The middle ages: a graphic history pdf

The Middle Ages: A Graphic History busts the myth of the 'Dark Ages', shedding light on the medieval period's present-day relevance in a unique illustrated style.

Table of Contents Show

What are 5 things the Middle Ages are known for?
What are the 3 major sections of the Middle Ages?
What is a short summary of the Middle Ages?
What is the main idea of the Middle Ages?

This history takes us through the rise and fall of empires, papacies, caliphates and kingdoms; through the violence and death of the Crusades, Viking raids, the Hundred Years War and the Plague; to the curious practices of monks, martyrs and iconoclasts. We'll see how the foundations of the modern West were established, influencing our art, cultures, religious practices and ways of thinking. And we'll explore the lives of those seen as 'Other' - women, Jews, homosexuals, lepers, sex workers and heretics.

Join historian Eleanor Janega and illustrator Neil Max Emmanuel on a romp across continents and kingdoms as we discover the Middle Ages to be a time of huge change, inquiry and development - not unlike our own.

The Middle Ages: A Graphic History busts the myth of the 'Dark Ages', shedding light on the medieval period's present-day relevance in a unique illustrated style.

This history takes us through the rise and fall of empires, papacies, caliphates and kingdoms; through the violence and death of the Crusades, Viking raids, the Hundred Years War and the Plague; to the curious practices of monks, martyrs and iconoclasts. We'll see how the foundations of the modern West were established, influencing our art, cultures, religious practices and ways of thinking. And we'll explore the lives of those seen as 'Other' – women, Jews, homosexuals, lepers, sex workers and heretics.

Eleanor Janega is a medieval historian specialising in social history. She is a lecturer at London School of Economics, hosts the 'Going Medieval' series on History Hit TV and runs a popular blog of the same name on intersections between medieval history and pop culture.

Neil Max Emmanuel is an illustrator who worked for 10 years on the TV show Time Team. He illustrated a children's book, History Hunters: Saxon Gold, and is currently making medieval art for a historical computer game.

'Suddenly the Middle Ages make coherent sense, plus nifty cartoons and some good gags!'Sir Tony Robinson

'Dr. Janega brings her expertise to bear, dispelling myths about the Dark Ages; spilling all the details about the rise and fall of cities, states, and empires; and introducing readers to an eclectic cast of characters from history (including some rather naughty saints). … Black-and-white illustrations by Emmanuel, drawn in a mix of modern and medieval styles, add humor and useful context to the text. … this comic offers an enjoyable, comedic entryway into understanding the Middle Ages.'Booklist

'A lovely breeze through a millennium of history … It's a lot of fun.'Five Books

'Precise, informative, digestible and witty … It all adds up to an utterly essential volume for history buffs, whether they're diving into the medieval period for the first time or just brushing up on a few things.'

Eleanor Janega has penned a new book about medieval history in the medium of a graphic novel. Here she talks about creating that book.

I am absolutely delighted to have the chance to tell you about my new book The Middle Ages: A Graphic History which is out now on Icon press. The initial idea for the book came after a friend of mine, Meg John Barker wrote their own Queer: A Graphic History for Icon and I was really struck by what a great medium it was for teaching history. I have always loved graphic novels, and since I am sadly unable to write fiction this was a great opportunity to get myself on to a comic shelf.

Other than wish fulfillment, The Middle Ages exists to let people who may not have had the opportunity to get a solid grounding in medieval history because it isn’t widely taught. The book itself is set up to mimic my first-year Middle Ages survey courses. It covers the thousand plus years of the medieval period, beginning with an introduction to what the era is – a time between the ancient period and our own modern world – and showing what the major social, political, and theological movements that define it are.

It covers, among other themes: the theoretical “fall” of the Roman Empire, the rise of the church, the reemergence of cities, agricultural developments, monastic movements, the Crusades, as well as artistic and architectural movements. However, the book doesn’t just focus on great men and big things, it also includes groups that are often sadly left out of the historical record including Jewish people, queer people, sex workers, and women. The idea was to make it clear that the medieval period wasn’t just a series of rich men talking to and warring with each other, but a complex time with a society every bit as multi-layered as our own.

Of course, what makes The Middle Ages really special is the fact that it is very much a graphic history. My amazing illustrator, Neil Max Emanuele, did an incredible job bringing the history to life with his pictures. We worked together to use real medieval art as guides so that the illustrations would make sense in context, while Neil also worked to stretch the boundaries of how that might work for a modern audience. The result is hundreds of gorgeous pieces of art that I think really help emphasise the fact that studying the medieval period might be complex, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun.

When we were working on The Middle Ages we were envisioning an audience of adults, and that is still true, but I am hearing from more and more parents of savvy twelve-year-olds who really enjoyed it “even though it was obviously written for grown-ups.” We are really proud to have made something that works for all ages, and that allows interested audiences to come to grips with the medieval period in a fast and fun way.

I hope you pick up a copy and really enjoy it.

You can learn more about the book from Icon Books

You can also buy this book The Middle Ages: A Graphic History from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Eleanor Janega is a historian specialising in late medieval sexuality, apocalyptic thought, propaganda, and the urban experience in general, and in central Europe more particularly. She is the host of Going Medieval on HistoryHit and has her own website, also called Going Medieval. You can follow Eleanor on Twitter @GoingMedieval

What are 5 things the Middle Ages are known for?

The Middle Ages, lasting from the 5th century to 1485, are best known for their violent revolts and revolutions, gruesome punishments, feasting and fetes, gallant knights and fairytale princesses.

What are the 3 major sections of the Middle Ages?

The Middle Ages was the period between the 5th and 15th centuries, starting at the collapse of the Roman Empire. This time can be split into three main sections: The Early Middle Ages, High Middle Ages, and Late Middle Ages.

What is a short summary of the Middle Ages?

The Middle Ages was the period in European history from the collapse of Roman civilization in the 5th century CE to the period of the Renaissance (variously interpreted as beginning in the 13th, 14th, or 15th century, depending on the region of Europe and other factors).

What is the main idea of the Middle Ages?

The Middle Ages was defined by a Feudal system in much of Europe. This system consisted of kings, lords, knights, vassals, and peasants. The people who were part of the church played an important part too. When a person was born into a certain group, they rarely moved to another level.