The Coming of the Friars

In this thoughtful collection the author guides listeners through the turbulent world of twelfth‑century Europe, beginning with the fevered anticipation that accompanied Abbot Joachim’s apocalyptic predictions. As King Richard’s court hears the monk’s cryptic “time, times, and half a time,” the essays capture the mixture of dread and wonder that swept across towns and courts, hinting at the arrival of the Franciscan friars who would soon reshape spiritual life.

The volume then widens its lens, offering vivid sketches of village routine in Norfolk, the rhythms of monastic daily work, and the grim spread of the Black Death through East Anglia. Brief studies of early university foundations and a colorful portrait of a medieval prophet round out the series, giving a richly textured sense of how ordinary people and grand ideas intersected during a pivotal age. Listeners will come away with a clearer picture of the hopes, fears, and everyday realities that defined medieval England.