The Medieval Python

Bath is a town layered in history: Roman, Medieval, Georgian. Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond is a bluff, old-fashioned policeman. When he is presented with a skeletal hand, dug up in the cour

"Majestic!...readers of THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS...will find THE SILMARILLION a cosmology to call their own...medieval romances, fierce fairy tales and fiercer wars that ring with heraldic

In Kingsley Amis’s virtuoso foray into alternate history, it is 1976 but the modern world is a medieval relic, frozen in intellectual and spiritual time ever since Martin Luther was promoted to pope b

A revised edition of a medieval masterpiece-the first narrative history written by a woman Written between 1143 and 1153 by the daughter of Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, The Alexiad is one of

J. Frank Dobie’s history of the “mustang”—from the Spanish mestena, an animal belonging to (but strayed from) the Mesta, a medieval association of Spanish farmers—tells of its impact on the Spanish, E

For a young woman in medieval Russia, the choices are stark: marriage or a life in a convent. Vasya will choose a third way: magic... The court of the Grand Prince of Moscow is plagued by power strugg

Use your eyes! Find a feast of stories packed into every page. In Medieval Mamoko, the king has been kidnapped by a dragon, a fair maiden needs help and Robin Hoof s arrow has gone astray. Will everyt

The Task is a novel of medieval politics, espionage and combat on multiple levels. Locals search their inner selves while our heroes fight hand to hand with monsters that curse the area with their ver

The Task is a novel of medieval politics, espionage and combat on multiple levels. Locals search their inner selves while our heroes fight hand to hand with monsters that curse the area with their ver

The King, young Shah Naser, takes to the throne of Persia at a turning point of history: he inherits an enchanted medieval world of harems, eunuchs, and treasures as well as a palace of secret doors,

Set amid the turmoil of war, when nobody's life is safe, comes a gripping new murder mystery from a master of medieval crime?1326. In an England riven with conflict, knight and peasant alike find thei

Set amid the turmoil of war, when nobody's life is safe, comes a gripping new murder mystery from a master of medieval crime?1326. In an England riven with conflict, knight and peasant alike find thei

The year is 1450, a dangerous time in medieval Britain. Civil unrest is at its peak and the legitimacy of the royal family is suspect. Meanwhile, deep in the forests of western England, a baby is bor

As a 'Medieval Warm Period' prevailed in Western Europe during the tenth and eleventh centuries, the eastern Mediterranean region, from the Nile to the Oxus, was suffering from a series of climatic disasters which led to the decline of some of the most important civilizations and cultural centres of the time. This provocative study argues that many well-documented but apparently disparate events - such as recurrent drought and famine in Egypt, mass migrations in the steppes of central Asia, and the decline in population in urban centres such as Baghdad and Constantinople - are connected and should be understood within the broad context of climate change. Drawing on a wealth of textual and archaeological evidence, Ronnie Ellenblum explores the impact of climatic and ecological change across the eastern Mediterranean in this period, to offer a new perspective on why this was a turning point in the history of the Islamic world.

As a 'Medieval Warm Period' prevailed in Western Europe during the tenth and eleventh centuries, the eastern Mediterranean region, from the Nile to the Oxus, was suffering from a series of climatic disasters which led to the decline of some of the most important civilizations and cultural centres of the time. This provocative study argues that many well-documented but apparently disparate events - such as recurrent drought and famine in Egypt, mass migrations in the steppes of central Asia, and the decline in population in urban centres such as Baghdad and Constantinople - are connected and should be understood within the broad context of climate change. Drawing on a wealth of textual and archaeological evidence, Ronnie Ellenblum explores the impact of climatic and ecological change across the eastern Mediterranean in this period, to offer a new perspective on why this was a turning point in the history of the Islamic world.

