Augustine Built the Medieval World With the Help of His Mother, Concubine, Empress, and 10-Year-Old Fiancé

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Saint Augustine of Hippo is one of the most important figures of the Latin Middle Ages, and his writings have shaped Western thought on marriage and sexuality. However, few have considered the deeply influential role of the women in his life and how they shaped his thinking. Drawing on how Augustine’s presents them in his startlingly intimate memoir, Confessions, it becomes clear that this canonical Western is not only arguably the first autobiography; it offers a rare account of the Classical World through the eyes of women. Today’s guest is Kate Cooper, author of Queens of a Fallen World, a book that explores the troubled world of the waning Roman Empire through the lens of four prominent women whose lives were chronicled in Saint Augustine of Hippo’s startlingly intimate memoir, Confessions — Justina, the troubled empress of ancient Rome; Tacita, the ten-year-old Milanese heiress from whom Augustine broke his engagement, irrevocably altering the course of both their lives; Monica of Thagaste, Augustine’s mother; and Una, Augustine’s mistress, companion of fifteen years and mother to his illegitimate son. It's a story of not only Augustine, but, more broadly, the role of women in Antiquity.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This guy here with another episode of the History Unplugged Podcast.
0:08.0	Other than Paul of Tarsus, nobody had more impact on Christianity in the ancient world
0:12.1	than Augustine of Hippah.
0:14.0	He lived from 354 to 430 AD, at the time when the Western Roman Empire was collapsing,
0:19.2	and he laid down much of the intellectual foundation of the medieval Catholic Church.
0:23.8	Theology on Origin Sin, Predestination, Ideas of the Dignity of All People, and what
0:28.5	a Christian marriage is, which is interesting that he was responsible for it because he had
0:32.0	a pretty wild youth.
0:33.5	Fathered an illegitimate child with a concubine that he held for 15 years, and clearly
0:37.2	wasn't proud of it because he never named her in any of his accounts.
0:40.4	But although he architected a lot of Latin chrysanthem, few have considered the deeply
0:44.0	influential role of the women in his life and how they shaped his thinking.
0:48.1	In his memoir Confessions, he gives us, perhaps the Western world's first autobiography,
0:52.2	but also a rare account of the classical world through the eyes of women.
0:55.6	Today's guest is Kate Cooper, author of Queens of a Fallen World, a book that explores
0:59.4	the troubled world of the waning Roman Empire through the lens of four prominent women whose
1:03.8	lies were chronicle the Augustine of Hippah's Confessions, justina, the Empress of Ancient
1:08.6	Rome, Acida, this 10-year-old Milanese ares from whom Augustine broke his engagement,
1:13.8	Monica, Augustine's mother, and Una, Augustine's mistress, and mother to his illegitimate son.
1:19.3	This is a story not only of Augustine, but the world's women in antiquity, and the major
1:22.9	unexplored influences on the Western world.
1:25.3	Hope you enjoyed this discussion with Kate Cooper.
	...

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