In this hilarious book that takes history seriously, a British actor and comedian introduces England's earliest kings and queens, who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear today in their portraits, revealing a story of narcissists, inadequate self-control, excessive beheadings, uncivil wars and more.

A royal birth, a nobleman's death, a scarlet woman's murder... In March, 1279, Edward I takes a break from hammering the Welsh and bearing down on England's Jews to vacation in Gloucestershire. The royal party breaks the journey at Woodstock Manor. And there one life begins as Queen Eleanor labors to birth a new daughter, and one draws to an end when apoplexy fells Baron Adam Wynethorpe. Hotfoot to the baron's deathbed comes his elder son, Hugh, a...

A history of the Dark Ages showing that as Europe was in an intellectual decline, Ireland became a haven for scholarship.

Journey into the wilderness of northwestern Europe between the sixth and tenth centuries, an oft forgotten time in a mystical and magical place where the terror of the wilderness was surpassed only by its potential for salvation. Wild: Tales from the Early Medieval World takes you on a journey out of the present and into the wilderness of another age. A collection of poems, tales, and deeply researched musings that explore the rich history of the...

This book contains a series of sketches that aim to illustrate various aspects of social life in the Middle Ages. This volume is highly recommended for those with an interest in European history. Contents include: "The Precursors", "Bodo, A Frankish Peasant In The Time Of Charlemagne", "Marco Polo, A Venetian Traveller Of The Thirteenth Century", "Madame Eglentyne, Chaucer's Prioress In Real Life", "The Ménagier's Wife, A Paris Housewife In The Fourteenth...

"Saint Thomas More's Utopia is one of the most important works of European humanism and serves as a key text in survey courses on Western intellectual history, the Renaissance, political theory, and many other subjects. Preeminent More scholar Clarence H. Miller does justice to the full range of More's rhetoric in this masterful translation. In a new afterword to this edition, Jerry Harp contextualizes More's life and Utopia within the wider frames...

Did you know that the world's oldest football was found in a room at Stirling Castle? Do you know what the person in charge of a castle's buttery is called? What is the difference between a trebuchet and a mangonel? And what is an oubliette? The answers to all of these questions and more can be found in the excellent quick-read guide to castles. Whether you're King Richard the Lionheart himself, or just some unlucky peasant, this book containing over...

Revised for the seven hundredth anniversary of the author's birth, this tale of medieval Italian life details how ten young Florentines retreat to the countryside to escape the plague-infested city and entertain themselves by telling stories.

From leftover trenchers and stinky chamber pots to barber surgeons and the black plague, life could be really miserable for people during medieval times. Get ready to explore the nasty side of life in the Middle Ages.

The fourteenth century reflects two contradictory images: on the one hand, a glittering age of crusades, cathedrals, and chivalry; on the other, a world plunged into chaos and spiritual agony. Barbara Tuchman examines not only the great rhythms of history but the grain and texture of domestic life: what childhood was like; what marriage meant; how money, taxes, and war dominated the lives of serf, noble, and clergy alike. Granting her subjects their...