Medieval England

by Szarmach, Paul E.; Tavormina, M. Teresa; Rosenthal, Joel Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780824057862
• ISBN10: 0824057864
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-05-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Gives quick access to medieval England This valuable reference work offers concise, expert answers to questions on all aspects of life and culture in medieval England-art, architecture, law, literature, kings, commoners, women, music, commerce, technology, warfare, religion, and many others. It takes as its scope English social, cultural, and political life from the Anglo-Saxon invasions in the fifth century to the turn of the sixteenth century. To make it even more useful to information seekers, theEncyclopediaalso traces England's ties to the Celtic world of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, to the French and Anglo-Norman world of the Continent, to the Viking and Scandinavian world of the North Sea, and to the world of medieval Christendom. The result is a detailed portrait of the English Middle Ages and their key historical events, personages, and cultural contexts. Authoritative, wide-ranging, informative Multidisciplinary articles bring together a rich variety ofscholarly perspectives and individual viewpoints found in no other comparable reference work. More than 700 entries by over 300 international scholars discuss topics ranging from Sedulius to Skelton, from Wulfstan of York to Reginald Pecock, from Pictish art to Gothic sculpture, from the Vikings to the Black Death, from musical instruments to weapons, fromBeowulftoThe Book of Margery Kempe, from comic tales to religious allegory, from saints to lawyers, from courtly love to prostitution, from mills to monasteries, from Alfred the Great to Geoffrey Chaucer. Makes further inquiry simple and easy A subject and name index makes it easy to locate information. Bibliographies direct users to essential primary and secondary sources and recent scholarship. Where possible, bibliographic references have been selected with an eye to accessibility for nonspecialists, although more advanced essential works are also included. Priority has been given to scholarship in English, books andjournals likely to be available in university libraries, and general studies that provide good bibliographic and methodological guidance for further study. Special features The first comprehensive survey of England in the Middle Ages-in one authoritative volume; Accessible to students and useful to scholars; More than 300 expert contributors provide a stimulating diversity of interpretations and opinions; Explains how English history, literature, arts, and culture developed during the Middle Ages; Devotes substantial coverage to medieval art and architecture; Offers different viewpoints on related or overlapping topics, illuminating the complexities of modern scholarly inquiry; Over 150 illustrations

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii	(4)
Contributors	xi	(16)
Entries, Arranged by Category	xxvii	(8)
Kings and Queens of England	xxxv	(2)
Archbishops of Canterbury and York	xxxvii	(2)
Popes, 590-1503	xxxix	(2)
Musical and Liturgical Terms	xli	(6)
Architectural Terms	xlvii	(1)
The Medieval Castle	xlvii	(2)
The Medieval Church	xlix	(2)
Maps	li	(6)
Illustrations	lvii	(6)
Abbreviations	lxiii
The Encyclopedia	3	(830)
Index	833