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
  Go to Dummies.com for videos, step-by-step examples, how-to articles or to shop!

  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