The Days of Christendom Vol. 2

New! Volume II — Christendom at Dusk - The Age of Discovery through Modern Times

Volume 2 of 2 from The Days of Christendom: A Catholic History of Western Civilization — Two-Volume Set

This high school world history textbook from Seton Press, is designed to give students a connected narrative of Western civilization from prehistory and the ancient world through the modern era and the Church in the present day. Written from a distinctly Catholic perspective, this course presents history as more than a succession of dates, wars, and political events. The history of the Catholic Church serves as a central thread throughout the narrative, helping students understand the development of Western civilization, its institutions, culture, ideas, conflicts, achievements, and challenges in light of the Catholic Faith. Recommended Grades 10 or 11. Full Color. 959 total pages.

Volume I — The Dawn of Christendom traces the story from prehistory and the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt through Greece and Rome, the birth of Christ, the growth of the early Church, the formation of Christendom, and the Age of Discovery.

Students explore the ancient Near East, classical Greece and Rome, the coming of Christ, the early Christian era, the rise of the Catholic Church, the Carolingian achievement, medieval Europe, the relationship between Church and state, medieval learning and culture, the Crusades, the Spanish Reconquista, the Avignon Papacy and Great Schism, the Renaissance, the Protestant Revolt, the English schism, the Catholic Reformation, and the Spanish and Portuguese exploration of the New World.

Volume II — Christendom at Dusk continues the historical narrative begun in Volume I, The Dawn of Christendom. Beginning with the religious and political conflicts that followed the Protestant Revolt and the Age of Discovery, students follow the development of Europe and the Americas through the dramatic changes of the early modern and modern eras.

The book explores the French Wars of Religion, the Thirty Years' War, and the rise of absolutist monarchies, helping students understand the religious and political struggles that transformed Europe. The narrative then moves across the Atlantic to examine the founding of the United States, while continuing to trace the changing relationship between religion, government, and society.

Students also study the suppression of the Jesuits, the French Revolution, and Napoleon, followed by an examination of Russian history and the Industrial Revolution. The book shows how industrialization, political revolutions, nationalism, and other major developments transformed Europe and the Americas during the nineteenth century.

The final chapters bring the narrative into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Students examine World War I, the rise of totalitarian regimes, Catholic resistance in the 1920s and 1930s, World War II, the expansion of Communism, and the Cold War. The book concludes by examining the Catholic Church and its place in the contemporary world through 2024.

Throughout the volume, history is presented as an interconnected story rather than a collection of isolated events. The Catholic Church remains a central thread, allowing students to examine modern history through a distinctly Catholic understanding of Western civilization.

Volume 2 contains 537 pages.

A Connected Catholic Approach to History

Rather than presenting history as a collection of disconnected textbook segments, The Days of Christendom uses continuous narrative prose to help students see the connections between people, events, ideas, institutions, and the development of Western civilization. Both volumes are richly illustrated with historical paintings, portraits, photographs, maps, and other artwork, with explanatory captions that provide additional context. Each chapter concludes with a Chapter Review containing short-answer questions drawn directly from the chapter text. Questions can generally be answered with a word, phrase, or sentence, giving students a straightforward way to review material and check their comprehension. These review questions are designed as a study help for the student to know the important parts of the chapter and find the answers for themselves. There is no answer key for these questions. 

Ideal for Catholic homeschooling, Catholic high schools, and families seeking a traditional Catholic approach to world history, The Days of Christendom provides a sweeping study of Western civilization while emphasizing the role of the Catholic Church and the Faith in shaping the history of the West.

The Days of Christendom includes:

•     Two comprehensive volumes covering ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern history
•     A Catholic perspective on Western civilization and World History
•     Coverage from prehistory through the contemporary era
•     The history and development of the Catholic Church woven throughout the narrative
•     Chapter Reviews with text-based comprehension questions (no answer key provided)
•     Historical paintings, artwork, portraits, photographs, and maps
•     Explanatory captions for illustrations
•     Approximately 959 pages across the two-volume set
•     Designed for Grades 10 or 11
•     Published by Seton Press

See the Two Volume set here

Volumes:

Vol. 1: The Dawn of Christendom — Prehistory through the Age of Discovery

Vol. 2: Christendom at Dusk — The Age of Discovery to Modern Times