English Middle Ages

Historian Justine Firnhaber-Baker tells the epic story of the Capetian dynasty of medieval France, showing how their ideas about power, religion, and identity continue to shape European society and politics today. Reigning from 987 to 1328, the Capetians became the most powerful monarchy of the Middle Ages. Consolidating a fragmented realm that eventually stretched from the Rhône to the Pyrenees, they were the first royal house to adopt the fleur-de-lys, displaying this lily emblem to signify their divine favor and legitimate their rule.

Drawing from both Christian and Islamic sources, Reconquest and Crusade in Medieval Spain demonstrates that the clash of arms between Christians and Muslims in the Iberian peninsula that began in the early eighth century was transformed into a crusade by the papacy during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Successive popes accorded to Christian warriors willing to participate in the peninsular wars against Islam the same crusading benefits offered to those going to the Holy Land.

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.

After fifteen years of waiting, Janna DeElk finally receives the summons she’s dreamed of, to meet her father for the first time. And it arrives on her sixteenth birthday. But the excitement of the day becomes a nightmare when dragons attack her village, leaving death and destruction in their wake. When Janna nocks an arrow and accidentally shoots one of the beasts in self-defense, she sees something impossible in its eyes: recognition, pain, and heartbreak. The dragon’s mournful cry sends the entire horde retreating to the skies, but Janna can’t shake the feeling that she’s made a ...

A history of peasants in the Middle Ages, the story takes the listener into the life of Marion, the carpenter's wife, and her extended family as they struggle to survive through hardship, featuring a year in their lives at the mercy of the weather and the Lord of the Manor. Existing without soap, paper or glass and only with the most basic of tools, we learn how they survive starvation, sickness, fire and natural disaster in their home on the edge of the Weald.

Did you know that you can discover loads about history just from the loo? Or piles about the past just from a poo? If not, then get ready to discover everything from Henry VIII's dodgy diet and poo-tastic Roman plumbing, to the stinky secrets of Victorian sewers and how life, death and everything in between can hang on the humble number two. From Saxons and Tudors to Ancient Greece, the Indus Valley, Aztecs and beyond, Poo Through the Ages features mighty monarchs, bonkers battles, deadly diseases, fossilised faeces and poo, poo, poo.

Crescent Dawn features some of the legendary figures of the era – from Mehmet the Conqueror, and Suleiman the Magnificent on the Ottoman side, to Charles V and Vasco de Gama on the other – and some of the most exotic locales on Earth – from the sumptuous palaces of Constantinople to the bloody battlefields of the Balkans to the awe-inspiring mountains of Ethiopia. This is a colorful history that brings the great battles of the age to life and clearly shows how the western struggle against the Ottomans constituted the first truly world war.

How many lives would you spend to find your beloved? Dominick Davidner was murdered. Then things got worse. Instead of going on to the afterlife, Dominick found himself back in his nine-year-old body, all memories of his previous life intact. All he can think about is Emily, the love of his life, left behind when he died. Unfortunately, she is now thousands of miles away. How can Dominick find his way back to the woman he loves, and what will he say if he finds her?

An eighth grader dares to direct the school play. Can she handle her cast of peers? Aimi Wilby loves theater and writing. With the spring play coming up, the budding author is thrilled to be assigned as an assistant director. Diligent Aimi can’t believe it when her teacher abruptly quits, and she is chosen to write and direct the entire production. Aimi refuses to be deterred even when she loses her mentor, her cast members fight, the school administrators prove apathetic, and parents are constantly overbearing. However, what the intrepid teenager fears most is that she will disappoint ...

Her kiss sent him to his death. Princess Athena never could have imagined that one indiscretion during the royal ball would end in her true love’s execution. Then again, she had also believed Cain to be her literal knight in shining armor, not an impoverished thief in disguise. Still reeling from a broken heart and a guilty conscience, Athena is further disturbed by the prospect of an arranged marriage until the humiliated king offers her an impossible choice: marry the only man who would have her after the compromising public incident, or be sentenced to the same fate as Cain. ...

Magic Kingdom of Lunora is stuck in blazing summer heat. The family of seasons must find a mysterious Enchantress to get help. Meet the Season siblings, Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn and learn about their magical powers to change the world. By using a special crystal ball, they bring the season of their name to the world. When magical crystal ball suddenly breaks, the seasons can't be changed any more. Stuck in the blazing heat, home kingdom of Lunora is in danger and must be saved again. An old legend says that a mysterious Enchantress, the only powerful magician who can help them. ...

