Medieval England, 1000 - 1500: A Reader (Readings in Medeieval Civilizations and Cultures)

This anthology brings together medieval documents and narratives illustrative of the political, social, economic, and cultural history of England during the Middle Ages. Authors and subjects included are both secular and clerical, male and female, mighty and low. Along with classic texts, such as the Domesday Book and Magna Carta, the collection also contains materials on less frequently addressed topics, such as the persecution of Jews, and the writings of a number of women, such as Margery of Kempe and Queen Isabella of Angoulme.

Comments:

"Emilie Amt’s judicious selection of sources covers the range of human experience in Medieval England, from the classic political texts of the Constitutions of Clarendon and Magna Carta to the lives of ordinary people that we glimpse in coroners’ rolls, chronicle accounts of the Black Death, and trials following the Peasants’ Revolt. The collection also draws on visual material such as Bayeux Tapestry, and provides brief but useful introductory comments that set each selection in context. What lifts this collection above others, however, are the study questions that Amt appends to each document. Her imaginative questions, which ask students to compare, for example, features of different sources, or to consider the implications of gender and religious thought, or to assess the potential bias and reliability of a document’s information, encourage students to be active participants in historical analysis, rather than passive readers. All teachers will be grateful for the help this collection provides in showing students that history involves not just memorizing facts, but answering questions." - Maryanne Kowaleski, Fordham University

"Medieval England 1000-1500 is an impressive collection of documents that will be useful to teachers and students alike and of interest to general readers. The documents have been carefully selected to give the reader a broad overview of life in Medieval England, from religion and politics to law and daily life. The collection contains well-known documents, such as Magna Carta, but also brings together less widely-read texts such as chronicles, religious, and intellectual writings, and local documents. The excerpts are notably long, giving the full flavor of the original and providing an opportunity for intensive study." - Scott Waugh, UCLA

Emilie Amt is the Hildegarde Pilgram Professor of History at Hood College in Fredrick, Maryland.