Medieval France

Life in a Medieval City is the classic account of the year 1250 in the city of Troyes, in modern-day France. Acclaimed historians Frances and Joseph Gies focus on a high point of medieval civilization - before war and the Black Death ravaged Europe - providing a fascinating window into the sophistication of a period we too often dismiss as backward. Urban life in the Middle Ages revolved around the home, often a mixed-use dwelling for burghers with a store or workshop on the ground floor and living quarters upstairs.

Twelfth-century Europe. Newly crowned King Philip of France is determined to restore his nation to its former empire and bring glory to his name. But when his greatest enemy, King Henry of England, threatens to end his reign before it can even begin, Philip is forced to make a precarious alliance with Henry’s volatile son—risking both his throne, and his heart.

In prose as crystalline as his view to the Pyrenees on a clear day, Allman animates Lauzerte and its surrounding communities—Cahors, Moissac, Montauban—all ever in thrall to the magnetic impulse of Paris. Witness to so many dramas over the centuries, his house comes alive as a historical protagonist in its own right, from its wine-cellar cave to the roof where he wages futile battle with pigeons, to the life lessons it conveys. “The onward march of history, my House keeps demonstrating, never takes a rest,” he observes, pulling us vividly into his world.

When Anne of Brittany's father dies in 1488, she becomes Duchess of Brittany, her country's ruler at age 11. For the next three years, the unmarried, orphaned duchess is pursued by suitors while Brittany is invaded by its larger, more powerful neighbor of France. With no other way out, at age 14 she agrees to marry Charles VIII, King of France, to save her country. Better to be a queen than a prisoner.... Unexpectedly, a passionate relationship ensues. Yet Charles cannot shake off bad habits he has brought into their marriage, and Anne cannot help him in his darkest area of struggle.

Henry II had all the gifts of the gods. He was charismatic, clever, learned, empathetic, a brilliant tactician, with great physical strength and an astonishing self-belief. Henry was the creator of the Plantagenet dynasty of kings, who ruled through eight generations in command of vast lands in Britain and Europe. Virtually unbeaten in battle, and engaged in a ceaseless round of conquest and diplomacy, Henry forged an empire that matched Charlemagne's.

This book tells the true story of how a seemingly minor family from a small town in Bavaria, the family of Berthold, Duke of Merania, played an outsized role in European affairs, affecting countries ranging from Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and even Russia and France, and playing a particularly key role in trying to stave off the Mongolian invasion of the 13th century. Berthold’s ancestors are reviewed, and there is discussion of each of the members of the family, at least down to the level of Berthold’s and his wife Agnes’ grandchildren, and beyond in some circumstances. Through this ...

Catherine de Medici is one of the most maligned monarchs in history: blamed for the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in which hundreds of innocents died. What motivated this Renaissance woman who was born of Florence's most powerful family, and one day came to rule France?

Charlemagne's name means "Charles the Great", a title he earned after an impressive life filled with military conquests. His life inspired countless tales, including the legends that he was 20 feet tall, that he slept under the guard of 100 armed knights, and that he rose from the dead to aid in the Crusades. While these fantastical tales are false, the truth is equally fantastic: By the end of his life, Charlemagne had been king of the Franks, king of the Lombards, and the first emperor of the newly formed Holy Roman Empire.

From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era has been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. In handsomely crafted prose and with the grace and authority of his extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of its rebirth, the Renaissance.

Just as out from the flames come the Phoenix, from the ashes of an identity, devastated, came Margaret of Austria, the most influential female of her time. Married into the highest echelons of European monarchy, queen of France, princess of Spain, and duchess of savoy, the security of destiny proved false, leaving the young Margaret married thrice and widowed twice. And yet, this unplanned destiny was transformative, forming her into the hand that moved the puzzle pieces of European diplomacy. Married at two years of age to the dauphin of France, by twelve, Margaret of Austria found herself...

At dawn on Easter morning 1343, a marauding band of French raiders arrives by boat to ambush the coastal village of Hookton. To brave young Thomas, the only survivor, the horror of the attack is epitomized by the casual savagery of a particular black-clad knight. Thomas vows to avenge the murder of his townsmen and recapture a holy treasure that the black knight stole from the church.

