All about history book of medieval history.

164 Pages·2016·27.935 MB·English

by  White, Jon

W
E
N
Book of
explore the heroes, villains, battles and
discoveries that changed the world forever
KINGS & QUEENS (cid:138) CRUSADES & CONQUERORS (cid:138) LEGENDS & LEGACY

Welcome to
Book of
The Medieval era is often dismissed as a brutal period of
darkness, ignorance, bloodshed and disease – the so-called ‘Dark
Ages’ dividing classical antiquity from the age of enlightenment.
But while warfare, invasions and religious persecution were
certainly dei ning themes of the period, Medieval history is also
i lled with intrepid explorers, revolutionary artists and thinkers,
and inspirational rulers whose legacies still live on to this day. In
the All About History Book of Medieval History we explore some
of the most fascinating stories from this tumultuous period, from
the triumph of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings to
the brutal Spanish Inquisition begun by Isabella of Castile. Read
on to discover tales of kings and queens, crusaders and criminals,
popes and peasants, and more…

Book of
Imagine Publishing Ltd
Richmond House
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(cid:8) [phone]
Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk
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Publishing Director
Aaron Asadi
Head of Design
Ross Andrews
Editor in Chief
Jon White
Production Editor
Ross Hamilton
Senior Art Editor
Greg Whitaker
Assistant Designer
Briony Duguid
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The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the
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All About History Book of Medieval History © 2016 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 9781785464317
Part of the
bookazine series
Medieval History

8 The Medieval era:
An age of darkness and light
WARS, INVASIONS CHURCH
& EXPLORATION & STATE
20 M edieval arms 72 R ise of the
and armour holy empire
22 H ow to capture a 76 S aint Thomas
Medieval castle Aquinas
78 Charlemagne
30 A lfred the Great
82 Saladin’s battle
34 W hen Vikings
for Jerusalem
ruled the waves
90 R ichard the
42 W illiam the
Lionheart’s
Conqueror
bloody Crusade
50 T he adventures 100 B etrayal of
of Marco Polo
the Knights
Templar
58 A century of
blood and wrath 108 T he birth of
Magna Carta
62 A clash of kings
at Agincourt 112 I sabella of
Castile’s Spanish
66 J oan of Arc
Inquisition
6
108
66
LIFE, DEATH &
THE GATEWAY
TO MODERNITY
122 D ark Ages myths
128 T he advent of
feudalism
130 D aily life in the
Middle Ages
134 A Medieval
banquet
136 Arts and
culture in
Medieval Europe
140 Dante Alighieri
142 M edieval crime
and punishment
144 S urviving the
Black Death
150 D iary of a
Medieval
plague doctor
152 H ow the
Medieval era
shaped the world
7
An age of
darkness
and light
The Medieval era was a turning point in human
history where, after the fall of Rome, Western
civilisation had to readjust and move forward
he Medieval period straddles the into being, and the provinces and city states of
middle of the three accepted divisions Germany and Italy growing in power.
of Western history between classical It was an age of religious learning and strife,
antiquity and the modern age. It is of scientific advancement and repression. The
itself typically divided into three arts and literature flourished in the lead up to the
sections, with the Early period running from Renaissance. Warfare too changed with the arrival
roughly 500-1000, the High period stretching of gunpowder, and change in the fundamental
from 1000-1300, and coming to a close make-up of armed forces saw combat
in the Late period from around evolve, but still remain as bloody as
1300-1500. After the year 1500, Contrary before. The Medieval period has a
the world enters the Early romance associated with chivalric
to popular belief,
Modern period and the age and dashing knights roaming
people in the Middle
of discovery. These dates are the land while kings ruled from
not set in stone, rather they Ages did not think the castles up on high. The reality
are there for convenience. earth was flat; this was quite different with plagues,
The end of classical famines and wars ravishing the
view was a Victorian
antiquity saw upheaval in landscape and claiming millions
Europe with mass migrations, invention of lives. There was a silver lining to
and the Early Medieval period is this calamity in the literary, scientific
often seen as a chaotic and lawless and cultural contributions that still
time in which barbarian rulers carved reverberate in the world today. Much of the
out territories in the death throes of the Roman knowledge we hold as integral today had its origins
Empire. Much of what we recognise as Europe in the discoveries and travels of great figures of the
today was started in the Medieval period, with Middle Ages such as Thomas Aquinas, Al-Ghazali
nations such as Spain, England and France coming and Marco Polo.
8
An age of darkness and light
9
Book of Medieval History
The path from antiquity to modernity
The Nika riots This map shows the Hippodrome where
532 the riots took place and the palace where Siege of
Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora
During a chariot race in would have taken refuge Jerusalem
Constantinople, a riot broke out 1187
between the two rival teams, the After the defeat of the
Greens and the Blues. Partly fuelled Crusader army at Hattin, the
by political grievances, the mob forces of Saladin laid siege to
decried the Emperor Justinian and the holy city of Jerusalem.
his wife Theodora and proclaimed Defended by Balian of Ibelin,
a new emperor in his place. After he decided to surrender the
hearing of her husbands decision to city to spare the lives of its
flee, Theodora reportedly scolded inhabitants. In contrast to
him by saying, “Royal purple the Crusaders’ behaviour
is the noblest shroud”. Suitably some years before, Saladin
embarrassed, Justinian ordered the let the Christian population
riots be quelled and up to 30,000 go if they paid a ransom.
people were killed in the ensuing Any that couldn’t do so were
violence. Justinian had kept this sold into slavery. The fall of
throne and went on to recapture the city shocked Europe,
much of Italy and grow the power and two years later, the The Crusaders find the relic of the
True Cross after taking the city
of the Eastern Roman Empire. Third Crusade was called.

