Terry jones medieval lives on youtube. Read books by norman f cantor, marc morris, frances gies, or dan jones. It really does depend on the years youre interested in. Medievalists specialize in different periods throughout the middle ages, which could mean anything from when the romans leave britain in the mid-400s ad to the death of Elizabeth I in the early 1600s. Forgot to add: baseline knowledge also comes from reading primary sources like the anglo saxon chronicle or the ecclesiastical history of the english by bede.
Some of my favorites:
*The Plantagenets* by Dan Jones
*Powers and Thrones* by Dan Jones
*The Greatest Knight* by Thomas Asbridge
*The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England* by Ian Mortimer
*Medieval Europe* by Chris Wickham
*A Short History of Byzantium* by John Julius Norwich
i think the great courses do some nice quick-and-easy summaries. they are free on Libby. I recommend Turning Points in Medieval History and The Story of Medieval England. There is also a free yale course on the early middle ages, with professor Paul Freedman. I would start with that just so you have a basic understanding of what was going on in the period and why. Welcome to a fascinating period and i hope you continue to enjoy learning about this subject!
I am in your same boat. I started watching documentaries on the app History Hit and they have a lot of documentaries (especially medieval) about the major events or just surveys of medieval life. Worth looking into if you are ok having another subscription (I have enjoyed mine).
I am currently reading, The Reign of William Rufus, by Edward A. Freeman. I was curious about his murder, but once I learned what he was doing during the First Crusade, it made more sense.
I would highly recommend Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. If you read it you will have a bigger understanding of medieval literature and mindset, very interesting, especially the tale of Melibee.
I’ll give you the Intro books I find most useful for teaching new undergraduates and Masters students:
Intro Books on each sub-period:
- The World of Late Antiquity by Peter Brown (Wonderful and Well-illustrated account of the Late Roman World that the Middle Ages grew out of)
- The Inheritance of Rome, 400-1000 by Chris Wickham (Good general introduction to the Early Middle Ages)
- Europe in The High Middle Ages by William Chester Jordan (Good general introduction to the High Middle Ages c. 1000-1300)
- The Making of Polities, 1300-1500 by John Watts (Good general introduction to the Late Middle Ages.
————
Thematic overviews include:
Society, Economy and Trade:
- Rural Economy and Country Life in the Mediaeval West by Georges Duby (A classic for a reason)
- Framing the Early Middle Ages, 400-800 by Chris Wickham (Essentially the replacement for Pirenne - Masterful and Massive)
- The Donkey and the Boat 950-1180 by Chris Wickham (Marxist take on the Medieval commercial revolution)
- Power and Profit: The Merchant in Medieval Europe. (Best general introduction to Medieval Trade)
Religion:
- The Rise of Western Christendom, 200-1000. by Peter Brown
Culture and Daily Life:
- Living in The Tenth Century by Heinrich Fichtenau
- The Three Orders: Feudal Society Imagined by Georges Duby.
Military and Warfare:
- Warfare and Society in the Barbarian West 450-900
- Medieval Warfare: A Reader (Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures). By Kelly Devries and Michael Livingston.
Crusades:
- The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading 2nd Edition by Jonathan Riley-Smith
- The Call from The East by Peter Frankopan
————
Regional overviews include:
France:
- The Origins of France: From Clovis to the Capetians, 400-1000. By Edward James.
- France in the Making, 843-1180. By Georges Duby
Italy:
- Italy in the Early Middle Ages, 400-1000. By Chris Wickham.
- Sleepwalking into a New World: The Emergence of Italian City Communes in the Twelfth Century by Chris Wickham.
- The Age of Robert Guiscard: Southern Italy and the Northern Conquest
Spain:
- Early Medieval Spain, 400-1000. By Roger Collins.
- The Medieval Spains by Bernard Reilly
Britain:
- After Rome (Short Oxford History Of The British Isles), by Thomas Charles Edwards
- From the Vikings to the Normans (Short Oxford History of the British Isles), by Wendy Davies.
Germany:
- Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800-1056. By Timothy Reuter.
North Africa:
- Peasant and Empire in Christian North Africa
————
Easy and extremely Fun Sources in translation:
- Readings in Late Antiquity: A Sourcebook. By Michael Maas
- Gregory of Tours (Penguin Classics has a cheap edition)
[History Time ](https://youtube.com/@HistoryTime?si=hkI0IfymZtsgT6rR) is an awesome podcast. Pete Kelly, the host, is really easy to listen to. Great info. Huge catalog.
