Alastair Redman’s Somerled, Lord of the Isles is an enjoyable and wide-ranging account of one of medieval Scotland’s most important, yet still surprisingly overlooked, leaders. Somerled emerges as far more than a fierce warrior. He was also a skilled politician, naval commander and kingdom-builder who brought Norse and Gaelic traditions together across the western Highlands […]
Ashley Sarah Firth’s Trailblazing Medieval Women is a lively and highly readable collection of stories about women who refused to remain in the background of medieval history. Instead of presenting the Middle Ages as a world shaped entirely by kings, knights and churchmen, Firth brings forward the queens, rulers, warriors and writers who influenced politics, […]
If you’ve ever wondered what everyday life in a medieval English town actually felt like – the noise, the smells, the chaos, the rules, the fun – Kathryn Warner’s Life in the Medieval Town is an absolute treat. Warner has this brilliant way of dropping you right into the streets of the 13th and 14th […]
The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe is a lively and fascinating look at the many women who helped build and hold together the powerful Burgundian world. Susan Abernethy takes stories that are often buried in footnotes and brings them to life, showing just how much these queens, duchesses and noblewomen mattered. From the very […]