Sex and Sexuality in Medieval England by Kathryn Warner* is the latest in this series that I read. I find these fascinating, even if some of the issues are repeating. I really enjoy reading the different style of writing as well. This was for me…
A Guide to Medieval Gardens by Michael Brown* is a very good guide indeed. It covers all sorts of aspects of medieval gardens, from what was considered to be a weed to how they were presented in artworks, what were the constituent features of these…
Royal Mysteries by Timothy Venning* is a fascinating, well researched, well analysed, and just very interesting to read. I recommend the book to anyone with a keen interest in the period, as it is a scholarly book, best enjoyed by people with prior knowledge. In…
The Art of Sword Combat by Joachim Meyer* – A 1568 German Treatise on Swordmanship – is a must-have book for anyone with an interest in medieval history. It is such a wonderful piece of history, well worth reading and engaging with. The book shows…
I was very excited to read Emotions in a Crusading Context, 1095-1291 by Stephen Spencer, as Stephen is teaching one of the modules I had this year. I think he is a very good teacher and I’ve enjoyed the seminars very much, I felt I…
A Brief History of the Crusades by Geoffrey Hindley – Islam and Christianity in the Struggle for World Supremacy – is a good introduction into the complicated topic of crusades. As this book was written almost 20 years ago, I kept that in mind when…
Expulsion, England’s Jewish Solution by Richard Huscroft is a book I picked for an assignment, but I think this is written in such a lovely way that it can be enjoyed by everybody with an interest in history. I read a few books on medieval…
Royal Mysteries by Timothy Venning* – the Medieval period – is a must read for anyone with a passion for Medieval royalty. The book touches on 5 mysteries: death of William II, Edward II, Richard II, the Princes in the Tower, and Edward IV’s wedding.…
Daughters of Edward I by Kathryn Warner* is an interesting book, well worth reading. The amount of details Warner could find out in her research is pretty impressive considering that all these women lived in mid 13th century, so there are very few records still…
The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer is, as the subtitle suggests: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century. It is the first book in the Time Traveller’s Guides series. The book does what it says in the blurb: “Imagine you…
I’ve enjoyed reading A Brief History of the Magna Carta by Geoffrey Hindley. I thought the book will talk only about Magna Carta, but it touched on different aspects of medieval life that impacted Magna Carta. There are chapters about women, Jews, and forests. Those…
Queens of the Conquest by Alison Weir sounded like a book I would enjoy. This is not the first book I read by Weir. I’ve read Elizabeth of York: The First Tudor Queen a few months ago. I gave it 4 stars because Weir relied…
The Plantagenets by Dan Jones – The Kings Who Made England. I saw it described as “a family portrait of the Plantagenet kings from Henry II to Richard II”, and that is very accurate. It is presented as a family story, making it easy to…