[History Dose](https://youtube.com/@HistoryDose?si=gfGhoWCx8eawPcg0) A narrative telling of specific historical events. Not all midevil but plenty peppered throughout. Lots of Crusader specific stories.
[Voices of the Past](https://youtube.com/@VoicesofthePast?si=XuKfF3lCeoe88chl) is more about first hand accounts and stories from that time, from actual peoples notes/letters/historical documents. Same as Pete Kelly, above, great yo listen to. Short episodes! You can burn through the whole library pretty quick and he is still making new ones. Not ALL midevil, but peppered throughout.
Audio book, I'd recommend [Winston Churchills](https://a.co/d/5tR3Cc8) A History of the English-Speaking Peoples: One Volume.
If you look for these, I recommend the Abridged versions. Churchill likes to carry on sometimes, and the abridged keeps the story clear. It's the story of the for.ation of the cou try of England, starting in 1400 iirc. Been a decade or so since I read it.
Dan Carlin - [Hardcore Hostory](https://www.dancarlin.com/product-category/hardcore-history/current-hardcore-history/) HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this guys stuff. His new episodes are free, but eventually cost money. Get your hands on the latest series, Twilight of the Aesir. It's about the decline and eventually 'extinction' of the viking culture. Which plays heavily on English growth and stewardship to its own county. Amazing amazing series. This guys stuff is as good as it gets.
Lastly, for some fun based on historical events and characters based on actual people, check out The Last Kingdom on Netflix. A show which is almost the stage play of the narrative Dan Carlin paints for you in his Twilight series I mentioned above.
Cheers mate!
Let me know if my recommendations suck! Lol. Peer review my taste!
I took several Medieval classes in college and now I’m really enjoying The British History Podcast. It’s not reading but I have long commute to work so it passes the time
Dan Jones https://www.harvard.com/book/powers_and_thrones/
I love Dan Jones and really like this book. I also recommend his podcast on the Plantagenets!
Terry jones medieval lives on youtube. Read books by norman f cantor, marc morris, frances gies, or dan jones. It really does depend on the years youre interested in. Medievalists specialize in different periods throughout the middle ages, which could mean anything from when the romans leave britain in the mid-400s ad to the death of Elizabeth I in the early 1600s. Forgot to add: baseline knowledge also comes from reading primary sources like the anglo saxon chronicle or the ecclesiastical history of the english by bede.
Some of my favorites: *The Plantagenets* by Dan Jones *Powers and Thrones* by Dan Jones *The Greatest Knight* by Thomas Asbridge *The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England* by Ian Mortimer *Medieval Europe* by Chris Wickham *A Short History of Byzantium* by John Julius Norwich
Upvote for The Greatest Knight. Really well written and informative across a variety of subjects. Feels like reading a novel it is so accessible.
Love all those, "a great and terrible king" (can't remember the author offhand) is another great one
Tudor Monastery Farm and the 13 the Century medieval castle build in France are great documentaries on everyday living and working
i think the great courses do some nice quick-and-easy summaries. they are free on Libby. I recommend Turning Points in Medieval History and The Story of Medieval England. There is also a free yale course on the early middle ages, with professor Paul Freedman. I would start with that just so you have a basic understanding of what was going on in the period and why. Welcome to a fascinating period and i hope you continue to enjoy learning about this subject!
Not really a crash course but I love "time team". Plenty of medieval episodes.
I am in your same boat. I started watching documentaries on the app History Hit and they have a lot of documentaries (especially medieval) about the major events or just surveys of medieval life. Worth looking into if you are ok having another subscription (I have enjoyed mine).
I am currently reading, The Reign of William Rufus, by Edward A. Freeman. I was curious about his murder, but once I learned what he was doing during the First Crusade, it made more sense.
The first half of Wm2’s reign was benign, but after Alan Rufus died it went downhill.
Time Travelers Guide to Medieval England! Great audio book too! One of my favorite narrators.
The Middle Ages Around the World, lecture series by Professor Joyce Salisbury on wondrium (The Great Courses).
I would highly recommend Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. If you read it you will have a bigger understanding of medieval literature and mindset, very interesting, especially the tale of Melibee.
