Publisher's Synopsis
Medieval ideas about the future have largely been neglected by modern research, with the exception of ideas about the end of time and the apocalypse. Without neglecting these important transcendental perspectives, the contributions to this volume demonstrate the existence of medieval ideas about the future (and ensuing practices) that are characterised by their secular orientation in the medium term. Analysing economic practices, religious conceptions and their practical implementation, prognostications, and explicit reflections on the future in text and image, this volume demonstrates that medieval societies were strongly interested in the midterm future and not limited to the dichotomy between the immediate tomorrow and the preparation for eternal salvation.
