Daily Life in Medieval Europe (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series)

Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 10 1. Medieval Society 22 2. The Life Cycle 38 3. Material Culture 54 4. Village Life 86 5. Castle Life 126 6. Monastic Life 160 7. Town Life 192 8. The Medieval World 234 Glossary 248 Appendix A: Games 252 Appendix B: Recipes 262 Appendix C: Music 268 Selected Bibliography 272 Index 282 A 282 B 282 C 283 D 284 E 284 F 284 G 285 H 285 I 285 J 286 K 286 L 286 M 286 N 287 O 287 P 287 R 287 S 288 T 288 U 288 V 288 W 289 Y 289

Explore the Middle Ages, a complex and often misunderstood period in European history, through this vivid examination. Details of everyday living recreate the time period for modern readers, conveying the foreignness of the medieval world while bringing it into focus. The volume provides a two-pronged approach to history beginning with a broad sketch of the general dynamics that shaped the medieval experience while at the same time creating a detailed and clear portrait of what life would have been like for real individuals living in specific settings at the time.

The reader is introduced to medieval society in the first three chapters, which include information on the life cycle, material culture, and the economy. These chapters provide an understanding of what people ate, what their social lives were like, what they wore, what kinds of jobs they had, and much more. Following are portraits of life in four specific medieval settings, offering in each case a particular example of the type: the village (Cuxham in Oxfordshire), the castle (Dover), the monastery (Cluny) and the town (Paris). Extensive use of documentary sources from each place sketch the broad contours of the social setting and provide details of the everyday experiences of real individuals. The volume concludes with an exploration of how ordinary people perceived the world in which they lived. Original games, recipes, and music are also provided to round out this rich introduction to life in medieval Europe.

"This vivid examination explores the Middle Ages, a complex and often misunderstood period. Details of everyday living recreate the time period for modern readers, conveying the foreignness of the medieval world while bringing it into focus. The volume, using a two-pronged approach to history, begins with a broad sketch of the general dynamics that shaped the medieval experience while also creating a detailed portrait of what life was like for real individuals living in specific medieval settings. The reader is introduced to medieval society in the first three chapters, which include information on the life cycle, material culture, and the economy. These chapters provide an understanding of diet, social life, fashion, work, and much more. Following are portraits of life in four specific medieval settings, offering in each case a particular example of the type: the village (Cuxham in Oxfordshire), the castle (Dover), the monastery (Cluny) and the town (Paris). Extensive use of documentary sources sketch the broad contours of the social setting, providing details of the everyday experiences of real individuals."--BOOK JACKET. An introduction to medieval society that describes the general dynamics that shaped the medieval experience and explains what daily life was like during that time