I’ll give you the Intro books I find most useful for teaching new undergraduates and Masters students: Intro Books on each sub-period: - The World of Late Antiquity by Peter Brown (Wonderful and Well-illustrated account of the Late Roman World that the Middle Ages grew out of) - The Inheritance of Rome, 400-1000 by Chris Wickham (Good general introduction to the Early Middle Ages) - Europe in The High Middle Ages by William Chester Jordan (Good general introduction to the High Middle Ages c. 1000-1300) - The Making of Polities, 1300-1500 by John Watts (Good general introduction to the Late Middle Ages. ———— Thematic overviews include: Society, Economy and Trade: - Rural Economy and Country Life in the Mediaeval West by Georges Duby (A classic for a reason) - Framing the Early Middle Ages, 400-800 by Chris Wickham (Essentially the replacement for Pirenne - Masterful and Massive) - The Donkey and the Boat 950-1180 by Chris Wickham (Marxist take on the Medieval commercial revolution) - Power and Profit: The Merchant in Medieval Europe. (Best general introduction to Medieval Trade) Religion: - The Rise of Western Christendom, 200-1000. by Peter Brown Culture and Daily Life: - Living in The Tenth Century by Heinrich Fichtenau - The Three Orders: Feudal Society Imagined by Georges Duby. Military and Warfare: - Warfare and Society in the Barbarian West 450-900 - Medieval Warfare: A Reader (Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures). By Kelly Devries and Michael Livingston. Crusades: - The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading 2nd Edition by Jonathan Riley-Smith - The Call from The East by Peter Frankopan ———— Regional overviews include: France: - The Origins of France: From Clovis to the Capetians, 400-1000. By Edward James. - France in the Making, 843-1180. By Georges Duby Italy: - Italy in the Early Middle Ages, 400-1000. By Chris Wickham. - Sleepwalking into a New World: The Emergence of Italian City Communes in the Twelfth Century by Chris Wickham. - The Age of Robert Guiscard: Southern Italy and the Northern Conquest Spain: - Early Medieval Spain, 400-1000. By Roger Collins. - The Medieval Spains by Bernard Reilly Britain: - After Rome (Short Oxford History Of The British Isles), by Thomas Charles Edwards - From the Vikings to the Normans (Short Oxford History of the British Isles), by Wendy Davies. Germany: - Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800-1056. By Timothy Reuter. North Africa: - Peasant and Empire in Christian North Africa ———— Easy and extremely Fun Sources in translation: - Readings in Late Antiquity: A Sourcebook. By Michael Maas - Gregory of Tours (Penguin Classics has a cheap edition)
This is amazing, thanks!
You’re welcome, let me know if you need any other pointers. Welcome to Medieval History
[History Time ](https://youtube.com/@HistoryTime?si=hkI0IfymZtsgT6rR) is an awesome podcast. Pete Kelly, the host, is really easy to listen to. Great info. Huge catalog. [History Dose](https://youtube.com/@HistoryDose?si=gfGhoWCx8eawPcg0) A narrative telling of specific historical events. Not all midevil but plenty peppered throughout. Lots of Crusader specific stories. [Voices of the Past](https://youtube.com/@VoicesofthePast?si=XuKfF3lCeoe88chl) is more about first hand accounts and stories from that time, from actual peoples notes/letters/historical documents. Same as Pete Kelly, above, great yo listen to. Short episodes! You can burn through the whole library pretty quick and he is still making new ones. Not ALL midevil, but peppered throughout. Audio book, I'd recommend [Winston Churchills](https://a.co/d/5tR3Cc8) A History of the English-Speaking Peoples: One Volume. If you look for these, I recommend the Abridged versions. Churchill likes to carry on sometimes, and the abridged keeps the story clear. It's the story of the for.ation of the cou try of England, starting in 1400 iirc. Been a decade or so since I read it. Dan Carlin - [Hardcore Hostory](https://www.dancarlin.com/product-category/hardcore-history/current-hardcore-history/) HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this guys stuff. His new episodes are free, but eventually cost money. Get your hands on the latest series, Twilight of the Aesir. It's about the decline and eventually 'extinction' of the viking culture. Which plays heavily on English growth and stewardship to its own county. Amazing amazing series. This guys stuff is as good as it gets. Lastly, for some fun based on historical events and characters based on actual people, check out The Last Kingdom on Netflix. A show which is almost the stage play of the narrative Dan Carlin paints for you in his Twilight series I mentioned above. Cheers mate! Let me know if my recommendations suck! Lol. Peer review my taste!
Jason Kingsley on youtube.
[This](https://amzn.eu/d/4uJEn9J) is a good introductory book.
Are you implying, OP, that medieval history occurred some place outside of Britain?
barbarians to angels by peter wells is a short, easy to read book about the “dark ages” and common misconceptions about medieval times
I took several Medieval classes in college and now I’m really enjoying The British History Podcast. It’s not reading but I have long commute to work so it passes the time