Life in a Medieval Village

by Frances Gies, Joseph Gies

Overview

Medieval history comes alive in Joseph and Frances Gies’s classic bestseller on life in medieval villages

This new reissue of Life in a Medieval Village, by respected historians Joseph and Frances Gies, paints a lively, convincing portrait of rural people at work and at play in the Middle Ages. Focusing on the village of Elton, in the English East Midlands, the Gieses detail the agricultural advances that made communal living possible, explain what domestic life was like for serf and lord alike, and describe the central role of the church in maintaining social harmony. Though the main focus is on Elton, c. 1300, the Gieses supply enlightening historical context on the origin, development, and decline of the European village, itself an invention of the Middle Ages.

Meticulously researched, Life in a Medieval Village is a remarkable account that illustrates the captivating world of the Middle Ages and demonstrates what it was like to live during a fascinating—and often misunderstood—era.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062415660
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/12/2016
Series:	Medieval Life
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	163,921
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Frances (1915–2013) and Joseph (1916–2006) Gies were the world’s bestselling historians of medieval Europe. Together and separately, they wrote more than twenty books, which col-lectively have sold more than a million copies. They lived in Michigan.

Frances (1915–2013) and Joseph (1916–2006) Gies were the world’s bestselling historians of medieval Europe. Together and separately, they wrote more than twenty books, which col-lectively have sold more than a million copies. They lived in Michigan.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Prologue: Elton 1

1 The Village Emerges 6

2 The English Village: Elton 19

3 The Lord 44

4 The Villagers: Who They Were 67

5 The Villagers: How They Lived 88

6 Marriage and the Family 106

7 The Village at Work 129

8 The Parish 155

9 Village Justice 172

10 The Passing of the Medieval Village 195

Notes 209

Bibliography 233

Glossary 243

Index 247

Editorial Reviews

A good general introduction to the history of this period.

Los Angeles Times

The latest in the authors' many descriptions of the various states of medieval life. Draws on archaeology and contemporary documents to portray the rural peasant, focusing on the village of Elton, in the English East Midlands, about 1300. Suitable for high school and college undergraduate students. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Using the English village of Elton, the Gies vividly detail the everyday lives of people during the Middle Ages." ---School Library Journal

From the Publisher