Routledge Revivals: Medieval England (1998)


Book Description

First published in 1998, this valuable reference work offers concise, expert answers to questions on all aspects of life and culture in Medieval England, including art, architecture, law, literature, kings, women, music, commerce, technology, warfare and religion. This wide-ranging text encompasses English social, cultural, and political life from the Anglo-Saxon invasions in the fifth century to the turn of the sixteenth century, as well as its ties to the Celtic world of Wales, Scotland and Ireland, the French and Anglo-Norman world of the Continent and the Viking and Scandinavian world of the North Sea. A range of topics are discussed from Sedulius to Skelton, from Wulfstan of York to Reginald Pecock, from Pictish art to Gothic sculpture and from the Vikings to the Black Death. A subject and name index makes it easy to locate information and bibliographies direct users to essential primary and secondary sources as well as key scholarship. With more than 700 entries by over 300 international scholars, this work provides a detailed portrait of the English Middle Ages and will be of great value to students and scholars studying Medieval history in England and Europe, as well as non-specialist readers.




The High Middle Ages


Book Description

Originally published in 1986, The High Middle Ages begins in the late twelfth century and ends, not with the arrival of the Tudor monarchs in 1485, but with the destruction of the wealth and power of the Church in the 1530s. The book looks at how the passing of the monasteries marked the transition from an economic and social system based on a balance – however shifting and uneasy – between the church and state, to a supreme reign of the church. The book discusses how the later middle ages were a period not of decay but of rapid change. It examines how social and economic convulsion emerged in a society marked by restless energy and creativity. The three centuries covered in the book mark a key period of extensive change to the landscape and environment of England between 1200 to 1550.




The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology


Book Description

This set is an excellent companion to J. R. Strayer's edited Dictionary of the Middle Ages (CH, Nov'87; Supplement I, ed. by W. C. Jordan, CH, Sep'04, 42-0044). The focus on warfare allows the editors to offer larger entries on major topics (e.g., "Agincourt," "Crusades," "Feudalism") and introduce many complementary topics. The editors are concerned with Europe; they expand coverage into Asia or Africa only because of the connection to medieval Europe. Coverage also includes an abundance of entries pertaining to Central and Eastern Europe. Most of the 1,000-plus entries are about a page in length, but a few approach 50 pages. Medium and large-size entries, such as "Chivalry," "Germany," and "Slavic Lands," discuss primary sources and very valuable historiographies. A thorough index helps readers locate the Knights Templar under "Orders, Military, Levantine Orders." Cross-references and bibliographies follow each of the signed entries. Locating reliable and scholarly information on the Knights Templar and Vlad Tepes (Dracula) is tricky. Some of the bibliographies include sources in foreign languages. For example, the references for the Black Army of Hungary are in Hungarian. Noticeably missing are entries for the many wars. This set is particularly suited to research libraries. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. General Readers; Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students; Researchers/Faculty; Professionals/Practitioners. Reviewed by W. M. Fontane.




The Kings and Their Hawks


Book Description

Hunting with birds of prey was a popular sport in medieval England, in both the royal household & amongst the nobility who had the money to afford to retain falconers & buy the birds. This book offers a detailed history of royal falconry from the 11th to the 14th century.




The King's Chamberlain


Book Description

The first full biography of a trusted friend of Henry VIII. William Sandys was an important figure in the Tudor court, and this book is an important contribution to the history of the time. It looks at his contributions to county and court life, as well as military affairs.










Stained Glass in England During the Middle Ages


Book Description

First published in 1993. The first modern study of the medium, this book considers stained glass in relation to architecture and other arts, and by examining contemporary documents, it throws valuable light on workshop organisation, prices and patronage.




Religion and Politics in the Middle Ages


Book Description

The increased interest in religion as a phenomenon and its various cultural contexts is encouraging a focus on the relationship between religion and politics. However, the political relevance of the religious and the interdependence between political and religious spheres has always been a major area of medieval research. The articles in this volume consider not only the principle inseparability of both spheres as previously established by research, but also the beginnings of a differentiation and relative autonomy of religion and politics within the framework of a comparison between Germany and the United Kingdom. This allows the identification of restrictions within the research traditions that are due to national histories and points to ways of overcoming these restrictions.




The Athenaeum


Book Description