I have recently been reading Kropotkin’s book ‘Mutua Aid: A Factor in Evolution’, and his descriptions of Medieval city states has really peaked my interest. I know that period of history (traditionally) has been all too often maligned by mainstream historians, so I was wondering whether or not anyone could give me any good reading recommendations for the period which focus on how communities/cities/‘everyday people’ used to live?

I would also appreciate any detailed accounts from historians who know a lot about this time period and their opinions on this subject matter.