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Medieval History Books PDF – Europe During Medieval Times

Medieval History Books PDF - Europe During Medieval Times

Hundreds of free medieval history books pdf. Europe in the Middle Ages. Book collections, suggested titles, vintage books. Vikings.

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Book Collections on Europe in the Middle Ages

Medieval History Books PDF – Collection – Medieval History Books PDF

Free online pdf books on Medieval History. Some book titles: The Middle Ages, The Early Middle Ages, Inventing the Middle Ages, Places of Worship in the Middle Ages, Food and Feasts in the Middle Ages, Living in the Middle Ages, Clothes and Crafts in the Middle Ages, Latin Thought during the Middle Ages, Instruments of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages, Arts & Crafts in the Middle Ages, many more books on the Middle Ages.

Medieval Social History – Collection

Free online pdf books on Medieval Social History. Some books: Medieval Maidens, The Burgermeister’s Daughter, Economic and Social History of Medieval Europe, Chaucer and the Late Medieval World, Lady of the Manor, New Images of Medieval Women, Patriarch and Families of Privilege in 15th century England, Women at Work in Medieval Europe, Daily Life in Portugal in the Late Middle Ages, Growing Old in the Middle Ages, many more.

Vikings Books – Collection – Medieval History Books PDF

Free pdf books on Vikings. Some books: How We Know about the Vikings, The Viking Explorers, The World of the Vikings, Discovery of Pre-Columbian Norse House-Sites in North America, Vikings Bold: their voyages and adventures, Viking Warriors, Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings, Vikings: the North Atlantic Saga, Sea Kings and Dragon Ships, The Viking Saga, Everyday Life in Viking Times, The Age of Leif Eriksson, Norse Warfare, many more books about the Vikings.

More Collections of Free Books on Middle Ages Topics

Suggested Books on Medieval Europe

A History of Private Life, Vol 1

Volume 2 – Europe During Medieval Times

Volume 3

Volume 4

Aries, Philippe and Georges Duby
Belknap Press 1987 Dewey Dec. 940.1

Vol 1: ‘From Pagan Rome to Byzantium’, Paul Veyne, editor — Vol 2. ‘Revelations of the Medieval World’, Georges Duby, editor — Vol 3. ‘Passions of the Renaissance’, Roger Chartier, editor — Vol 4. ‘From the Fires of Revolution to the Great War’, Michelle Perrot, editor. There is also a fifth volume, covering WWI to the 1990s, that was not found online.
“First of the widely celebrated and sumptuously illustrated series, this book reveals in intimate detail what life was really like in the ancient world. Behind the vast panorama of the pagan Roman empire, the reader discovers the intimate daily lives of citizens and slaves–from concepts of manhood and sexuality to marriage and the family, the roles of women, chastity and contraception, techniques of childbirth, homosexuality, religion, the meaning of virtue, and the separation of private and public spaces.” -Publisher description of Vol 1.

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The Oldest Vocation: Christian Motherhood in the Middle Ages – Medieval History Books PDF

Atkinson, Clarissa W.
Cornell University 1991 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“After tracing the roots of medieval ideologies of motherhood in early Christianity, the author reconstructs the physiological assumptions underlying medieval notions about women’s bodies and reproduction. She then describes the development of “spiritual motherhood” both as a concept emerging out of monastic ideologies in the early Middle Ages and as a reality in the lives of certain remarkable women” -Book jacket.

The Pastons and their England: Studies in an Age of Transition

Bennett, H.S.
Cambridge University 1922 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“The Paston letters have long exercised a tremendous fascination for their capacity to recreate in vivid detail the lives of an ordinary well-to-do fifteenth-century family. H. S. Bennett’s classic study recreates beautifully their historical context and offers the additional perspectives provided by the letters of their correspondents: bishops and serving men, prisoners and dukes, priests and ribald companions. Among the intriguing areas of late medieval life which are explored are marriage, women’s lives, education, travelling, the law and lawlessness, the clergy and the changing face of the English countryside. This account of the Pastons’ England reveals an age of historical transition as it was played out in the daily challenges of individual lives.” – Publisher.

The Age of the Cloister: the Story of Monastic Life in the Middle Ages – Europe During Medieval Times

Brooke, Christopher
HiddenSpring 2003 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“Among the most beautiful, spiritual and evocative structures in stone ever built are the medieval monasteries of Europe. The importance of the monastic world, its ideas and ideals, to the rise of Western civilization is second to none. The age of the cloister offers a fascinating overview of the birth and flowering of monasticism, and describes in great detail the everyday monastic life and the faith, literature, economy, architecture and culture of countless monks, hermits, nuns, canons, friars and laymen and women spanning hundreds of years.-Publisher.

