The University of Oxford was a medieval wonder. After its foundation in the late 12th century it made a crucial contribution to the core syllabus of all medieval universities - the study of the liberal arts law, medicine and theology - and attracted teachers of international calibre and fame. The ideas of brilliant thinkers like innovative translator of Greek Robert Grosseteste, pioneering philosopher Roger Bacon and reforming Christian humanist John Colet redirected traditional scholasticism and helped usher in the Renaissance. In her concise and much-praised new history, G R Evans reveals a...