Medieval Panorama, With Over 800 Illustrations

Ingeniously organized by topic and thoroughly cross-referenced, this all-embracing book enables the reader to explore and understand every facet of the Middle Ages, an era of breathtaking artistic achievement and religious faith. Covers the entire period from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the Dark Ages to the first flowering of the Renaissance. Over 800 illustrations organized into themed features with authoritative commentaries appealing to every level of readership. Eight chapters explore the full range of medieval life, including - religion; political structure; art; lives, emotions and beliefs of ordinary people; alchemy, magic and witchcraft; astronomy; courtly love and Arthurian romance; the world outside Christendom, and how it interacted with and influenced medieval Europe. Complete with biographies of key personalities, from Charlemagne to Wycliffe, timelines, maps, glossary, gazetteer and bibliography.