Europe In The Central Middle Ages 962-1154

Brooke, Christopher
Holt, Rinehart and Winston 1963 Dewey Dec. 940.1

An introduction which explores the emergence of the distinctive character of medievel Europe from 962-1154. The text covers key themes including the reform and revival of the Papcy, the heyday of the medieval Empire, the rise of the Normans and the early Crusades.

Contents: 1. Introduction — 2. Sources — 3. Shape of Europe — Islam — Byzantine Empire — Viking world — Poland — Hungary — 4. Economic life — Agricultural Society Builders — Markets and the growth of towns — Slave trade — Technological advance — Agriculture and colonization — 5. Society — Population — Freedom, serfdom and slavery — Merchants and artisans — The clergy — Place of women — 6. Cities and towns — England, Tuscany and Umbria: a contrast — 7. Travel — 8. Kingship and government — 9. Empire 962-1056 — 10. From the Salians to the Hohenstaufen — 11. Kingdom of the French — 12. Britain and the Vikings — 13. Normans — 14. Crusades, Byzantium and Spain — Christianity and Islam in the Spanish Peninsula –15. Monasticism and Papal reform — 16. The Papal conflicts — 17. New Monastic orders — St. Romuald and his disciples — Augustinian Canons — Gilbertines — Cistercian novice — 18. Schools and Scholarship — St Bernard of Clairvaux — Theology : St Anselm — Canon law — Burchard of Worms and Ivo of Chartres — 19. Popular religion — Religion, art and architecture 20. Medieval marriage — 21. Epilogue: men and movements of the mid twelfth century.

Bulfinch’s Mythology: The Age of Fable ; The Age of Chivalry ; Legends of Charlemagne – Medieval History Books PDF

3 books in 1 volume

Bulfinch, Thomas
Grosset & Dunlap 1913 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“Thomas Bulfinch, an American scholar, has amassed some of the largest collections of English mythology anywhere. In this edition, he begins with stories of gods and heroes from Classical, Eastern and Northern mythology. He then delves into stories of King Arthur and his knights, Celtic legends, and Robin Hood and other British heroes before recounting tales of Charlemagne. This illustrated collection contains much more than just simple tales and poems; it is a literary history of the English language.” – Publisher.

Cambridge Medieval History, Vol 1

Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4

Volume 5 Volume 6 Volume 7 Volume 8

Bury, J.B. ed.
Cambridge University 1911-1936 Dewey Dec. 940.1

Vol 1: ‘The Christian Roman Empire and the Foundations of the Teutonic Kingdoms’
Vol 2: ‘The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundation of the Western Empire’
Vol 3: ‘Germany and the Western Empire’
Vol 4: ‘The Eastern Roman Empire (717-1453)’
Vol 5: ‘Contest of Empire and Papacy’
Vol 6: ‘Victory of the Papacy’
Vol 7: ‘Decline of Empire and Papacy’
Vol 8: ‘The Close of the Middle Ages’.

Cambridge Medieval History Maps, Vol 1 – Europe During Medieval Times

Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4

Volume 5 Volume 6 Volume 7 Volume 8

Bury, J.B., ed.
Cambridge University 1911-1936 Dewey Dec. 940.1

These 8 small volumes of maps are intended as supplements to the 8 volumes of the “Cambridge Medieval History’, edited by Bury, J.B., also found on this web page.

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A Medieval Garner: Human Documents from the Four Centuries Preceding the Reformation

Coulton, G. G.
Constable 1910 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“This book appeals to the increasing body of readers who wish to get at the real Middle Ages; who, however impatient of mere dissertations and discussions, are glad to study genuine human documents, and to check the generalizations of historians by reference to first-hand facts… [The 300] records here printed represent thirty years’ study among all kinds of medieval writings…. They treat of clergy and laity, saints and sinners; spiritual experiences, love, battles, pageants, and occasionally the small things of everyday life. Drawn from six languages…” – Author’s Preface. Many drawn illustrations included.

Early Growth of the European Economy: Warriors and Peasants from the Seventh to the Twelfth Century

Duby, Georges
Cornell University 1978 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“This book offers a detailed description of the changing character of agrarian life leading up to the ‘take-off of the 12th and 13th centuries. Leading aspects of the technology, the landscape, the demography, the diet, the climate, etc., are placed against the backdrop of emerging mental attitudes pertaining to money, burial customs, marriage, etc. Duby possesses the talent to translate socioeconomic detail into the stuff of everyday life.” -Book cover.

