Medieval History For Dummies

Rattle through 1000 years of horrible history, from the fifth century to the sixteenth century

Famine, plague and public execution - the medieval period wasn't the best time for some, but heroic rulers like Charlemagne, William the Conqueror and Henry V made sure that it was full of action. Brimming with facts, this book helps you get under the skin of the people who lived at the time, from impoverished peasants to opulent monarchs. From the Dark Ages to the Renaissance and all the upheavals in between, this book takes the pain out of medieval history.

• The Black Death - assess the deadly pandemic that swept through Britain and Europe killing millions of people

• The Holy Roman Empire strikes back - understand how the empire fought to maintain its position

• Falling apart - witness the arrival of powerful armies from the east and invaders from the north, and the dramatic effects of religious schisms

• Heading for the Holy Land - uncover the reasons why crusading became so popular, and ultimately so unsuccessful, between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries

• Living in the medieval world - understand the lives of monks and monarchs, peasants and popes, and travellers and traders of the period

• Waging conflicts, battles and wars - a look through the troubles that shaped the medieval age; from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Wars of the Roses

Open the book and find:

• Why the peasants revolted

• Where Chaucer gained inspiration to write The Canterbury Tales

• Which religious groups fought for power

• How the Magna Carta shaped our present-day legal system

• Why the Vikings may have got to America before Columbus

• Profiles of the best and worst medieval monarchs

• How Joan of Arc made her name

• The great and grisly histories of surviving medieval castles

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Autorentext

Stephen Batchelor is Head of School for Creative and Visual Arts at MidKent College and has taught ancient history and classical studies for many years. Stephen has written book reviews for Current Archaeology and History Today, and is the author of The Ancient Greeks For Dummies.

Inhalt
Introduction 1

Part I: Starting Up the Middle Ages(450 - 800) 7

Chapter 1: Journeying Back to the Middle Ages: When, Where, What, Who? 9

Chapter 2: Finishing Off the Roman Empire and Entering the (Not So) Dark Ages 19

Chapter 3: Settling in England with the Anglo-Saxons 33

Chapter 4: Organising Early France & Germany: The Merovingians and Carolingians 45

Chapter 5: Becoming Great: Charlemagne and the New Roman Empire 57

Part II: Forming the Basis of Europe(850 - 1100) 69

Chapter 6: Laying the Foundations of Europe 71

Chapter 7: Linking East and West: Islam in Europe 83

Chapter 8: Invading from the North: The Vikings 97

Chapter 9: Splitting the Church: Schisms between East and West 113

Chapter 10: Revving Up the 'Real' Middle Ages with the Normans 125

Part III: Waging Holy War: Crusading at Home and Abroad(1050 - 1300) 145

Chapter 11: Uncovering the Origins of the Crusades 147

Chapter 12: Waging the First Crusade: 1096 - 1099 159

Chapter 13: Struggling for Power: Popes Versus Monarchs 175

Chapter 14: Waging the Second Crusade and Crusading at Home 189

Chapter 15: Pitting Richard I Against Saladin: The Third Crusade 205

Chapter 16: Following the Fourth Crusade and Other Failures 219

Part IV: Dealing with Domestic Dramas: Parliament, Priories and Plagues(1200 - 1300) 237

Chapter 17: Having Trouble in England: John, Henry III and Edward I 239

Chapter 18: Meeting Medieval Monks and Merchants 255

Chapter 19: Piling On the Popes: Avignon and the Antipopes 269

Chapter 20: Facing God's Judgement: Dealing with the Black Death 281

Part V: Ending the Middle and Beginning the Age of Discovery(1300 - 1492) 293

Chapter 21: Beginning One Hundred Years of War 295

Chapter 22: Pausing the War: Dealing with Unrest at Home 311

Chapter 23: Turning the Tide of War (Twice!): Henry V and Joan of Arc 321

Chapter 24: Moving On from the Medieval Era 335

Part VI: The Part of Tens 345

Chapter 25: Ten Rubbish Rulers 347

Chapter 26: Ten Medieval Pastimes 353

Chapter 27: Ten Great Castles 359

Chapter 28: Ten Medieval People Who Changed the World 365

Chapter 29: Ten Great Medieval Innovations 371

Index 375