What if you lived in a house full of MONSTERS? The kids at school call him "Monster". Twelve-year-old Mo is the school bully - and darn proud of it. That's before he finds himself homeless and forced to move to the only place available: a building called Monster Manor. At first it's all cool. Giant apartment, creepy forest scenery, nice girl across the street. Then Mo meets the tenants and the shock hits harder than a drunken landlord: real monsters, everyone. Cyclops, dragon, fairies, werewolf - and a Minotaur maniac with a taste for tormenting Mo. Before you can spit, Mo goes from bully ...

The term Moor is a historical rather than an ethnic name. It is an invention of European Christians for the Islamic inhabitants of Maghreb (North Africa), Andalusia (Spain), Sicily and Malta, and was sometimes use to designate all Muslims. It is derived from Mauri, the Latin name for the Berbers who lived in the Roman province of Mauretania, which ranged across modern Algeria and Morocco. Saracen was another European term used to designate Muslims, though it usually referred to the Arabic peoples of the Middle East and derives from an ancient name for the Arabs, Sarakenoi.

This issue of Christian History explores what life was like for many different types of Christians in the Middle Ages.

AD 1203. Plantagenet England. A gripping historical novel and the third instalment of The Chronicles of Robin Hood. Robin of Loxley is in exile in the dark forests of the north, when a killing and a betrayal drive him back to his old battleground of Sherwood Forest. A good man is slain and the full terror of the Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisborne is unleashed. With the King in Normandy and a people’s champion dead, only warriors outside the law are there to fight for the poor and desperate. Outnumbered and surrounded by his enemies, Robin Hood is forced into waging a murderous ...

When 17 yr old Jason Hunter sets out to discover the identity of the mystery girl at Ocean Drive he and his friends find themselves caught up in a risky intrigue. Jason is delivering newspapers on his motorbike when a Mercedes sweeps out of a driveway in front of him. He loses control of his scrambler and almost ends up under the car’s wheels. An attractive teenage girl leaps out to ask if he is hurt, but before Jason can reply the girl is bundled back into the Mercedes and driven off. Jason’s instincts warn him that the girl is in trouble. The following day he sees her in an upstairs ...

After the long period of cultural decline known as the Dark Ages, Europe experienced a rebirth of scholarship, art, literature, philosophy, and science and began to develop a vision of Western society that remains at the heart of Western civilization today. On visits to the great cities of Europe, Thomas Cahill brilliantly captures the spirit of experimentation, the colorful pageantry, and the passionate pursuit of knowledge that built the foundations for the modern world.

Action, adventure, and suspense collide in this swashbuckling tale of pirates, sea monsters, and curses! Perfect for young readers! Summer has arrived at the North Pole, and Santa’s castle is humming in excitement for the upcoming Midsummer Festival. But Leo’s dreams of rest and relaxation are quickly cut short when a new mission falls in his lap. A faraway land called the Emerald Realm has been devastated by a terrible curse. Leo must travel to this land of pirates and tropical wonders and find a way to break the curse. Join Leo the Elf on this exciting adventure where danger lurks ...

What if the stars weren’t out of reach—but waiting? In a future not far from ours, the world has grown quiet. The sky, once full of wonder, has dimmed. But one boy, Milo, still dreams—and that dream comes with a destination: Mars. With only a worn notebook, a missing friend, and a question bigger than the galaxy, Milo sets off on an unforgettable journey through forgotten archives, mysterious spaceports, loyal friendships, and one long-lost journal written by the first dreamer to ever step foot on the red planet. Ticket to Mars is a breathtaking children’s adventure filled with ...

Calvin isn’t your ordinary kid—he’s a certified adventurer with a heart full of curiosity and a beagle named Pudge who never leaves his side. When a mysterious journal washes ashore after a fierce Atlantic storm, Calvin is pulled into the story of a legendary shipwreck and a golden anchor said to hold the key to a forgotten treasure. Strapping on his deep-sea diving gear and with Pudge dog-paddling beside him, Calvin dives headfirst into the ocean’s dark and wondrous depths. But finding treasure isn’t just about gold—it’s about solving puzzles, facing fears, and discovering ...