I have a limited knowledge of Medieval history, because it’s sandwiched between Ancient history classes and European history courses, and there are infinitely many anachronisms and inaccuracies in the “common/cultural knowledge” about those times.
What are some good books (in English) you can recommend about the Medieval period? I’m particularly interested in the politics and warfare of Europe, but also technology, economy and society, and how those things changed over the Middle Ages. I enjoyed The Pursuit of Glory: Europe 1648-1815, which covers these things comprehensively and am looking for similar works.
One specific I’d like to learn about is the historical facts about castles, knights, and all those Medieval Times and Dungeons & Dragons sorts of things. I’m aware that our cultural idea of the Knight never really existed, and I want to learn what an actual 12th century Knight or 15th century castle would look like.
Also if there are broader works covering Medieval Eurasia as a whole (the Silk Road network and exchanges), I would appreciate that as well.
Thank you!!
I am assuming you are enrolled in a university of some kind, so I'll suggest some books that might be a bit harder to find (academic presses, older texts etc.) Hope that's alright. I am not going to suggest stuff like the New Cambridge Medieval History- these volumes are comprehensive and great overviews but a tad boring, in my opinion. I suggest reading these books and figuring out what you like, and then consulting more of these specialist texts.
Great Overviews of the Period:
The Making of Europe- Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change, 950-1350 by Robert Bartlett. One of the best introductions to the idea of a medieval Europe and Latin Christendom and its (often forceful) expansion. I particularly like the chapters on Race Relations at Frontier Regions, the chapters on military technology (covers castles too) will be of interest to you. But read the whole book, you won't regret it.
Medieval Europe by Chris Wickham. More of a long term overview spanning 500-1500. Not as focused on warfare/politics but very readable. His Marxist background means he doesn't consider non-economic factors that much, and hence I suggest you read other books in conjunction.
Frontiers in Question- Eurasian Borderlands, 700-1700, ed. Daniel Power and Naomi Standen. I must confess I've only started reading this book today but offers a strong regionalist perspective that goes beyond the traditional 'Western Europe' and is concerned with how contemporary rulers and more common folk thought of frontiers and the world at large. Even includes examples on China and Lithuania, for example.
At the gate of Christendom: Jews, Muslims and 'pagans' in medieval Hungary, c.1000-c.1300 by Nora Berend. Another question about frontiers, discussing what minorities would have been experiencing in a kingdom considered to be, and considering itself as, the frontier of Christendom. Very unexpected connections drawn, like the anecdote of a Hungarian crusader freed in Jerusalem by Hungarian Muslims (!!). Also see Berend's chapter in The Significance of the Frontier in the Middle Ages.
Culture and conquest in Mongol Eurasia by Thomas Allsen. Another work on Eurasia, this time from the perspective of the Mongols. Demonstratives the remarkable adaptiveness and level of acculturation driven by warfare too.
Politics and Governance
The Crisis of the Twelfth Century by Thomas Bisson. Argues quite persuasively that lordship in the 12th century was not 'political' or 'public' in the sense of being accountable to the public, but personalistic, self-enriching and often resorting to force. Provides a good sense of change, particularly when 'governance' arises in the form of more clearly defined relationships between rulers and ruled. The power of lords and the very terrifying experience of oppression with little recourse is brought up quite well. You may also come across Bisson in debates about 'feudal revolutions', about whether there was a significant change in the period as opposed to a sense of 'crises' that affect government.
The King's Body by Sergio Bertelli. A very different approach, this one centred around ritual and symbolism, and their role in how power was constructed, maintained, and reified- but could also be variously interpreted by many political actors. Good for cultural approaches to history.
Reform and the Papacy in the 11th century by Kathleen Cushing. One of the biggest questions in rule and politics is the sphere of authority that secular and papal/ecclesiastical bodies should have. Hence the above books are about 'secular' politics but religious politics, or more precisely, the politics between the secular and religious, are equally important. In this time, bishops effectively function like lords and it can be quite difficult to imagine how predominant ecclesiastical authorities were in medieval European society - everything from collecting rents to setting up universities, they have probably done it at some point. This book discusses amongst other things the reforms that greatly strengthen the Catholic Church, creating the behemoth (but not monolithic) institution we can think of. Especially important is the Investiture Controversy (Spoiler: Pope Innocent III: 1; Henry IV: 0)
The D&D stuff you asked for
The Three Orders by Georges Duby. Classic stuff about the feudal imaginary, namely how society is separated into those who pray, fight and work (and usually in that order, too). A little dated, but extremely influential in the field.
Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe by Kaueper. More to do with the idea of Chivalry: useful for filling in the blanks in Bisson's book (i.e okay, we know that lords had vassals and men who fought for them- but what did they think?)
The Song of Roland (translation by R. Harrison). This is a primary text, a vernacular epic really popular in the 12th and 13th centuries, attested to by how there's a huge spike of children later named after its characters. It seems to construct a sense of chivalry while also problematizing it. If you read it, PM me and tell me if you think Roland comes across as brave or stupid.
God's War- a new history of the Crusades by Chris Tyerson. A relatively new, more 'popular' history discussing the idea of a crusade, the forms they actually took, and the effects on societies they ended up forming. Included it because of the stereotypes surrounding the crusades in popular culture. I also recommend the works of Jonathan Riley-Smith who has also written many other works on the crusades, including a visual atlas (very useful, particularly its maps) and The Oxford history of the Crusades he's authored.
History and the supernatural in medieval England by Carl Watkins. The supernatural isn't just about spooky ghosts coming back from the dead- they take many other forms in this period too. Very interesting to see how medieval societies thought about death, and the afterlife.
Hope this helps. If you are interested in other aspects of medieval history (I'm particularly drawn towards heresy and medieval China and its frontiers too) do let me know and I can point you towards some other books.
I would recommend Bartlett's The Making of Europe and Charles-Edwards' After Rome.
More specifically for your question, I would recommend Strickland's Anglo-Norman Warfare, Gillingham's The English in the Twelfth Century and Hatcher and Britnell (eds.)' Progress and Problems in Medieval England. Tyerman's God's Wars may also be of interest to you.
Here's a list of books I've recommended previously, which I think will suit your needs for the most part. Unfortunately Nicolle ends his work around 1400 and doesn't explore the rise of firearms and the professionalisation of the military, and there hasn't really been a good work on warfare in the late middle ages in recent times, but the later chapters of Philippe Contamine's War in the Middle Ages offer a reasonable, if slightly outdated, overview for Western Europe.
Regarding knights, I recommend checking out Richard W. Kaeuper's Medieval Chivalry for an overview of the development of the knight and his role in society. For castles, J.E. and H.W. Kaufmann's The Medieval Fortress is a good introduction to the development of fortifications in the Middle Ages.
For what a knight would look like in different periods, I recommend browsing through the follow extracts from Ian Heath's Wargames Research Group books. Some of them (especially his Dark Ages and Crusades works) are outdated and/or not accurate (you have no idea how much his longbows bother me), but whoever runs the site has linked to the source images and there are plenty of other images as well elsewhere on the site, so you can make your own mind up, and the overall work is exceptional.