The Middle Ages: An Illustrated History
Barbara A. Hanawalt
A brisk narrative of battles and plagues, monastic orders, heroic women, knights-errant, barbaric tortures tender romance, intrigue, scandals, conquest, The Middle Ages: An Illustrated History mixes a spirited entertaining writing style with exquisite, thorough scholarship. Barbara A. Hanawalt, renowned medievalist, launches her story the often violent amalgamation Roman, Christian, Germanic cultures following destruction pillaging crown jewel Roman Empirethe great city Rome. moves on to redrawn map Europe, in which power players like Byzantium newly-established Frankish kingdom begin precarious existence sea tribes (in words contemporary). Savage peoplesthe bloodthirsty Germans, wild Visigoths Ostrogoths, fierce Anglo-Saxons, Slavs Eastas well as sophisticated ever-expanding Arabs threaten each others borders, invade cities have their own sacked, fight victorious get conquered turn. Hanawalt charts spread Christianity maps out trail misery mayhem Crusades left wake, explains feudalism Church reform, familiarizes us astrolabe masterpieces Romanesque Gothic architecture, tracks progress Hundred Years' War, brings historical figures--such Charlemagne, King Henry II, Joan Arc, Dante, Justinian--to life.Spanning millennium between fifth fifteenth centuries, captures major political events depth clarity, but never loses sight plain often-overlooked facts lifelife lived by peasants townsfolk, kings monks, men women. offers fascinating tidbits diverse facets medieval society, from herbal medical cures table etiquette drinking habits, tabloid-worthy court scandals unique listing rules order. She examines rare textsfrom illuminated manuscripts Carolingian minusculeand takes inside awe-inspiring Hagia Sofia Constantinople.Barbara makes use eclectic source material, including inscriptions, chronicles, artifacts, literature, Koran Scriptures, Omar Khayam Goliardic poems. Fascinating stories--like that discovery burial site an Anglo-Saxon chieftain contained, among other treasures, entire 86-foot long shipare interspersed chronicles upheavals. author sweeping approach subject, building comprehensive, animated portrait every aspect life period material women's place agriculture, art religion superstitions, philosophy, weaponry. Lavishly illustrated art, photographs, documents, maps, Ages also includes glossary, index, chronology, suggestions for further reading. collection lavishly single-volume histories, Oxford Histories present well-documented chronologies topics Britain, theater, Greece, opera, English modern more. Each history color black white illustrations, is compiled taskforce leading scholars its respective field interest. These titles are ideal any casual reader also, because scholarship, serve companions budding researcher's reference collection.