Here is a list of the best Medieval History books, some I have read myself, some that I did research on, and all have great reviews!
- The Oxford History of Medieval Europe (2002)
- Medieval Christianity: A New History (2015)
- The History of Medieval Europe (2019)
- The New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History: Revised Edition (Hist Atlas) (1992)
- The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England (2014)
- The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century (2011)
- A Short History of the Middle Ages, Fifth Edition (2018)
- A History of the Middle Ages, 300–1500 (2016)
- The Dark Ages 476-918 A.D. (2017)
- A Short History of the Middle Ages, Fourth Edition (2014)
- A History of Medieval Heresy and Inquisition (Critical Issues in World and International History) (2011)
- A History of Medieval Spain (Cornell Paperbacks) (1983)
- An Environmental History of Medieval Europe (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks) (2014)
The Oxford History of Medieval Europe (2002)
This is the most authoritative account of life in Medieval Europe between the fall of the Roman Empire and the coming of the Renaissance.Full coverage is given to all aspects of life in a thousand-year period which saw the creation of western civilization: from the empires and kingdoms of Charlemagne, the Byzantines, and the Hundred Years War, to the ideals of the crusades, the building of great cathedrals and the…
Medieval Christianity: A New History (2015)
For many, the medieval world seems dark and foreign—an often brutal and seemingly irrational time of superstition, miracles, and strange relics. The aggressive pursuit of heretics and attempts to control the “Holy Land” might come to mind. Yet the medieval world produced much that is part of our world today, including universities, the passion for Roman architecture and the development of the gothic style, pilgrimage, the emergence of capitalism, and female saints.
The History of Medieval Europe (2019)
In 410 Alaric, King of the Visigoths, sacked the city of Rome.Never again would the Roman Empire regain complete control over the western half of Europe.Yet, this would not be the civilization in Europe.After a brief period of anarchy and turmoil various nations across the continent rose up and forged new ideas and identities that not only drew upon the classical past but upon them and developed them far more than their Ro…
The New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History: Revised Edition (Hist Atlas) (1992)
This is a revised edition of “The Penguin Atlas of Medieval History”.
The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England (2014)
The first Plantagenet kings inherited a blood-soaked realm from the Normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem.
The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century (2011)
Now in paperback, a literary time machine that takes readers into the sights, smells, and tastes of the fourteenth century—a book that is revolutionary in its concept and startling in its portrayal of humanity.The past is a foreign country. This is your guidebook. A time machine has just transported you back into the fourteenth century. What do you see? How do you dress? How do you earn a living and how much are you paid?
A Short History of the Middle Ages, Fifth Edition (2018)
In this newest edition of her bestselling book, Barbara H. Rosenwein integrates the history of European, Byzantine, and Islamic medieval cultures—as well as their Eurasian connections—in a dynamic narrative. The text has been significantly updated to reflect growing interest in the Islamic world and Mediterranean region.
A History of the Middle Ages, 300–1500 (2016)
This clear and comprehensive text covers the Middle Ages from the classical era to the late medieval period. Distinguished historian John Riddle provides a cogent analysis of the rulers, wars, and events—both natural and human—that defined the medieval era. Taking a broad geographical perspective, Riddle includes northern and eastern Europe, Byzantine civilization, and the Islamic states.
The Dark Ages 476-918 A.D. (2017)
Yet Charles Oman shines light upon this frequently forgotten period and explores how even though Rome had fallen and many changes had occurred there were also great continuities. Although Rome may have fallen the Eastern Empire, centered at Constantinople, continued to thrive, in many ways continuing what the Roman Empire had always done since the days of Augustus, but also developing new judicial systems to govern its vast lands as well as encouraging new forms of art and architecture.
A Short History of the Middle Ages, Fourth Edition (2014)
Barbara H. Rosenwein’s bestselling survey text continues to stand out by integrating the history of three medieval civilizations (European, Byzantine, and Islamic) in a lively narrative that is complemented beautifully by 70 full-color plates, 46 maps, and 13 genealogies, many of them new to this edition. The fourth edition begins with an essay entitled “Why the Middle Ages Matter Today,” and the book now covers East Central Europe in some depth.
A History of Medieval Heresy and Inquisition (Critical Issues in World and International History) (2011)
In this concise and balanced survey of heresy and inquisition in the Middle Ages, Jennifer Kolpacoff Deane explores the increasingly bitter encounters between piety, reform, dissent, and the institutional Church between 1100 and 1500.
A History of Medieval Spain (Cornell Paperbacks) (1983)
Medieval Spain is brilliantly recreated, in all its variety and richness, in this comprehensive survey. Likely to become the standard work in English, the book treats the entire Iberian Peninsula and all the people who inhabited it, from the coming of the Visigoths in the fifth century to the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella.
An Environmental History of Medieval Europe (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks) (2014)
As the very first book of its kind, An Environmental History of Medieval Europe provides a highly original survey of medieval relations with the natural world. Engaging with the interdisciplinary enterprise of environmental history, it examines the way in which natural forces affected people, how people changed their surroundings, and how they thought about the world around them.
Best Medieval History Books that Should be on Your Bookshelf
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some medieval history books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Jewish Life in Medieval Spain: A New History
Author(s): Jonathan Ray
ID: 3504594, Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Year: 2023, Size: 5 Mb, Format: pdf
The Medieval Soldier: In the Wars of the Roses
Author(s): Andrew Boardman
ID: 3525364, Publisher: The History Press, Year: 2023, Size: 12 Mb, Format: epub
Networking in Late Medieval Central Europe: Friends, Families, Foes
Author(s): Beata Możejko, Anna Paulina Orłowska, Leslie Carr-Riegel
ID: 3537709, Publisher: Routledge, Year: 2023, Size: 23 Mb, Format: pdf
Please note that this booklist is not absolute. Some books are truly hot items according to The New York Times, others are composed by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant links you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.