Medieval Nonfiction

What if everything you were told about Viking democracy was a lie sold by men with swords? The bestselling myth says the Vikings built one of history's first parliaments. The evidence says they built a protection racket and called it law. In Outlaw Country, historian and narrative nonfiction author Tomas Somerled delivers a cynical, ferociously researched investigation into the real Viking legal system — the chieftains who bought their authority like livestock, the witnesses bribed at feasts the week before trial, the blood feuds that incinerated entire families across generations, and ...

A third of Europe. Five years. One disease that changed everything. In 1347, twelve ships limped into the harbor at Messina carrying cargo no customs official could inspect. Within days, the port city was dying. Within five years, the Black Death had killed somewhere between a third and half of everyone alive in Europe, an event with no equal in the entire span of recorded human history. THE PLAGUE takes readers inside that catastrophe and, crucially, behind it. This is not simply a chronicle of suffering. It is a full investigation into how a fourteenth-century world of crowded wooden ...

They were poor enough to share horses. They became rich enough to bankroll kings. The Knights Templar began in 1119 as nine knights guarding a dangerous stretch of pilgrim road outside Jerusalem. By the height of their power, they controlled a private army, a fleet of ships, hundreds of castles and commanderies across Europe and the Holy Land, and one of the most sophisticated financial networks of the medieval world — an institution with nearly every attribute of a sovereign state except a crown. Then, on a single morning in October 1307, King Philip IV of France had every Templar in his...

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.

Forget dusty textbooks and boring dates — this is history that laughs back. If you think you know the *real* story of medieval myths, The Titanic, Gladiators, and Early American Settlers… think again. Sarcastic History isn’t your grandma’s history book — it’s the one that tells you what *actually* happened (or would have — if ancient Greeks had better Twitter). ✔ What You’ll Laugh At (and Learn) Why medieval myths don’t hold up under common sense. What *really* made history ridiculous (and unintentionally funny). Titanic disasters, bold gladiators, and settlers who had ...

Looking for the perfect gift for a history buff - or your next reading obsession? The Weirdest Tales in History, Vol. II delivers 25 more full-length, immersive true stories that most textbooks skip, soften, or bury in a footnote - from Roman emperors behaving badly to medieval trials by combat, from poisoned courts to modern disasters that began with terrible ideas. Not trivia. Not listicles. Real stories - told the way they deserve. Every chapter starts with a quick snapshot: Absurdity/Evidence/Grimness ratings - how wild, how dark, and how well-documented it is A Truth Meter - rock-solid...

We tend to think of the Middle Ages as a dark, backward, and unchanging time characterized by violence, ignorance, and superstition. By contrast, we believe progress arose from science and technological innovation, and that inventions of recent centuries created the modern world. We couldn't be more wrong.

The millennium between the breakup of the western Roman Empire and the Reformation was a long and hugely transformative period - one not easily chronicled within a single book. Yet distinguished historian Chris Wickham has taken up the challenge in this landmark book, and he succeeds in producing the most riveting account of medieval Europe in a generation.

Step into the darkest corners of history in 21 Gripping True Crime Stories of Brutal Murders and Infamous Killers from the 16th Century. What murder was solved when a corpse began to bleed at the touch of its killer? Which teenager changed the course of French history with two murders and a single gunshot? What serial murderer met his end beneath the executioner's wheel in a German town? And what poisoner committed a crime so horrifying that King Henry VIII changed English law simply to devise a more terrible death for him? The answers lie within these pages. Journey into the violent heart ...

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Justin Avoth and Laurence Dobiesz. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Christopher Rowe read by Justin Avoth. 'Consider just this, and give your minds to this alone: whether or not what I say is just' Plato's...

What was it really like to live in the Middle Ages? Forget the polished myths of knights in shining armor and fairy-tale castles. The reality was far grittier, harsher, and endlessly more fascinating. Beneath the Crown: The Untold Stories of Medieval Life and Power takes you on an unflinching journey into the everyday struggles of medieval Europe. From waking in bug-ridden straw beds to eating week-old pottage and trudging barefoot through mud-soaked streets, this book reveals the raw truth of survival in a world defined by disease, superstition, and unrelenting toil. Life was brutal, but ...

