Early Medieval History

From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T'ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.

Embark on an enthralling journey through the heart of Medieval England in this captivating exploration of one of history's most dynamic periods. Delve into the lives of kings and queens, knights and peasants, as the story of England unfolds against the backdrop of feudalism, chivalry, and religious upheaval. Experience the turbulence of the Magna Carta, the devastation of the Black Death, and the intrigue of the Wars of the Roses, all of which shaped the destiny of England.

Pick up almost any book on early and medieval world history and empire, and where do you find West Africa? On the periphery. This pioneering book tells a different story. Interweaving political and social history and drawing on a rich array of sources, Michael Gomez unveils a new vision of how categories of ethnicity, race, gender, and caste emerged in Africa and in global history.

Before modern science, survival was a long shot. What if the most gripping stories in European history weren’t wars or kings—but the quiet, relentless struggle of ordinary people trying to stay alive? History That Rattles tells the story of how Europeans lived, suffered, adapted, and survived from the Middle Ages to the dawn of modern medicine. It follows humanity at its most vulnerable, when climate turned hostile, disease spread without explanation, and the human body became a fragile experiment with no safety net. When winters grew longer and harvests failed, fear shaped belief. When...

Two manuscripts in one audiobook: The Viking Age for Kids: A Captivating Guide to the Vikings, Their Raids, and Everyday Life and Anglo-Saxons for Kids: A Captivating Guide to the People of Early Medieval England and Their Battles Against the Vikings.

The Birth of a Realm: Kings, Kingdoms, and the Making of England is a sweeping, immersive journey through more than fifteen centuries of British history—beginning in the fading light of Roman Britain, moving through the storm‑tossed world of the Heptarchy, and culminating in the ceremonial splendour and constitutional role of today’s modern monarchy under King Charles III. This richly detailed narrative traces how England emerged not through inevitability, but through conflict, adaptation, cultural fusion, and the enduring human search for order. From the collapse of Roman ...

The History of Mental Health Treatment: From Ancient Practices to Modern Science BOOK 1: Ancient and Medieval Mental Health Treatment: How Early Civilizations, Religion, and Philosophy Shaped the First Approaches to Mental Illness explores the long and complex history of how human societies first attempted to understand psychological suffering. Long before psychiatry, therapy, or neuroscience existed, people across ancient and medieval cultures struggled to explain behaviors such as depression, anxiety, hallucinations, and emotional instability. This book traces how those early explanations...

This book evolves the history of early medieval England through the lives of the nobility, their marriages, wars, rebellions, and betrayals. The earliest consolidations of power are challenged by an influx of immigrants from the coastal areas of Europe. As the different cultures come together they are then challenged by the shifting power bases arising on the continent.

An evocative journey into early medieval Britain, where myth and wilderness intertwine – brought to life by Amy Jeffs’ original linocut art. Step into the wilderness of early medieval Britain with Wild, a captivating collection of myths, legends, and reimagined tales from the sixth to tenth...

The Dead Walk In the late 8th century 250 years since evil was vanquished in the battle of Londinium, the England-to-be is a group of squabbling kingdoms, their undefended coastlines too tempting to the Norsemen. A conflicted former monk and a deeply pious fisherwoman released from slavery join forces with a Saxon king in exile eager to claim his throne, a Saracen noblewoman hostage desperate to escape captivity, and a Celtic demon hunter fulfilling his life's work to fight the new menace carried under the decks of the Norse longboats. Corpses that can walk, corpses with superhuman strength...

Step into the world of a scholar whose influence spans over a millennium, shaping not just the church, but the very fabric of Western civilization. Meet the Man Behind the Knowledge Isidore of Seville was more than just a bishop; he was a visionary who saw the power of knowledge to transform society. His life and work offer a window into a time when the preservation of wisdom was nothing short of heroic. This book invites you to explore the mind of a man who became the intellectual backbone of the early Middle Ages. Unlock the Secrets of the Etymologiae Discover how Isidore’s greatest ...

There are thinkers who influence a generation—and then there are thinkers who change the direction of civilization itself. Al-Kindi, the first great philosopher of the Islamic Golden Age, was one of the rare minds whose ideas crossed borders, disciplines, and centuries. His fingerprints remain on philosophy, mathematics, medicine, music theory, optics, and the very structure of rational inquiry. This book brings his world to life with clarity, elegance, and irresistible force. It reveals how a brilliant polymath helped ignite one of history’s most extraordinary intellectual revolutions...

The Hospitallers started out as caretakers of the Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem, but they soon emerged from their hospices and adopted a new military role that shaped the history of medieval Europe forever. This audiobook seeks to explore the curious rise of the Hospitallers from their humble origins to one of the most powerful institutions in medieval Europe.

Medieval England’s history starts with the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. In the 11th century, the Anglo-Saxon elite was completely replaced by the invading Normans. William the Conqueror and his successors brought novelties to England such as castles and cavalry. The last phase of Medieval England started with the great Famine and Black Death in the 14th century, when millions of lives were lost, resulting in England losing half of its population. In this book, you'll get insights into all of the above events and many more.

A soldier calls names on a cold river bank. A captive walks across a bridge of boats. A treaty page gets a seal. This is the world inside these pages. The story covers the wars along the early Christian-Muslim border from 630 to 1095. You will see raids, ransoms, city deals, and the care of shared holy places. The narrative is clear and fast. It draws on Arabic, Greek, and Latin writers. Coins, laws, and letters add detail. Archaeology helps with dates and places. You will meet rulers and scouts, monks and judges. You will stand in Jerusalem in 638, watch Tarsus open its gates in 965, and ...

The book provides a detailed chronological history of early Western Europe through the lives of the nobility, their marriages, wars, rebellions, and betrayals. The book has original source documentation embedded. This book was compiled from 20-plus years of research combined with an interest in the history of western civilization. By putting all the events in chronological order, I was able to show the impact of relationships between the various factions, and how these relations helped shape Western Europe.

What is sex exactly? Does everyone agree on a definition? And does that definition hold when considering literary production in other times and places? We cannot simply transfer our contemporary notions of what constitutes a sex act into the past and expect them to be true for the people who were then reading literature and watching plays.

The idea of the sword-wielding samurai, beholden to a strict ethical code and trained in deadly martial arts, dominates popular conceptions of the samurai. As early as the late 17th century, they were heavily featured in literature, art, theater, and even comedy. This book gives listeners access to the real samurai as they lived, fought, and served. Much as they capture the modern imagination, the samurai commanded influence over the politics, arts, philosophy, and religion of their own time, and controlled Japan from the 14th century until their demise in the mid-19th century.

The famous conqueror from the European continent came ashore with thousands of men, ready to set up a new kingdom in England. The Britons had resisted the amphibious invasion from the moment his forces landed, but he was able to push forward. In a large winter battle, the Britons’ large army attacked the invaders, but was eventually routed, and the conqueror was able to set up a new kingdom.

The Anglo-Saxons were people from Northern Germany who came to Britain in waves and quickly established their own kingdoms between the time of the Romans and the Normans. At first glance, it may seem like the Anglo-Saxons did not contribute much to British history. They didn’t even have a writing system until Christian missionaries arrived!