful language. The translation is based on the Dutch edition of 1941 – the last edition Huizinga worked on. It features English renderings of the Middle French poems and other contemporary sources, and its colour illustrations include over three hundred paintings and prints, illuminated manuscripts, and miniatures pertinent to Huizinga’s discourse. A complete bibliography of Huizinga’s sources will facilitate further research, while an epilogue addresses the meaning and enduring importance of this classic work. Table of contents Translator’s note Autumntide of the Middle Ages by Johan Huizinga Huizinga's prefaces to the first five Dutch editions 1 Life’s Fierceness 2 The Yearning for a Finer Life 3 The Hierarchical Conception of Society 4 The Notion of Knighthood 5 Dreams of Heroic Deeds and Love 6 Chivalric Orders and Knightly Vows 7 The Significance of the Chivalric Ideal in Warfare and Statecraft 8 The Stylization of Love 9 The Proprieties of Love 10 The Idyllic Image of Life 11 The Image of Death 12 The Representation of All Things Holy 13 Types of Religious Life 14 Religious Emotion and the Religious Imagination 15 Symbolism Withered 16 Realism and the Defeat of the Imagination in Mysticism 17 Forms of Thought in Practical Life 18 Art in Life 19 The Sense of Beauty 20 The Image and the Word 21 The Word and the Image 22 The Coming of the New Form Notes Original Citations Genealogy Timeline Index Epilogue: From Herfsttij to Autumntide by Graeme Small Bibliography Translated sources consulted Illustration credits About the translator and editors