The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World

by Andrew Jotischky, Caroline Hull

The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World traces the development of peoples, cultures, and faiths between the coming of the barbarian invasions in the fourth century and the first voyages to the New World in the sixteenth. This colorful atlas illustrates the sweeping changes from the fall of the Roman Empire to the birth of Islam, the rise of Christianity, and the role of Judaism across Europe. Packed with vivid maps and photographs, this atlas is a perfect guide to Europe and its neighbors in the Middle Ages.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Reference, European History, Medieval History, School

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2005

About the author

Professor Andrew Jotischky is a professor at Bowland College, Lancaster University,
United Kingdom. His interests are centered on medieval religious beliefs, traditions and practices, and on religious institutions. I write about medieval monasticism, including mendicant orders; the Crusades and the Crusader States; interactions between Latin and Greek Orthodox Christendom; pilgrimage; food and diet in the Middle Ages.

Dr. Jotischky's work has been funded by the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overall view of many events that made European history. Great for when you need a general view instead of in depth.

[Macha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half stars. this successor to Colin McEvedy's iconoclastic New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History is a disappointment. abandoning the chronological and wideangle-lensed viewpoint of the McEvedy in favour of a return to the conventional thematic organization has yielded a less brilliant and less comprehensive view of the period. it fails to capture not only the nature and extent of external and internal invasions of Europe during this period, but also changes in population, the Church, and especially trade. it concentrates greatly on the 1000-1300 period in history, giving only cursory attention to the remainder of this long era. it seems to sanitize the effect of both the religious schisms and the political objectives of the Catholic Church during the medieval period. it concentrates lopsidedly on English and French history. and it inexplicably ends with a section on the "first voyages to the New World" without ever mentioning the earlier Viking voyages. even on culture (which McEvedy basically ignores) this volume is oddly spotty, perhaps as a result of opting for the thematic closeup format rather than taking a chronological and comprehensive narrative line.

[James Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book for pulling together the threads of history that get so confused in the Middle Ages. It has a whole bunch of 2 page articles with associated maps, explaining events from the Byzantine empire to the Baltic’s. As normal for the standard view of history - it over-emphasizes the impact of the western Roman Empire over the Eastern Roman Empire but still gives the links.

[Don Siegrist · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely organized overview of the European Middle Ages. One or two page briefs on various countries, issues or trends. Excellent source to gain a basic understanding of this interesting historical era.

[Breana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in the mood for nonfiction. So, when I saw that my library had a copy of The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World, I knew I wanted to read it. I liked this book. It was an interesting read. This book was all about a wide range of Medieval History with photos and maps detailing territories, borders, and routes relevant to the time period; individual and dynastic reigns; and so forth. It was divided into four parts: The Early Middle Ages, The Revival of Europe, Latin Europe and its Neighbors, and The Late Middle Ages. It covered everything from castles, economy, early universities, towns, and the expansion as well as the evolving role between the “spiritual and secular authority” in accordance to the shifts of power throughout the Middle Ages. Given that it was an “atlas”, the information was presented in a profile-like format consisting of an average of one to two pages. However, because of this format, parts of the book felt a little redundant to me. While there was a wide range of subjects covered, the information was limited in a sense and never delved as far into the history as it could have. That being said, I understand why, because the book was relatively short. It was also a good way to get introduced to subjects I can look further into later on.

Overall, The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World was an interesting read. If you’re looking for somewhere to start with medieval history, then consider giving this one a try...

This review was also posted on my blog, Our Thoughts Precisely

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated with the Medieval world/time period, but now that I've found out that I'm directly descended from the Plantagenet kings of England, this book is all the more interesting for me to read!!!!

[David Withun · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Jeroen Van de Crommenacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice maps and pictures. A very cursory and Europe centred introduction to the period.