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This series provides texts central to medieval studies courses and focuses upon the diverse cultural, social and political conditions that affected the functioning of all levels of medieval society. Translations are accompanied by introductory and explanatory material and each volume includes a comprehensive guide to the sources' interpretation, including discussion of critical linguistic problems and an assessment of recent research on the topics covered. 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 partic...
This book provides a selection from the abundant source material generated by the Normans and the peoples they conquered. As this study demonstrates, few other medieval peoples generated historical writing of such quantity and quality. Van Houts takes a wide European perspective on the Normans, assessing and explaining their origin, the Norman expansion and their political and social organisation in the period between c. 900 to c. 1150. The Normans in Europe explores such areas as: the process of assimilation between Scandinavians and Franks and the emergence of Normandy; the internal organisation of the prinicpality with a variety of source materials from chronicles, miracle stories and charters; the roles of women and children in Norman society; the main chronicle sources for the history of the Norman invasion and settlement in Britain; the contacts between the Norman dukes and the territorial princes of France, and the progress of the Normans amongst the settlers in Southern Italy and elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
Provides a comprehensive introduction and essential guide to one of the most important institutions in medieval England and to its substantial archive. This is the first book to offer a detailed explanation of the form, structure and evolution of the manor and its records. Offers translations of, and commentaries upon, each category of document to illustrate their main features. Examples of each category of record are provided in translation, followed by shorter extracts selected to illustrate interesting, commonly occurring, or complex features. A valuable source of reference for undergraduates wishing to understand the sources which underpin the majority of research on the medieval economy and society.
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Monasticism in late medieval England, c.1300-1535 provides the first collection of translated sources on this subject. The volume covers both male and female houses of all orders and sizes, and offers a range of new perspectives on the character and reputation of English monasteries in the later middle ages. The first section surveys the internal affairs of English monasteries, including recruitment, the monastic economy, standards of observance and learning. The second part looks at the relations between monasteries and the world, exploring the monastic contribution to late medieval religion and society and lay attitudes towards monks and nuns in the years leading up to the Dissolution. This book is an ideal introduction to this topic for students and scholars. Supported by an extended and accessible introduction this collection of documents gives an unrivalled insight into the last phase of monastic life in medieval England.
The dramatic, ultimately tragic history of the Knights Templar, the largest and most powerful military order of the Crusades. Sifting myth from history, Piers Paul Read reveals the Templars - the multinational force of warrior monks, in their white tunics with red crosses over chainmail. They were not only unique among Christian institutions but constituted the first uniformed standing army in the western world and became pioneers of international banking. Expropriated by Philip IV of France in 1307, and confessing under torture to blasphemy, heresy and sodomy, the Order was finally suppressed by Pope Clement V in 1312. In a narrative that incorporates the story of the crusades and the many colourful characters who had links with the Templars, Piers Paul Read examines the question of their guilt and identifies their relevance to our own times.
This is the first collection of translated sources on towns in medieval England. It draws on the great variety of written evidence for this significant and dynamic period of urban development, and invites students to consider for themselves the challenges and opportunities presented by a wide range of primary written sources. The introduction and editorial commentary situate the extracts within the larger context of European urban history, against a longer chronological backdrop and in relation to the most up-to-date research. Suggestions for further reading enable the student to engage critically with the materials and encourage new work in the field. Collectively, the texts and commentary provide an overview of English medieval urban history, while the emphasis throughout is on the particular character and potential of each type of written evidence, from legal and administrative records to inventories of shops, and from letters and poetry to legendary civic histories.
This sourcebook collects together for the first time in English the major documents relating to the life and contemporary reputation of Joan of Arc. Also known as La Pucelle, she led a French Army against the English in 1429, arguably turning the course of the war in favour of the French king Charles VII. The fact that she achieved all of this when just a seventeen-year-old peasant girl highlights the magnitude of her achievements and also opens up other ways of looking at her story. For many, Joan represents the voice of ordinary people in the fifteenth century; the victims of high politics and warfare that devastated France. Her story ended tragically in 1431 when she was put on trial for ...