The subject of this book is the formation of Western Europe from the late 10th to the early 13th century. During these years the economic face of Europe and its position in the world were transformed. Civilization, as we understand it today, was born.

Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine was one of the leading personalities of the Middle Ages, and also one of the most controversial. Having inherited a vast feudal domain stretching from the Loire to the Pyrenees, she was one of the greatest heiresses in history. This biography offers a perspective on this woman.

An account of life in Medieval Europe between the fall of the Roman Empire and the coming of the Renaissance. Full coverage is given to all aspects of life in a thousand-year period which saw the creation of Western civilization.

Bede's 'Ecclesiastical History' was completed in 731 and still ranks among the most popular of history books. In this edition, the Latin text is accompanied by a English translation; the introduction provides an historical background and a survey of surviving manuscripts

Introduces today's students to the medieval roots of our own society. This work includes coverage of Byzantium and Islam, a revised map program, and an essay program on medieval myths. The author writing about his realization, while in college, says that our world today is a product of the medieval past.

This narrative tells how Irish monks and scribes saved classical and religious heritage by copying the manuscripts of writers such as Homer and Aristotle, while libraries on the continent were lost forever.

In the year 1000 the world was one of people who feared an apocalypse and who had no idea what year it was or what lay beyond the nearest valley. Narrated through the progression of the seasons, this book presents a recreation of English life at the end of the first millennium AD.

Presents an account of day-to-day life in a medieval French village. Using records gathered by the Catholic Church in its pursuit of heretics, this book shows the lives of a cast of village characters.

In the first years of the thirteenth century Villehardouin served as an envoy in the Fourth Crusade. Half a century later, Joinville accompanied the French king, Louis IX, on crusade to Egypt and the Near East. This book offers narratives of these campaigns and provides insights into the characters and beliefs of the crusaders.

A translation of the complete correspondence of Abelard and Heloise, this volume also includes a translation of The Calamities of Abelard , of the letters of Heloise and Peter the Venerable, and of selected songs, hymns, and laments of Abelard. It also includes a chronology, map, and index.

This work focuses on the lives and works of 20 of the great medievalists of this century, demonstrating how the events of their lives, and their emotional and spiritual outlooks influenced their interpretations of the Middle Ages.

This text discusses the Vikings and their realm; the lands of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. It includes a discussion of their civilization and culture, and their many sided achievements at home and abroad. A narrative follows their development, from pre-historic legend to symbolic defeat in 1066.

A chronicle of one of the most powerful and dynamic of all medieval rulers, Charlemagne. It describes his personal life, details his achievements in reviving learning and the arts, recounts his military successes and depicts one of the defining moments in European history: Charlemagne's coronation as emperor in Rome on Christmas Day 800 AD.

Arguably the greatest biomedical disaster in history, the Black Death of the 14th century wiped out 40 per cent of Europe's population, rocking the foundations of medieval civilisation. The author penetrates a haze of myths to offer the reader a social history, not just of collapse but of rebirth.

A Medieval Mystery. In this enthralling work of historical speculation Terry Jones investigates the mystery surrounding the death of Geoffrey Chaucer over 600 years ago. In 1400 his name strangely disappears from the records without trace. What if he was murdered? What if he and his writings had become politically inconvenient when the oppressive regime of Henry IV overthrew the liberal Richard ..

Details the capture of Jerusalem by Christian knights.

Examines the revival of the Frankish kingdom at the time of the Third Crusade until its collapse a century later. This book covers the various themes that include: Christiandom, the replacement of the cultured Ayubites by the less sympathetic Mameluks as leader of the Muslem world, and the coming of the Mongols.

An authoritative, entertaining, and fully illustrated guide to the Middle Ages.

Discusses the social and economic conditions in which feudalism developed to offer an understanding of the processes at work in medieval Europe.