313 Against 1,000: The Incredible True Story of the Battle of Badr. In the burning sands of ancient Arabia, a merchant named Muhammad retreated to a quiet cave and returned with a message that would change the world forever. But this message of "One God" angered the powerful leaders of Mecca, forcing Muhammad and his followers to flee for their lives to the city of Medina. How a Small Band of Believers Changed History tells the inspiring story of how a tiny group of 313 outcasts stood firm against a massive army of 1,000 soldiers in the legendary Battle of Badr. This is not just a story of ...

The Wolf Age takes listeners on a thrilling journey through the bloody shared history of England and Scandinavia, and on across early medieval Europe, from the wild Norwegian fjords to the wealthy cities of Muslim Andalusia. Warfare, plotting, backstabbing, and bribery abound as Tore Skeie skillfully weaves sagas and skaldic poetry with breathless dramatization as he entertainingly brings the world of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons to vivid life.

Real Kings. Real Battles. One Bloody Fight for the Throne. Imagine a family feud so big it tore a whole country apart. Now, imagine that family has armies, castles, and knights in shining armor. Welcome to the Wars of the Roses, the most dramatic and exciting period in medieval history for kids! In The Battle for the English Crown, young historians are transported back to 15th-century England, a time when two powerful families—the House of York (the White Rose) and the House of Lancaster (the Red Rose)—turned the island into a battlefield. This isn't just a boring list of dates; it is a...

For 700 years, Japan was ruled by military commanders who waged war against one another incessantly. Shogun tells the fascinating story of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who finally unified and brought lasting peace to the nation. He established a new central government which enabled his descendants to rule Japan for the next 260 years—a period in which Japanese culture as we know it today flourished.

Forget dusty textbooks and heroic legends — history was usually a lot messier than the souvenir-shop version. If you think you know the real stories behind pirates, Vikings, the American Revolution, and the Wild West… Hollywood has probably lied to you. Sarcastic History Volume 2 takes on four of history’s most romanticized eras and starts asking inconvenient questions. Were pirates really burying treasure everywhere? Did Vikings wear horned helmets? Was the American Revolution one long inspirational speech? And did everyone in the Wild West settle arguments at high noon? Not exactly....

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is narrated by Singer/Songwriter and folk-punk icon Frank Turner. Frank Turner has released eight solo studio albums, the most recent of which was No Man's Land, which contained songs celebrating some of the most important women throughout history...

Gold, Betrayal, and the "Day Again" King: A True Story of the Battle of Visby. Imagine a king with no land, a puzzle of a country broken into pieces, and a burning desire to rule them all. How a Danish King Stole a City’s Treasure tells the incredible true story of Valdemar Atterdag, the "King Without a Kingdom," who pieced Denmark back together through clever deals and brute force. In the summer of 1361, King Valdemar turned his eyes toward the "Jewel of the Baltic"—the wealthy city of Visby on the island of Gotland. Visby was a city paved with gold, a key member of the powerful ...

Discover the dark, starving truth behind the most misunderstood warriors in history. For centuries, Victorian nationalists, romantic poets, and Hollywood screenwriters have spoon-fed us a narrative of the Viking Age characterized by excess vitality and hyper-masculine energy. We are taught to view the raids on Lindisfarne and Paris as the arrogant flex of an unstoppable, well-fed military machine. Tomas Somerled’s BONE-THIN RAIDERS dismantles this retroactive propaganda piece by piece. Through a rigorous, multidisciplinary forensic investigation known as the Metabolic Trauma Protocol, ...

In the autumn of 1066, the destiny of a nation was decided by the flight of an arrow and the strength of a shield wall. The Last Saxons: The Fall of the House of Wessex and the Rise of the Bastard King offers a long, detailed, and politically neutral account of the most transformative year in British history. Moving beyond simplified legends, this narrative explores the complex end of the Anglo-Saxon era—a world of sophisticated laws, ancient lineages, and a culture that would be forever altered by the arrival of the Normans. This book meticulously reconstructs the triple crisis of 1066, ...