(cid:79) Odoacer deposes (cid:79) Battle of Poitiers (cid:79) Reign of (cid:79) Treaty of Saint- (cid:79) Take the Cross (cid:79) Third Crusade
the last emperor A Frankish army Charlemagne Clair-sur-Epte The First Crusade Richard the
Often seen as the checks Moorish Under his A treaty between the is called by Pope Lionheart and
end of the Western aggression in rule, northern Franks and Normans Urban II to help Saladin clash on
Roman Empire, Europe. Once Europe enjoys leads to permanent liberate the Holy the scorching
Odoacer becomes thought to be the Carolingian settlement in Land. It ends with sands of the
King of Italy when one of the pivotal Renaissance. Northern France, the capture of Middle East. The
he overthrows battles in Early 768-814 leading to the Jerusalem and the Crusader objective,
the last emperor, Romulus Augustulus Medieval history, creation of the Duchy Oxford University is one of creation of the Jerusalem, remains
R4o7m6ulus Augustulus. cedwesa rhriiso rc rOodwona ctoer the issticsnr cuseitgi nncyoif.mi c7ae3n 2ucned hears o9f1 1Normandy. thuen oivldeerssitt iEens ginli sthh es pweoarklidn g C10ru9s6ad-9e9r Kingdoms. i1n1 8M9u-s9li2m hands.
470 520 620 670 720 770 820 870 920 970 1020 1070 1120
(cid:79) Plague of Justinian (cid:79) Death of (cid:79) First Viking raid (cid:79) Alfred the (cid:79) The Battle of Hastings (cid:79) Oxford University
As the pandemic Muhammad Norsemen attack the Great emerges William the Conqueror founded
spreads, Millions The prophet Isle of Lindisfarne Under Alfred’s rule, defeats Harold Godwinson One of the world’s
of people around of the Muslim and sack the Wessex defeats on the field of battle and premier centres of
the Mediterranean faith dies and monastery there. the Viking invaders claims the English throne, learning opens its doors
basin are killed and is buried in This marks the with its royal court displacing much of the as English students are
Constantinople’s his wife Asha’s Lindisfarne monastery beginning of the becoming a haven for native aristocracy. 1066 banned from studying
population is almost house. 632 was the victim of a Viking Age. 793 scholars. 871-899 in Paris. 1167
halved. 541-542 Viking attack
Death of The Fourth Crusade
Thomas Becket 1202-04
1170 After the Third Crusade failed to capture
Thomas Becket was the archbishop Jerusalem, Pope Innocent III called for
of Canterbury, and in 1170, knights another attempt, this time to attack through
loyal to Henry II murdered him at Egypt. En route, the Crusader force diverted
Canterbury Cathedral. Previously to Constantinople to restore the deposed
Becket had excommunicated some king, Isaac II Angelos, to the throne in return
of Henry’s bishops, of which, it is for support. After successfully crowning the
popularly remembered, Henry uttered king, he was again removed in a popular
the words, “Who will rid me of this uprising and killed. With all promises of
troublesome priest?” Taking this as support evaporating, the Crusaders brutally
a desire to see Becket dead, his men sacked the city. This act hastened the decline
Becket’s murder as seen
in an illumination from slew the Bishop. This outrageous act of the Eastern Roman Empire and widened
a Medieval Book Of caused uproar and tainted Henry for The Crusaders attacked the city the split between the Catholic Church in the
Hours, c. 1390 from both land and sea
the rest of his reign. West and the Orthodox Church in the East.
10