ROGUES, REBELS AND MAVERICKS OF THE MIDDLE AGES

Medieval society was rigid in its control over people, from the peasant who was practically owned by the lord of the manor, to the nobleman and even the king who all had serious restrictions and obligations. And for women of all social classes as well there was little opportunity for improvement in whatever situation they were placed in. This book looks at some of those who did not fit easily into the model their society dictated. Some were rebels, some eccentrics, some downright villains and manipulators. The tale of a dedicated hermit browbeaten into becoming pope contrasts with a monk who took to outlawry and piracy, and the many marauders who were despoiled or harmed as they went, often according to whomever licensed them to do to. We discover an intelligent young widow forced to support her family as a professional writer when most women were even denied a basic education in a gentler tale. From Vlad the Impaler and Tomas de Torquemada to Eustace the Monk and Reynald of Châtillon, some figures from the Middle Ages stand out and their stories simply beg to be told. These mini biographies are remarkable. Spanning the Norman Conquest and the Hundred Years War, the Wars of the Roses and the beginnings of European discovery of the wider world, these colourful stories bring to life different aspects of society, such as chivalry, peasant revolts, crusading, heresy, sorcery and philosophy. 16 pages of colour and other photos and maps and a beautiful frontispiece of the Psalter depicting and early Wheel of Fortune c.1240. 320pp.