Daily Life in Medieval Times

by Frances Gies, Joseph Gies

A Vivid, Detailed Account of Birth, Marriage and Death; Food, Clothing and Housing; Love and Labor in the Middle Ages
Daily Life in Medieval Times is a fully-illustrated edition of the classic and popular books of history and anthropology by Frances and Joseph Gies - Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval City and Life in a Medieval Village.

This book takes readers into the fascinating world of medieval life through historic pictures, period illustrations and detailed text that describes everything from castle-storming techniques to villagers' hair styles.

Three real medieval places - a castle in Chepstow on the Welsh border, the city of Troyes in the country of Champagne and the village of Elton in the English East Midlands - are the jumping - off point for this thorough exploration of 13th and 14th century life in Europe.

The authors use recent archeloogical discoveries and historic and contemporary documents in conjunction with diagrams and dramatic photographs to give readers a full understanding of what it was truly like to live 700 years ago.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Reference, Medieval History, Research, Historical

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Frances and and her husband Joseph Gies were historians and writers who collaborated on a number of books about the Middle Ages as well as wrote individual works.

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book four of my writing research.

This is such a good instructional guide to life in the medieval times. Each page is packed with information and imagery that is displayed in such a way as to draw the eye and keep the reader entertained. Also, the tone wasn't as dusty and dry, as I had expected, which heightened my reading enjoyment. A broad spectrum of topics are covered, and much detail is given on every one of them.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun read.

I always want more illustrations in books, especially when medieval manuscripts are concerned, and this book had plenty. It was fantastic.

The content was good, and edited in an accessible way. This isn't a "textbook" or any sort of comprehensive history. Rather, I think it was meant for people who already have a solid background in the history, but are looking for more anecdotes, factoids, and "flavor" to add some life to the historical info.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those who know and love the Gies' Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval Village, and Life in a Medieval City will be thrilled with this glorious illustrated volume. Every word of the original three books is here, with additional archaeological and historical information and an abundance of color photos and illustrations. I can't imagine a more informative, entertaining or complete book on Medieval Europe. Highly recommended for ages 14 through adult.

[Marie Fouhey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually 3 books since it contains editions of Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval City and Life in a Medieval Village. The third book about life in the village is the most interesting because it discusses life in the later middle ages when universities were being developed, trade was increasing and a middle class was developing. The first book focused a lot on warfare as could be expected from a book on castles and wandered all over Europe. The 2nd book concentrated on one village in England and the third on one city in France and both were easier to follow than the first. Its interesting to see how some things that we take for granted, such as weddings taking place in church, developed over time and were a way for the church to try and control behavior since many rural weddings consisted of only of "a kiss and a promise". I also found it interesting that medieval schools were still primarily teaching Latin and the students were expected to memorize and quote from the classics and the bible. The craftsmen who were buildng the cathedrals had knowledge of geometry and business men used arabic numerals, but none of this entered the school curriculum. The books are interesting but can be hard to read since they contain so much detail on so many subjects over such a long period of time.

[Pedro Pascoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beloved trilogy of 'Daily Life' books putting the reader at ground level in the Middle Ages in a castle, a village and a city. Part (or rather, Book) One was actually a re-read for me, as I'd purchased it separately a number of years back and read it. Oddly enough, this so-called illustrated edition featured less illustrations than the single edition I have, and the illustrations were less relevant to the text as a while. Which makes me wonder whether it's worth tracking down the other 2 books individually to see the impact of their illustrations.
I'm a sucker for medieval histories that plunge the reader into the daily lives of folk. The only criticisms I would have of these books, in particular the book on City life was a) that it was too short and b) the chapter on thearter was heavily reliant on re-telling mostly one play and didn't really have much to say otherwise. Apart from that, and the aforementioned more general nature of the otherwise lush illustrations throughout the book. this has been a delightful reading romp.
The city book in particular, concentrating on Troyes as it does, did rather shape my next choice for medieval reading.

[Evenstar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, impeccably researched, informative, lovely pictures and very enjoyable.

[Roberta Molyneux · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is well researched, offering snippets from period writings depicting daily life during the Middle Ages. Highly enjoyable and informative!

[Bishop Juneblood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first Frances Gies book I read, and it is still my favorite one!

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love simple overviews of complex subjects. Medieval history is convoluted with debate (when did it actually start? Which characters are purely fictional and which are rooted in reality? Was the Catholic church totally evil, or did it do necessary good?). However, books like this breaks it down to the basic facts: festivals, dress, customs, aka: daily life. Is a great refresher, and would be a fun read before a trip to Europe.

[Janet Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beast of a book (in a good way). Picked it up for free, decided to read the first chapter before cutting it up, now I'm saving it as valuable reference material! Footnoted and sourced insanely thoroughly, I'm sure you could teach a class (or write a novel) around the sheer amount of FACT here.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise, and yet as complete as they can be in a book that doesn't go on for a thousand pages, Gies and Gies give you an overview of Medieval life that complements their other two books that I have read (Life in a Medieval City and Medieval Marriage) beautifully.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed on tumblr. Dates approximate, and I think I'd read at least one of the component volumes previously.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched. Excellent chapter notes, general bibliography, and index. The authors' subtitle sums up this most excellent reference book perfectly: A vivid, detailed account of birth, marriage and death, food, clothing and housing; love and labor in Europe of the Middle Ages.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye opener I read for background on a course I'm taking on the middle ages--I look forward to it as I do to a novel, immersing...

[katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly not quite what I needed, but that's not the book's fault.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

not fascinating, but useful.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covers just about everything.

[Lisa]

Daily Life in Medieval Times: A Vivid, Detailed Account of Birth, Marriage and Death; Food, Clothing and Housing; Love and Labor in the Middle Ages by Frances Gies (1999)

[Geoff Sebesta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkably satisfying and well-organized. Though it all feels like familiar knowledge, it is good to have it all in one book. If you need a book with this sort of title, this is a very good one.

[Imaan]

good book love it

[Evenstar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Daily Live in Medieval Times" is a wonderful history book on the numerous facets of medieval life. It is full of glorious pictures and art work. From birth to grave, this well researched text combines the thoroughness and depth of a school text with the delight and inspiration of a novel without being one. This is one of the best books on medieval history I have come across. Only downside is the size of the book. It is heavy and huge so you won't be carrying it on a plane. :)