Cover of Medieval History for Dummies

Medieval History for Dummies

Is your knowledge of The Crusades less than tip-top? Maybe you're curious about Columbus, or you're desperate to read about the Black Death in all its gory detail? Whatever your starting point, this expert guide has it all - from kings, knights and anti-Popes, to invasion, famine, the Magna Carta and Joan of Arc (and a few rebellious peasants thrown in for good measure!). Get ready for a rip-roaring ride through the political, religious and cultural life of the Middle Ages, one of the most talked-about periods in history.

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Medieval History for Dummiesincludes:

Part I: The Early Middle Ages

Chapter 1: The Middle Ages: When, Where, What, Who?

Chapter 2: The end of Rome and the not so 'Dark Ages'.

Chapter 3: Angles, Saxons and Feudalism.

Chapter 4: The Carolingians grab their chance.

Chapter 5: Charlemagne - A new empire is born.

Part II: The Making of Europe

Chapter 6: The (Holy Roman) Empire Strikes Back.

Chapter 7: East Meets West: Islam in the Western Mediterranean.

Chapter 8: The Vikings: A threat from the north.

Chapter 9: Schism: The Church splits itself in two.

Chapter 10: The Normans: The 'real' Middle Ages begin.

Part III: 'Holy War': Crusading at home and abroad.

Chapter 11: Crusade: A call to arms.

Chapter 12: The First Crusade

Chapter 13: England vs France & Pope vs Emperor

Chapter 14: The Second Crusade & The 'Crusades at Home'

Chapter 15: Richard vs Saladin: The Third Crusade

Chapter 16: The later Crusades and other failures.

Part IV: Parliament, Priories, Provisions & Plague

Chapter 17: John, Henry, Rudolf & Edward.

Chapter 18: Monks & Merchants: The new power brokers

Chapter 19: The Papacy on Tour: Avignon and the Anti-Popes

Chapter 20: 'God's Judgement?': The Black Death

Part V: The End of the Middle and the start of discovery.

Chapter 21: One Hundred Years of War

Chapter 22: The Peasants are Revolting

Chapter 23: Agincourt, Joan of Arc & the French recovery

Chapter 24: Columbus & The New World

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 25: Ten Rubbish Kings

Chapter 26: Ten Curious Medieval Pastimes

Chapter 27: Ten Great Castles

Chapter 28: Ten People Who Changed The World

Chapter 29: Ten Great Books (To read next)

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 388 pages

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Liked Medieval History for Dummies? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked Medieval History for Dummies. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. The Templars: Knights of God Shares history, medieval, nonfiction
  2. The Longbow Shares history, nonfiction, medieval
  3. The Black Death Shares history, nonfiction, medieval
  4. Faith, Reason, and the Plague in Seventeenth Century Tuscany Shares history, medieval, nonfiction

“If you want more of the same (history), start with these.”

  1. A History of Byzantium
  2. Life in a Medieval City
  3. Lost Gold of the Dark Ages: War, Treasure, and the Mystery of the Saxons
  4. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades

“If it was the medieval that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents
  2. The Axe and the Oath: Ordinary Life in the Middle Ages
  3. Terry Jones' Medieval Lives
  4. Magdalena and Balthazar: An Intimate Portrait of Life in Sixteenth-Century Europe Revealed in the Letters of a Nuremberg Husband and Wife

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. The Hollow Crown: A History of Britain in the Late Middle Ages
  2. The Medieval World I: Kingdoms, Empires, and War
  3. In the Land of Giants: A Journey Through the Dark Ages
  4. The Tudors for Dummies