Daily Life in Medieval Times: A Vivid, Detailed Account of Birth, Marriage and Death; Food, Clothing and Housing; Love and Labor in the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages have long been looked upon as the most exciting epoch in world history. DAILY LIFE IN MEDIEVAL TIMES,  the most historically accurate depiction of the period ever written, transports you back in time to experience the life and mind of the 1400s firsthand. In this illustrated edition of Frances and Joseph Gies' classic book of history and anthropology--LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CASTLE, LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CITY and LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE--the authors examine the most up-to-date information gleaned from recent archeological discoveries and historical artifacts to document the lives of every member of medieval society: kings and clergy, knights and ladies, peasants and servants, all painstakingly researched and rendered in fascinating detail.To get a true sense of how it was to live 700 years ago, DAILY LIFE IN MEDIEVAL TIMES displays all the elements of feudal life--its trials, travails, pleasures and pains. The lively narrative is rich with historical minutia detailing everything from hairstyles and high fashion, to entertainment and recreation, to battle techniques and medieval justice, alongside hundreds of maps, diagrams, vivid photographs and ancient illustrations. The book centers on three major areas: life in a castle, in a village and in a medieval city, and examines three specific sites--a castle in Chepstow on the Welsh border, the city of Troyes in the Champagne region and the village of Elton in the English East Midlands--as starting points for portraying life in all its variations. Every aspect of the 12th and 13th century world is addressed: holidays, harvests and the calendar of the Middle Ages; childbirth, disease and medieval medicine; moneylenders, the guilds and big business; fires, famines and the ever-present threat of disaster. We are shown how each individual contributed towards a working society and how that society functioned, prospered and eventually faded with the dawn of the Renaissance.The breadth and depth of information the authors uncover allows us to see beyond the simple surface particulars of the day; DAILY LIFE IN MEDIEVAL TIMES weaves an elaborate social backdrop that evokes the values, mores, fears, and ambitions shared by all members of the medieval community. What emerges are a people who interact, who work and play and who live lives that mirror our own in fascinating and unexpected new ways.