Medieval Ages

Craft of the Heretic by Jason Blackmore develops an intriguing premise: strangers awaken to find themselves aboard a drifting ship with no clue how they got there. Set in an alternate Renaissance, amid members of a mercantile and proudly seafaring society, it blends elements of historical fiction and high fantasy as the unwilling shipmates’ stories unspool. Shifting back and forward through time, Blackmore’s world-building is woven through with superstition, faith and everyday magic. Craft of the Heretic also proves densely peopled with many lively characters: tough military men, ...

This work presents a composite view of medieval English university life. The author offers detailed insights into the social and economic conditions of the lives of students, their teaching masters and fellows. The experiences of college benefactors, women and university servants are also examined, demonstrating the vibrancy they brought to university life.

Will the reappearance of Keegan destroy Kai’s life with Rayna? Locked in a battle against the Katori Guardians, Kai, the headstrong Prince of Diu, must fight to claim his birthright, but gaining access to his magic will not be easy. In an epic struggle, he lays everything on the line to gain the power he needs to search for his mother, Mariana. With Rayna, the love of his life, by his side, he fights for the life he never knew he wanted. When Kai meets his long-lost grandfather, Lucca, he realizes that Lucca has very different plans for Mariana’s fate. Their lack of trust soon puts them...

Is the Voice Lisa’s Protector or a Predator? When her father Alexander is murdered, Lisa’s safe, carefree world unravels. At 16, her only escape is to flee from the mayhem and chaos that promises to come crashing down on her very being. From her wicked mother. From her drunken stepbrother. And from the greedy church. The year was 1,000 AD. Bright and clever, she becomes the eyes and ears of her papa’s many enterprises. Lisa is his confidant and the son he desires as an heir. Afraid for his own daughter’s future, Alexander shares a plan to her to follow upon his death. Within days of...

Imagine a Viking, and a certain image springs to mind: a nameless, faceless warrior, leaping ashore from a longboat, and ready to terrorise the hapless local population of a northern European country. Yet while such characters define the Viking Age today, they were in the minority. This is the history of all the other people - children, enslaved people, seers, artisans, travellers, writers - who inhabited the medieval Nordic world. For the first time, you can immerse yourself in the day-to-day lives of extraordinary culture which spanned centuries.

The North is bleeding. The South is burning. And the boy with the cursed sword stands between salvation and oblivion. Exiled and broken, Erikson Gray walks a path stained with ash and prophecy. Heir to two dying legacies—House Thorne and House Zulikaarme—he could raise Lucardia from ruin if he can survive long enough to unite the warring North. But the sword at his hip whispers lies, and every victory demands a heavier price. What is a throne worth if it damns your soul? In Highwater, Emperor Ivar teeters on the edge of madness. The Red Clothes haunt his court. Rebellion festers in the ...

Dripping with blood and gold, fetishised and tortured, gateway to earthly delights and point of contact with the divine, forcibly divided and powerful even beyond death, there was no territory more contested than the body in the medieval world. In Medieval Bodies, art historian Jack Hartnell uncovers the complex and fascinating ways in which the people of the Middle Ages thought about, explored and experienced their physical selves.

"I will never forget what you did to me. Hide from me if you must, but sooner or later I will have your blood, dear brother." ~ Viola Betrayed by her own brother, forgotten by her friends, Viola has lost everything dear to her. Held captive by the king, she is forced to fight for her life as her brother once did. Is this a life even worth living? Probably not. Is surviving long enough to have your revenge? Most definitely... Graphic-content warning: This book is intended only for mature audiences.

Once rumored to be nothing more than an ancient legend, it is now painfully obvious that the lerwicks are real. Viola has reached out to the lerwicks, begging them to step into the light so they may show themselves to the world. No longer do they need to hide in the shadows, concealing themselves from a world that dares to defy their existence. They too have a place in this world, and whether or not the humans accept that fact is of no concern. But the lerwicks are not the only ones who have heard the call. When a stranger appears in the middle of the night, Viola will have no choice but to...

Prince Rafe leans over me, holding himself up on one elbow as he gazes at my face. I feel his eyes wandering over every surface from my brow to my eyes, down my nose, to my lips and chin, and then returning to hold my gaze for a second. The small smile at the corner of his mouth makes me think he likes what he sees. His hand is cool when it brushes a loose curl from my cheek, but I don’t jerk away from him. I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t understand why I’m here. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. It seems like a lot of powerful people want me—dead or alive. And yet...

