Medieval England, 1000 - 1500: A Reader

Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures #6

by Emilie Amt (Editor)

This popular primary source reader spans several centuries in over one hundred documents. In addition to constitutional highlights and standard texts such as the Magna Carta and Froissart's Chronicles, the editors include narrative sources on the lived experiences of an array of historical actors. All sources fit into thematic clusters on the Anglo-Saxon monarchy, lay piety, late medieval commercial life, queenship, and Jewish communities.

The book also features 40 illustrations, a map, and an index of topics. Additional resources, including essay questions, web resources, and a timeline, can be found on the History Matters website (www.utphistorymatters.com).

CONTENTS
Labor and Daily Life from Ælfric of Eynsham’s Colloquy
Anglo-Saxon Wills
Laws of Cnut
Cnut’s Letter to the English People
Praise of Queen Emma
The Life of King Edward Who Rests at Westminster
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle on the Norman Conquest
The Text of the Bayeux Tapestry
Domesday Book
Orderic Vitalis’s Account of His Life
Henry I’s Coronation Charter
Eadmer’s Account of Queen Edith-Matilda
William of Malmesbury on the Civil War between Stephen and Matilda
Gerald of Wales’s Description of Henry II
The Constitutions of Clarendon
The Murder and Miracles of Thomas Becket
Glanville’s Treatise on the Laws and Customs of the Kingdom of England
Jocelin of Brakelond on the Misfortunes of Henry of Essex
Town Charters
William fitzStephen’s Description of London
Thomas of Monmouth’s Life of Saint William of Norwich
Reginald of Durham’s Life of Saint Godric, Hermit of Finchale
The History of William Marshal
John of Salisbury’s Policraticus
Richard of Devizes on the Third Crusade
Letters of Innocent III and King John
Roger of Wendover’s Account of the Rebellion against King John
Magna Carta
Letters of Queen Isabella of Angoulême
Henry de Bracton’s Notebook: Cases from the Royal Courts
The Ancrene Wisse
Thomas of Eccleston on the Coming of the Friars Minor to England
The Baronial Cause: The Song of Lewes
Summonses to Parliament
London Coroners’ Rolls
Manorial Life, from the Hundred Rolls
The Statutes of Merton College, Oxford
Roger Bacon’s Account of His Academic Career
Edward I’s Confirmation of Charters
Correspondence of the Queen with London
The Manner of Holding Parliament
A Chronicle of the Great Famine
The Royal Response to the Famine
Manor Court Rolls
London Craft Guild Ordinances
Urban Environmental Problems and Regulations
Jean Froissart on the Battle of Crécy
Post-Plague Wage and Price Regulations
Chronicle Accounts of the Peasants’ Revolt
A Peasants’ Revolt Trial
Ordinances of the Guild of Saint Katharine at Norwich
Robert Manning of Brunne’s Handlyng Synne
The Deposition of Richard II
Chronicle of the Reign of Henry V
Order of the Pageants of the York Corpus Christi Play
Poems about Raising Children
Apprenticeship Documents
Visitations of Monasteries
A London Chronicle on the Wars of the Roses
The Cely Letters
The Battle of Bosworth
The Rediscovery of Richard III
Polydore Vergil’s Account of Henry VII
An Italian Relation of England

Genres: History, Nonfiction, School, European History

520 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Emilie Amt is the Hildegarde Pilgram professor of history at Hood College in Frederick (MD).

Reviews

[Nathan Balyeat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful collection of medieval documents that, even incomplete and edited, provides useful insight into the history of England and a launching point for further reading. As far as edited collections of historical documents goes, the editorial bias is minimal and the selection seems representative.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides a good stepping stone for research in regards to primary sources, but it would be nice if the sources were accompanied by an introduction, rather then the two sentences that precede the documents now.

[Cerinawithasea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This popular primary source reader spans several centuries in over one hundred documents. In addition to constitutional highlights and standard texts such as the Magna Carta and Froissart's Chronicles, the editors include narrative sources on the lived experiences of an array of historical actors. All sources fit into thematic clusters on the Anglo-Saxon monarchy, lay piety, late medieval commercial life, queenship, and Jewish communities.

The book also features 40 illustrations, a map, and an index of topics. Additional resources, including essay questions, web resources, and a timeline, can be found on the History Matters website ([www.utphistorymatters.com](http://www...).

CONTENTS
Labor and Daily Life from Ælfric of Eynsham’s Colloquy
Anglo-Saxon Wills
Laws of Cnut
Cnut’s Letter to the English People
Praise of Queen Emma
The Life of King Edward Who Rests at Westminster
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle on the Norman Conquest
The Text of the Bayeux Tapestry
Domesday Book
Orderic Vitalis’s Account of His Life
Henry I’s Coronation Charter
Eadmer’s Account of Queen Edith-Matilda
William of Malmesbury on the Civil War between Stephen and Matilda
Gerald of Wales’s Description of Henry II
The Constitutions of Clarendon
The Murder and Miracles of Thomas Becket
Glanville’s Treatise on the Laws and Customs of the Kingdom of England
Jocelin of Brakelond on the Misfortunes of Henry of Essex
Town Charters
William fitzStephen’s Description of London
Thomas of Monmouth’s Life of Saint William of Norwich
Reginald of Durham’s Life of Saint Godric, Hermit of Finchale
The History of William Marshal
John of Salisbury’s Policraticus
Richard of Devizes on the Third Crusade
Letters of Innocent III and King John
Roger of Wendover’s Account of the Rebellion against King John
Magna Carta
Letters of Queen Isabella of Angoulême
Henry de Bracton’s Notebook: Cases from the Royal Courts
The Ancrene Wisse
Thomas of Eccleston on the Coming of the Friars Minor to England
The Baronial Cause: The Song of Lewes
Summonses to Parliament
London Coroners’ Rolls
Manorial Life, from the Hundred Rolls
The Statutes of Merton College, Oxford
Roger Bacon’s Account of His Academic Career
Edward I’s Confirmation of Charters
Correspondence of the Queen with London
The Manner of Holding Parliament
A Chronicle of the Great Famine
The Royal Response to the Famine
Manor Court Rolls
London Craft Guild Ordinances
Urban Environmental Problems and Regulations
Jean Froissart on the Battle of Crécy
Post-Plague Wage and Price Regulations
Chronicle Accounts of the Peasants’ Revolt
A Peasants’ Revolt Trial
Ordinances of the Guild of Saint Katharine at Norwich
Robert Manning of Brunne’s Handlyng Synne
The Deposition of Richard II
Chronicle of the Reign of Henry V
Order of the Pageants of the York Corpus Christi Play
Poems about Raising Children
Apprenticeship Documents
Visitations of Monasteries
A London Chronicle on the Wars of the Roses
The Cely Letters
The Battle of Bosworth
The Rediscovery of Richard III
Polydore Vergil’s Account of Henry VII
An Italian Relation of England