France in the Middle Ages 987-1460: From Hugh Capet to Joan of Arc – Medieval History Books PDF

Duby, Georges
Blackwell 1991 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“Duby examines the history of France from the rise of the Capetians in the mid-tenth century to the execution of Joan of Arc in the mid-fifteenth. He takes the evolution of power and the emergence of the French state as his central themes, and guides the reader through complex – and, in many respects, still unfamiliar, yet fascinating terrain. He describes the growth of the castle and the village, the building blocks of the new Western European civilization of the second millennium AD.” -Publisher.

The Knight, the Lady, and the Priest: the Making of Modern Marriage in Medieval France

Duby, Georges
Pantheon 1983 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“This ambitious study sets out to discover what marriage meant in the daily lives of the nobles of the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries. Through entertaining anecdotes, family dramas, and striking quotations, Duby succeeds in bringing his subjects to life, making us feel as if we understand the motives and conflicts of those who inhabited the distant past.” -Publisher.

History of Women in the West, Vol 2: Silences of the Middle Ages – Europe During Medieval Times

Duby, Georges and Michelle Perrot, eds.
Belknap 1992 Dewey Dec. 940.1

Contents: Christiane Klapisch-Zuber, editor. Writing the history of women / G. Duby, M. Perrot ; Including women / C. Klapisch-Zuber ; The clerical gaze / J. Dalarun ; The nature of women / C. Thomasset ; The protected woman / C. Casagrande ; The good wife / S. Vecchio ; Regulating women’s fashion / D.O. Hughes ; Women from the fifth to the tenth century / S.F. Wemple ; The feudal order / P. L’Hermitage-Leclercq ; The courtly model / G. Duby ; Life in the Late Middle Ages / C. Opitz ; The world of women / F. Piponnier ; The imagined woman / C. Frugoni ; Literary and mystical voices / D. Regnier-Bohler — Affidavits and confessions / G. Duby.

The Life of Charlemagne

Einhard
University of Michigan 1960 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“For centuries after his death, the figure of Charlemagne dominated Europe. In legend, he was “the Emperor with the Flowery Beard,” gigantic, two hundred years old. Here, written by a member of his court, is Charlemagne’s life in vivid and personal detail. Einhard shows us the great Frankish king in his own times—in battle, at table, reading St. Augustine, educating his children, molding that rally of civilization we call the Carolingian Renaissance. First “published” about 830 A.D., this book gives life to the Charlemagne of bards and scholars, and a direct view of the most brilliant reign of the Dark Ages.” -Book cover.

Cambridge Illustrated History of the Middle Ages 950-1250

Fossier, Robert, ed.
Cambridge University 1986 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“This is the second volume of one of the finest general introductions to the medieval world of recent times, first published in French by Armand Colin. Volume II begins at the turn of the millennium and covers the extraordinary rebirth of Europe, in terms of demographic expansion, agrarian settlement and organisation, the establishment of towns and villages, the ascendancy of the feudal system, the appearance of formal states and kingdoms, and the dramatic controlling ascendancy of the western Church. In the east, despite the external appearance of grandeur, the Islamic countries were being torn apart by mutual rivalry, while the Byzantime empire lost massive border territories through political and economic incompetence. Full coverage is given to both east and west, and their artistic heritage is displayed lavishly in many of the colour plates. A comprehensive bibliography is also included.” -Publisher.

The Norman Conquest : A Very Short Introduction – Medieval History Books PDF

Garnett, George
Oxford University 2009

The Norman Conquest in 1066 was one of the most profound turning points in English history, dramatically transforming a disparate collection of small nations into a powerful European state. But what actually happened? How was the invasion viewed by those who witnessed it? And how has its legacy been seen by generations since? George Garnett reveals how dramatically English life was changed, transforming everything from its language to its law, and introducing a more sophisticated form of government as well as an enduring and intense dislike of the French. He sheds light on the differing ways the conquest has been viewed by historians and in folklore over nearly a millennium.

Europe in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries

Hay, Denys
Holt, Rinehart and Winston 1966 Dewey Dec. 940.1

Contents: The sources — Europe at the beginning of the fourteenth century — Society and its structure : the peasants : population trends — Society and its structure : clergy, nobility, townsmen — The theory and practice of government — Political development in Western Europe — Italians and Italy — Germany and her northern neighbours — The central monarchies / R. R. Betts — Eastern Europe — The papal monarchy : the church as a state — The bonds of religion — The bonds of education, literature and art — The bonds of trade — The future : Europe and the world.