Which language should philosophers use: technical or common language? In a book as important for intellectual historians as it is for philosophers, Lodi Nauta addresses a vital question which still has resonance today: is the discipline of philosophy assisted or disadvantaged by employing a special vocabulary? By the Middle Ages philosophy had become a highly technical discipline, with its own lexicon and methods. The Renaissance humanist critique of this specialised language has been dismissed as philosophically superficial, but the author demonstrates that it makes a crucial point: it is through the misuse of language that philosophical problems arise. He charts the influence of this critique on early modern philosophers, including Hobbes and Locke, and shows how it led to the downfall of medieval Aristotelianism and the gradual democratization of language and knowledge. His book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the transition from medieval to modern philosophy.

This volume examines the development and use of the Bible from late Antiquity to the Reformation, tracing both its geographical and its intellectual journeys from its homelands throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean and into northern Europe. Richard Marsden and E. Ann Matter's volume provides a balanced treatment of eastern and western biblical traditions, highlighting processes of transmission and modes of exegesis among Roman and Orthodox Christians, Jews and Muslims and illuminating the role of the Bible in medieval inter-religious dialogue. Translations into Ethiopic, Slavic, Armenian and Georgian vernaculars, as well as Romance and Germanic, are treated in detail, along with the theme of allegorized spirituality and established forms of glossing. The chapters take the study of Bible history beyond the cloisters of medieval monasteries and ecclesiastical schools to consider the influence of biblical texts on vernacular poetry, prose, drama, law and the visual arts of East and

For more than a thousand years, the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table have been retold across Europe. They have inspired some of the most important works of European literature, particularly in the medieval period: the romances of Chrétien de Troyes, Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. In the nineteenth century, interest in the Arthurian legend revived with Tennyson, Wagner and Twain. This Companion outlines the evolution of the legend from the earliest documentary sources to Spamalot, and analyses how some of the major motifs of the legend have been passed down in both medieval and modern texts. With a map of Arthur's Britain, a chronology of key texts and a guide to further reading, this volume itself will contribute to the continuing fascination with the King and his many legends.

For more than a thousand years, the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table have been retold across Europe. They have inspired some of the most important works of European literature, particularly in the medieval period: the romances of Chrétien de Troyes, Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. In the nineteenth century, interest in the Arthurian legend revived with Tennyson, Wagner and Twain. This Companion outlines the evolution of the legend from the earliest documentary sources to Spamalot, and analyses how some of the major motifs of the legend have been passed down in both medieval and modern texts. With a map of Arthur's Britain, a chronology of key texts and a guide to further reading, this volume itself will contribute to the continuing fascination with the King and his many legends.

This book explores the Eurasian borderlands as contested 'shatter zones' which have generated some of the world's most significant conflicts. Analyzing the struggles of Habsburg, Russian, Ottoman, Iranian and Qing empires, Alfred J. Rieber surveys the period from the rise of the great multicultural, conquest empires in the late medieval/early modern period to their collapse in the early twentieth century. He charts how these empires expanded along moving, military frontiers, competing with one another in war, diplomacy and cultural practices, while the subjugated peoples of the borderlands strove to maintain their cultures and to defend their autonomy. The gradual and fragmentary adaptation of Western constitutional ideas, military reforms, cultural practices and economic penetration began to undermine these ruling ideologies and institutions, leading to the collapse of all five empires in revolution and war within little more than a decade between 1911 and 1923.

This book explores the Eurasian borderlands as contested 'shatter zones' which have generated some of the world's most significant conflicts. Analyzing the struggles of Habsburg, Russian, Ottoman, Iranian and Qing empires, Alfred J. Rieber surveys the period from the rise of the great multicultural, conquest empires in the late medieval/early modern period to their collapse in the early twentieth century. He charts how these empires expanded along moving, military frontiers, competing with one another in war, diplomacy and cultural practices, while the subjugated peoples of the borderlands strove to maintain their cultures and to defend their autonomy. The gradual and fragmentary adaptation of Western constitutional ideas, military reforms, cultural practices and economic penetration began to undermine these ruling ideologies and institutions, leading to the collapse of all five empires in revolution and war within little more than a decade between 1911 and 1923.

