Jeffrey L. Singman

Jeffrey L. Forgeng

An exploration of both private and public life in the Middle Ages covers society, the life cycle, material culture, life in villages, castles, monasteries, and towns, and the medieval world, plus games, food, and music.

Daily Life in Medieval Europe

Medieval fighting has long been thought to be rough and untutored. Visions of men madly slashing to and fro and hoping for the best still dominate not only popular culture but modern histories of fencing as well.In recent years, the survival of more than 175 fighting treatises from the Middle Ages and Renaissance has provided a whole generation of enthusiasts, scholars, reenactors and stage choreographers with a wealth of new information. This text represents the earliest known text on swordsmanship anywhere in the world. Royal Armouries MS I.33 presents a system of combat that is sophisticated and demonstrates the diffusion of fighting arts beyond the military classes. Within the manuscripts richly illustrated full-color illustrations lie still-potent demonstrates of sword techniques, surprisingly shown by a Priest and Scholar. Most surprisingly, however, is the presence of a woman practicing in the text, the only one illustrated in any European fighting treatise. This full color facsimile & translation has been long-awaited and promises to become an important resource for years to come.

 The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship 

Will McClean

Looks at life in Elizabethan England, covering housing, food, clothing, and entertainment

Daily Life in Elizabethan England

Will McLean

An indispensable resource on daily life in medieval England

Daily Life in Chaucer's England

This book offers an experiential perspective on the lives of Elizabethans—how they worked, ate, and played—with hands-on examples that include authentic music, recipes, and games of the period. • Multiple primary-source sidebars in each chapter • 49 primary-source images, modern reconstructions, and diagrams and patterns for original artifacts

Daily Life in Elizabethan England, 2nd Edition

David Cram

Francis Willughby's Book of Games, published here for the first time, is a remarkable work and an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in early modern social history. Dating from the 1660s, it was left unfinished when the writer died in 1672 at the age of 36. Nevertheless, Willughby's manuscript, even in its unpolished form is a goldmine of detail providing a snapshot of mid seventeenth century life, language and culture. The manuscript itself lists a wide variety of sports, games and pastimes, including football, hurling, card games, tennis and children's games. As well as providing rules and a description of the various games (often with accompanying sketches to explain particular points) there are numerous fascinating snippets of related information (such as the care of fighting cocks), that bring the subject to life, whilst the section on children's games is particularly poignant. Besides the intrinsic interest of the subject matter, the fact that Willughby embarked on the project from a scientific perspective adds to the value of the book. Willughby had been admitted to the Royal Society in 1661 and for a number of years prior to that had been collaborating with the naturalist John Ray. It is clear that Willughby's Book of Games was highly influenced by his scientific pursuits and was an extension of his natural history work, utilising the same skills of systematic observation, description and classification. Providing not only a word-for word transcription of the Book of Games, this volume also contains a host of interpretative material to complement the original data. As well as a biography of Willughby and a detailed description of his manuscript, a substantial glossary of games and obsolete terms is provided, together with a bibliography of Willughby's literary remains and more general reference works. Taken together, this publication provides an unparalleled resource for scholars of early modern England.

A Seventeenth-Century Treatise on Sports, Games and Pastimes

Francis Willughby's Book of Games

Will Mclean

Experience the medieval world firsthand in this indispensable hands-on resource, and examine life as it was actually lived. The first book on medieval England to arise out of the living history movement, this volume allows readers to understand-and, if possible, recreate-what life was like for ordinary people in the days of Geoffrey Chaucer. Readers will learn not only what types of games medieval Britons played, what clothes they wore, or what food they ate, but actual rules for games, clothing patterns, and recipes. Written with impeccable detail, this volume examines all aspects of life in medieval England, down to basic fundamentals like nutrition, waste management, and table manners. Parallel situations and quoted material from The Canterbury Tales draw direct connections to Chaucer's work. Student researchers will benefit from a multitude of resources, including primary source sidebars, a chapter on online resources and digital research, information on medieval reenactments, a timeline of events, a glossary of terms, numerous illustrations, and a comprehensive print and nonprint bibliography of accessible sources. Supporting the world history curriculum and offering an interactive supplement to literature curricula, this volume is a must-have for students and interested readers. Detailed and meticulous, this volume examines all aspects of life in medieval England, down to basic fundamentals like nutrition, waste management, and table manners. Readers will explore, seasons, holidays and holy days, the prevalence and normalcy of death, the average workday, crafts and trade, decorating practices, and recreational activities like archery and falconry. Parallel situations and quoted material from The Canterbury Tales also draw direct connections to Chaucer's work.

Daily Life in Chaucer's England, 2nd Edition

Discusses aspects of daily life - domestic, economic, intellectual, material, political, recreational and religious - in Stuart England.

Daily Life in Stuart England

Among the narrative traditions of the Middle Ages, the Robin Hood legend occupies a unique, important, and often overlooked position. Robin Hood's uniqueness and importance begins with his status as the only English contribution to world mythology. His is also the only lasting myth to arise from the High Middle Ages and the last Western legend to achieve a sustained international appeal. Several Robin Hood ballads survive from the Middle Ages, and from the 15th to the 17th centuries Robin Hood figured prominently in folk drama. Since then, he has appeared in numerous proverbs, placenames, operas, novels, children's stories, films, and television shows. Yet in spite of its importance, the Robin Hood legend has received surprisingly little study. This book charts the genesis and development of the legend from the Middle Ages through 1700. In bridging the divide between the worlds of fiction and history, the volume incorporates the strengths of both historical and literary approaches.

Jeffrey L. Forgeng

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