Formation of Christendom

Herrin, Judith
Princeton University 1987 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“In a lucid history of what used to be termed “the Dark Ages,” Judith Herrin outlines the origins of Europe from the end of late antiquity to the coronation of Charlemagne. She shows that the clash between nascent Islam and stubburn Byzantium was the central contest that allowed “Europe” to develop, and she thereby places the rise of the West in its true Mediterranean context. Her inquiry centers on the notion of “Christendom.” Instead of taking medieval beliefs for granted or separating theology from politics, she treats the faith as a material force. In a path-breaking account of the arguments over Christian doctrine, she shows how the northern sphere of the Roman world divided into two distinct and self-conscious imperial units, as the Arabs swept through the southern regions.” -Publisher.

Daily Living in the Twelfth Century, Based on the Observations of Alexander Neckam in London and Paris – Europe During Medieval Times

Holmes, Urban Tigner
University of Wisconsin 1952 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“This book presents mediaeval life through the experience of a mediaeval man. The reader goes on a journey with Alexander Neckam, rides the mounts he rode, lodges at hospices such as might have received him, walks the streets of London and Paris as Alexander found them, and visits the schools and baronial estates that he might have visited. Mr. Holmes draws steadily upon his wide, varied, and accurate knowledge of mediaeval literature — Latin, French and English – to say nothing of iconography, painting. and architecture. The reader has a sense of being guided by two men familiar with the ground — one a mediaeval man, the other a modern expert.” -Book cover.

The Black Death

Horrox, Rosemary, ed.
Manchester University 1994 Dewey Dec. 936

“From 1348 to 1350 Europe was devastated by an epidemic that left between a third and one half of the population dead. This source book traces, through contemporary writings, the calamitous impact of the Black Death in Europe, with a particular emphasis on its spread across England from 1348 to1349. Rosemary Horrox surveys contemporary attempts to explain the plague. The almost universal belief that it was an expression of divine anger at the sins of humankind did not preclude attempts to explain in scientific and medical terms; or to look for human scapegoats. The final third of the book charts the social and psychological impact of the plague, and its effects in the late-medieval economy. The sources illustrate the fear that spread with the disease and the diverse ways that such terror influenced social behaviour.” -Publisher.

Early Christian Ireland: Introduction to the Sources

Hughes, Kathleen
Cornell University 1972 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“Covering the sources of Irish history from prehistoric times to about 1100, this eminently useful survey describes and evaluates the various kinds of material available, the problems they present, and the kinds of questions they answer. The author devotes a chapter each to archaeology (with appendixes on aerial photography and coins), secular laws, ecclesiastical legislation, the annals (with an appendix on the genealogies), secular literature, ecclesiastical learning, hagiography, art and architecture, and eleventh- and twelfth-century history and compilations.” -Book jacket.

A History of the Vikings – Medieval History Books PDF

Jones, Gwyn
Oxford University 2001 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“An utterly splendid book, quite the most brilliantly written, balanced, and explanative general work on the Vikings ever to appear in English or in any language.” -Scandinavian Studies
“The subject of this book is the Viking realms, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, their civilization and culture, and their many-sided achievements at home and abroad. A highly readable narrative follows the development of these Northern peoples – the ‘Nordmenn’ – from their origins and the legendary pre-history to the military triumphs of Canute and the defeat of Harald Hardradi at Stamford Bridge in 1066, which symbolically ended the Viking age. The book recounts the Vikings’ exploits in war, trade, and colonization: the assault on Western Christendom; the trading and military ventures to the Slav and Muslim worlds and to Byzantium; and the western voyages of discovery and settlement to Greenland, Iceland, and America. Numerous photographs, maps, and drawings contribute to Gwyn Jones’s rounded portrait of Viking civilization and vividly evoke the importance in their culture of religion, art, and seafaring.” -Publisher.

Chivalry

Keen, Maurice
Yale University 1984 Dewey Dec. 940.1

“Chivalry–with its pageants, heraldry, and knights in shining armor–was a social ideal that had a profound influence on the history of early modern Europe. In this eloquent and richly detailed book, a leading medieval historian discusses the complex reality of chivalry: its secular foundations, the effects of the Crusades, the literature of knighthood, and its ethos of the social and moral obligations of nobility.” -Publisher
“Splendid. . . . Keen is exemplary in the use he makes of many kinds of medieval literature, epic and lyric poetry, family and military histories, didactic treatises, translations into the vernacular of books of the Bible and of works from ancient Rome.”–R.C. Smail, New York Review of Books.

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