A detailed study of the King's Hall, Cambridge, from its foundation in the early fourteenth century until its dissolution in 1546. It is based largely on the 26 extant volumes of the King's Hall accounts which form one of the most remarkable sequences of medieval collegiate records in Europe. The rich profusion of the material has made it possible to reconstruct the economic, constitutional and business organisation of a medieval academic society, thereby providing for the college that same kind of exhaustive treatment which has been lavished upon other categories of medieval institutions. Dr Cobban discusses the vital contribution made by the King's Hall to the evolution of the University of Cambridge and shows how the interpretation of medieval Cambridge history has to be considerably modified. He demonstrates the important formative influence of the King's Hall in shaping the course of English collegiate development and the ways in which this College was finely attuned to the new ed

A compelling, lucid, and highly readable chronicle of medieval life written by the authors of the bestselling Life in a Medieval Castle and Life in a Medieval CityHistorians have only recently awakene

Originally published in 1954, this volume analyses the receipts of the English Exchequer between 1377 and 1485. The financial calendar is divided between Easter and Michaelmas periods, each period is analysed individually, and in chapters providing descriptions of broader historical phases. The text also contains an explanation of the techniques used for interpreting the receipts, together with a generous introduction, appendices, and a detailed index. This is a highly informative book that will be of value to anyone with an interest in medieval British history or economic history.

Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. H. J. Chaytor's volume The Troubadours was published in 1912. It introduces the reader to the concept of courtly love and to the role of the troubadour poets, tracing their influence across medieval Europe.

An obsessive German professor and his nephew travel towards the earth's core in the steps of a medieval explorer beneath an Icelandic volcano where they discover a lost world.

Professor Robert Lopez provides an incisive analysis of the economic structure of the Middle Ages. He makes use of modern economic concepts to explain how an underdeveloped economic system gave birth to the commercial revolution through which Europe succeeded in developing itself. The book goes far beyond the familiar picture of medieval European society, with its magnificent cathedrals and imposing castles, to concentrate instead on the walled cities and open countryside, for it was here that the revolution was born. Deftly and concisely, Professor Lopez traces the history of this remarkable economic upheaval which saw the rise of merchants and craftsmen and the decline of agricultural dependence by the society.

The four romances, all composed in the northeast Midlands between 1325 and 1375, were among the most popular of the genre, and many manuscripts continued to circulate through the 16th century, the fou

The narrative poem was translated about 1300 from the Anglo-Norman romance, and contains only about a third of the original, from the hero's marriage to his death. The translator also changed the vers

Continues the series providing important Middle English texts in affordable editions for teachers and students of the language and literature. The anthology contains all the known material on the outl

The manuscript, discovered during the 19th century, is considered characteristic of the popular reading material for middle-class English families of the later Middle Ages. Though all of the poems hav

Selections from the written Rules of life of the major religious orders within the three traditions and supporting documents shed light on the spiritual aspects of the regulated life. After exploring

The poem exists in more manuscripts than any other Middle English poem, but the latest modern edition was published during the US Civil War, and the poem rarely appears in anthologies. From the 15th c

Written in Middle English at the end of the 14th century, this graphically violent poem describes the siege and capture of Jerusalem and destruction of the Jewish Temple there by the Romans in 70AD. M

Historians specializing in the Middle Ages honor their American colleague Lyon with 14 essays on the legacy of Henri Pirenne, constitutional and legal history of England and the continent, and the Low

This anonymous English poem of the later 15th century is written in the tradition of Gower, Chaucer and Lydgate, and tackles some of the social, cultural and religious concerns of the day. This study

"Rabbi Eliezer of Beaugency represents the pinnacle of twelfth-century rabbinic exegesis of the Bible. A proponent of the literal school, Eliezer completely abandoned traditional rabbinic Midrash in h

Written in 1449, the poem Amoryus and Cleopes survives in a single manuscript: Princeton University Library Ms Garrett 141. The main part of the manuscript includes several scientific/philosophical tr

Fein has added another superb edition to the Medieval Institute's series of editions of medieval texts for teaching. She has edited the work of fifteenth-century poet John the Blind Audelay, a peniten

Peck concludes his three-volume treatment of Gower's great work by starting with the fifth book, taking the reader in a different direction than expected from the Ovidian tales of Book Four, in which