Medieval History For Dummies

Rattle through 1000 years of horrible history, from the fifth century to the sixteenth century Famine, plague and public execution the medieval period wasn't the best time for some, but heroic rulers like Charlemagne, William the Conqueror and Henry V made sure that it was full of action. Brimming with facts, this book helps you get under the skin of the people who lived at the time, from impoverished peasants to opulent monarchs. From the Dark Ages to the Renaissance and all the upheavals in between, this book takes the pain out of medieval history. The Black Death assess the deadly pandemic that swept through Britain and Europe killing millions of people The Holy Roman Empire strikes back understand how the empire fought to maintain its position Falling apart witness the arrival of powerful armies from the east and invaders from the north, and the dramatic effects of religious schisms Heading for the Holy Land uncover the reasons why crusading became so popular, and ultimately so unsuccessful, between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries Living in the medieval world understand the lives of monks and monarchs, peasants and popes, and travellers and traders of the period Waging conflicts, battles and wars a look through the troubles that shaped the medieval age; from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Wars of the Roses Open the book and find: Why the peasants revolted Where Chaucer gained inspiration to write The Canterbury Tales Which religious groups fought for power How the Magna Carta shaped our present-day legal system Why the Vikings may have got to America before Columbus Profiles of the best and worst medieval monarchs How Joan of Arc made her name The great and grisly histories of surviving medieval castles Go to Dummies.com for videos, step-by-step examples, how-to articles or to shop!

Rattle through 1000 years of horrible history, from the fifth century to the sixteenth centuryFamine, plague and public execution - the medieval period wasn't the best time for some, but heroic rulers like Charlemagne, William the Conqueror and Henry V made sure that it was full of action. Brimming with facts, this book helps you get under the skin of the people who lived at the time, from impoverished peasants to opulent monarchs. From the Dark Ages to the Renaissance and all the upheavals in between, this book takes the pain out of medieval history.* The Black Death - assess the deadly pandemic that swept through Britain and Europe killing millions of people* The Holy Roman Empire strikes back - understand how the empire fought to maintain its position* Falling apart - witness the arrival of powerful armies from the east and invaders from the north, and the dramatic effects of religious schisms* Heading for the Holy Land - uncover the reasons why crusading became so popular, and ultimately so unsuccessful, between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries* Living in the medieval world - understand the lives of monks and monarchs, peasants and popes, and travellers and traders of the period* Waging conflicts, battles and wars - a look through the troubles that shaped the medieval age; from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Wars of the RosesOpen the book and find:* Why the peasants revolted* Where Chaucer gained inspiration to write The Canterbury Tales* Which religious groups fought for power* How the Magna Carta shaped our present-day legal system* Why the Vikings may have got to America before Columbus* Profiles of the best and worst medieval monarchs* How Joan of Arc made her name* The great and grisly histories of surviving medieval castlesGo to Dummies.com for videos, step-by-step examples, how-to articles or to shop!

Introduction 1Part I: Starting Up the Middle Ages(450 - 800) 7Chapter 1: Journeying Back to the Middle Ages: When, Where, What, Who? 9Chapter 2: Finishing Off the Roman Empire and Entering the (Not So) Dark Ages 19Chapter 3: Settling in England with the Anglo-Saxons 33Chapter 4: Organising Early France & Germany: The Merovingians and Carolingians 45Chapter 5: Becoming Great: Charlemagne and the New Roman Empire 57Part II: Forming the Basis of Europe(850 - 1100) 69Chapter 6: Laying the Foundations of Europe 71Chapter 7: Linking East and West: Islam in Europe 83Chapter 8: Invading from the North: The Vikings 97Chapter 9: Splitting the Church: Schisms between East and West 113Chapter 10: Revving Up the 'Real' Middle Ages with the Normans 125Part III: Waging Holy War: Crusading at Home and Abroad(1050 - 1300) 145Chapter 11: Uncovering the Origins of the Crusades 147Chapter 12: Waging the First Crusade: 1096 - 1099 159Chapter 13: Struggling for Power: Popes Versus Monarchs 175Chapter 14: Waging the Second Crusade and Crusading at Home 189Chapter 15: Pitting Richard I Against Saladin: The Third Crusade 205Chapter 16: Following the Fourth Crusade and Other Failures 219Part IV: Dealing with Domestic Dramas: Parliament, Priories and Plagues(1200 - 1300) 237Chapter 17: Having Trouble in England: John, Henry III and Edward I 239Chapter 18: Meeting Medieval Monks and Merchants 255Chapter 19: Piling On the Popes: Avignon and the Antipopes 269Chapter 20: Facing God's Judgement: Dealing with the Black Death 281Part V: Ending the Middle and Beginning the Age of Discovery(1300 - 1492) 293Chapter 21: Beginning One Hundred Years of War 295Chapter 22: Pausing the War: Dealing with Unrest at Home 311Chapter 23: Turning the Tide of War (Twice!): Henry V and Joan of Arc 321Chapter 24: Moving On from the Medieval Era 335Part VI: The Part of Tens 345Chapter 25: Ten Rubbish Rulers 347Chapter 26: Ten Medieval Pastimes 353Chapter 27: Ten Great Castles 359Chapter 28: Ten Medieval People Who Changed the World 365Chapter 29: Ten Great Medieval Innovations 371Index 375