Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church excels at providing an impressive and instructive historical treatment of the Christian church.
This is Volume Six covering from Boniface VIII, 1294 to the Protestant Reformation, 1517
This volumous work begins with the Early Church at its formative era. This volume and the first will comprise the major individual and their writings, which shall comprise the first five (5) volumes of the Ante-Nicene Series. Schaff's treatment is comprehensive and in depth, discussing all the major and minor figures, time periods, and movements of the Church. One feature of the “History of the Christian Church”, which readers will immediately notice is just how beautifully written it is, in particular when comparing other texts of a similar nature. Simply put, Schaff's prose is lively and engaging.
Quite often, these works can be grueling and drudgery, yet this effort have been able to make it “history written with heart and soul.”