Slavery was widespread all over Europe during the early Middle Ages and Scandinavians, as Stefan Brink illustrates in this book, became a major player in the northern slave trade. Using a wide variety of source materials, including archaeology, runes, Icelandic sagas, early law, place names, personal names, and not least etymological and semantic analyses of the terminology of slaves, Thraldom provides the most comprehensive survey of slavery in the Viking Age.

The thought of trading her subservient role in her father’s home for that of being the dutiful wife of someone she had never met caused her to shudder with revulsion. No, she thought to herself, what I crave is the opportunity to adventure across the sea, to behold strange and wondrous sights far beyond the city walls of Lubeck. To do that even once would almost be worth submitting herself to a loveless marriage based solely on familial advantage. But not quite, she admitted to herself. For if there was one thing of which Christina Kohl was certain, it was that she wanted her independence...

King Arthur is probably the most famous and certainly the most legendary medieval king. From the early ninth century through the middle ages, to the Arthurian romances of Victorian times, the tales of this legendary figure have blossomed and multiplied. And in more recent times, there has been a continuous stream of books claiming to have discovered the "facts" about, or to unlock the secret or truth behind, the "once and future king". Broadly speaking, there are two Arthurs.

Journeying alongside scholars, spies and saints, from western Europe to the Far East and the Antipodes, this is no ordinary travel guide. From profane pilgrim badges and Venetian laxatives to encounters with bandits and trysts with mysterious medieval witches, this book mixes fact and folklore to offer an entertaining encyclopaedia of wondrous stories and peoples. Offering a vivid and unforgettable insight into how medieval people understood their world, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages blurs the distinction between real and imagined places.

I’m willing to sacrifice everything if that’s what it takes, but what happens when I have nothing left to give? After joining forces with the tarrins to fend off the ghatins in a brutal battle, Viola and her companions must now face some tough choices. The defeat, a minor setback, has only further enraged the savage ghatins, and Viola’s life is now in more danger than ever before. Left with no choice, she and her friends must leave Eldham in order to stay one step ahead of their enemies. Even with the aid of some newfound allies, will Viola find peace at last? Perhaps it’s time she ...

In Volume 4, Hume closes his account of ‘England Under the House of Tudor' begun in Volume 3, and devotes it entirely to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was not really expected that she would survive to accede to the monarchy; and it was certainly unexpected that she would rule for so long (1558-1603) while steadfastly declining to take a husband. All in all, her reign was a remarkable achievement. Elizabeth had so much to contend with over the years. From the start, she had to oversee the reinstatement of the Protestant religion after the tumultuous reign of her sister, Mary.

Examining trial records and the pharmacopoeia of witches, alchemists, folk healers, and heretics of the 15th century, Thomas Hatsis details how a range of ideas from folk drugs to ecclesiastical fears over medicine women merged to form the classical “witch” stereotype and what history has called the “witches’ ointment”. He shares dozens of psychoactive formulas and recipes gleaned from rare manuscripts from university collections from all over the world as well as the practices and magical incantations necessary for their preparation.

She summoned a monster to destroy her enemies. Now she’s the one chained to the altar. Aeloria Betrayed by the coven and cast out with scars still healing, I wanted revenge. The ritual was supposed to bind a demon to my will, a weapon to grind Elarion and the others to ash. But what came through the flames wasn’t just power—it was Kraven. Towering, horned, and far too sentient. The bond didn’t make him mine. It made me his. My body betrays me every time he draws near, and the heat only deepens. I told myself this was about control. Now I’m soaked in ritual blood and shame, and ...

The wind has been stolen. As the Kingdom of Yumea endures the terrible curse, a shocking coup brings turmoil to the land. With the castle on fire, the only prince still alive is secretly carried away to Humao, the Isle of the Dishonored, to be trained by the King's last living loyalist. He is their final hope, but before he is ready to claim the throne that was stolen from him, he must earn the respect of the people he hopes to lead. If he does not, the Kingdom will fall, and he will go down in history as the LAST SON OF YUMEA!

Discover the desired, yet elusive secret to eternal youth, as you plunge into the depths of humankind's relentless pursuit for longevity in "The Fountain of Youth." This entrancing eBook meticulously curates the history, evolution, and future prospects of anti-aging remedies, propelling readers through an enlightening journey in time, cultures, and diverse thought processes. Unravel the enigma of the timeless quest for longevity as the book carries you from the spell-binding first tales of age-defying elixirs in Chapter 2, to the anti-aging practices developed during the grandeur of the ...