Review: The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages

by Chriss Cornish published: September 6, 2010 No Comments

This Book Is About

From the world’s most distinguished medievalist comes a lively and vivid account of the lords and ladies, saints and scholars, kings and peasants who shaped the history and culture of one of the richest and most misunderstood periods in history. In this full-color, landmark reference, Cantor and a team of scholars and experts explore the entire medieval world. From the Crusades to the Vikings, The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages contains 600 individual entries and over 200 illustrations from world-famous collections.

My Thoughts On This Book

This is a great reference for medieval Europe. It’s both extensive and easy to read, with lots of illustrations and a great layout that makes the entries easy to read. The encyclopedia also has sections on South America, North America, Japan, and China that highlight what their history was doing in the time period we call the Middle Ages.

What I like about The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages is that it includes Muslim sages and Empires. The book also has plenty of topics for Eastern Europe. Both of these are areas that had a heavy influence on Europe during this time period but get left out way too often.

Another cool and unusual thing about this encyclopedia is that it doesn’t leave out the women. From queens and saints to writers and warriors. A quick list of just some of the women with entries in The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages: St. Adelaide (saint), Aethelflaed (queen), Empress Agnes (queen), Anna Comnena (writer), Blanche of Catile, St. Catherine of Siena (saint), Marie de France (writer), Chritsine de Pisan (writer), Constance (empress), Elanor of Aquitaine (queen), Galla Placidia (queen), St Hildegard of Bingen (musician, writer, scientist, nun, saint), Empress Irene (ruled Byzantine empire on her own), St. Joan of Arc (military commander), Julian of Norwich (writer and mystic), Margery Kempe (feminist writer and mystic), and many more.

The book also has little call-out areas for some entries where it gives some additional side information about an entry’s topic. For the Banks entry, for instance, is a little call-out about the Knights Templar. It was a common danger in the era for Banks to be accused of all manner of crimes by Kings wanting to take their assets. The Bank of the Knights Templar became wealthy by transporting money to Rome that had had been collected by the Church throughout Europe. Philip the Fair, hoping to solve his financial woes, convened an inquisition in 1308 and charged the Templars with witchcraft in order to claim their Bank’s money. The head of the order was executed and the Templar bank in Paris was seized.

So, whether you want to look up something or just want a source of quick-to-read information about Europe in the Middle Ages, The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages is a great reference to have around.