The tenth century dawned in violence and disorder. Charlemagne’s empire was in ruins, most of Spain had been claimed by Moorish invaders, and even the papacy in Rome was embroiled in petty, provincial conflicts. To many historians, it was a prime example of the ignorance and uncertainty of the Dark Ages. Yet according to historian Paul Collins, the story of the tenth century is the story of our culture’s birth, of the emergence of our civilization into the light of day.

“As long as the world will last, not one will speak in France about Catalonia without remembering terrible things...” 1285 AD: the kingdom of Aragon is under threat. Philip the Bold, king of France, is poised to invade with a massive army. The French have the blessing of the pope. They intend to conquer Aragon and place Philip's son, Prince Charles, on the vacant throne. Hopelessly outnumbered, King Peter of Aragon calls upon his Almogavars to defend the kingdom. These rough warriors, farmers and shepherds, are sent to guard the mountain passes against the invading host of crusaders. ...

A.D. 869 to 870 Emma’s future looked bright. King Charles the Bald was marrying her aunt and her father had become his chief advisor. There was even talk of a possible engagement between Emma and the king’s grandson. Then everything changed. While taking a walk on the grounds of the royal palace at Aachen, she overheard four men discussing the final details of a plot to overthrow the king and banish Emma’s family from the empire. Moreover, this was no ordinary conspiracy. It involved the emperor himself, Pope Hadrian II, King Louis the German, and even Prince Carloman—King ...

“Sprightly and sparkling…dramatic incidents abound…a lively rendering of a life and mind that inspires.” In the year of grace 1396, Christine de Pizan is a young Parisian woman living in a tower overlooking the Seine, but hers is no fairy story. Since her beloved husband’s death, she struggles daily to support her aged mother and two small children. Seeking to ease her broken heart, Christine begins to write poetry in a delicate blend of form and emotion that provides a much-needed outlet for her loneliness and sorrow. In time, Christine begins reading her verses at court, ...

Based on the extraordinary true story of the female stonemason who carved a queen's tomb, The Stone Rose traces the life of fierce, self-destructive Isabella of France. Wife to a weak king, Isabella finds herself facing enemies from the wild North, in a war with Scotland, and from within her own family: her uncle Lancaster, whose attempts to rein in royal power cause a rift between them. But Isabella soon comes to realise that this is a love story. And the threat to the kingdom is a threat to her marriage—and to her own life....

How did a young girl from a small village become a powerful military leader, a symbol of hope, and a beloved saint? Joan of Arc changed the course of French history with her strong faith and courage. This audiobook takes you through Joan’s life, showing how a humble peasant rose to become one of history’s most amazing figures.

Un intervalo de seis años separa La ley de los varones y La loba de Francia. Durante esos años, de 1318 a 1324, el país ha sido sabiamente gobernado, aunque azotado por diversas calamidades: la cruzada de los campesinos, la rebelión de los leprosos, agitaciones y masacres. El tercer hijo del Rey de Hierro, el débil Carlos IV, sucede a Felipe V, que muere sin dejar descendencia masculina. Durante su reinado, Francia será gobernada por representantes de la alta nobleza, Carlos de Valois y Roberto de Artois. El nuevo y dramático giro de la historia se originará en Inglaterra.

The Ebony Tower, comprising a novella, three stories, and a translation of a medieval French tale, echoes themes from John Fowles' internationally celebrated novels as it probes the fitful relations between love and hate, pleasure and pain, and fantasy and reality.

Two decades after the First Crusade, the warriors and monks of early 12th Century Europe are preparing another crusade to the Levante. A Polish knight, an Irish monk, and a French abbot, meet and become comrades after they embark on the sea voyage with the Venetian fleet to the Holy Land. The knight seeks glory in battle, the abbot sadly leaves the woman he loves to do his pilgrimage, and the monk seeks truth, but they all have joined the crusade and they all must fight. This novel is one of three novels in the Warriors and Monks series, but the story is complete in itself and can be read ...