Medieval England

It is England, in the 14th century, a time of plague, political unrest, and the earliest stirrings of the Reformation. The printing press had yet to be invented, and books were rare and costly, painstakingly lettered by hand and illuminated with exquisite paintings. Finn is a master illuminator who works not only for the Church but also, in secret, for John Wycliffe of Oxford, who professes the radical idea that the Bible should be translated into English for everyone to read.

It is after knowing countless women that Don Juan is convinced by the Marquis to keep a diary, and it is here within its pages that he reveals his greatest adventures and the Arts of Passion he mastered. But what finally compels him to confess everything and risk losing his life, livelihood, and honor is the most perilous adventure of all: the irresistible fall into the madness of love with the only woman who could ever make him forget all others.

The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars in England fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1485. As family feuds go, the Wars of the Roses were historically significant in changing the trajectory of power in England. This audiobook tells the compelling story of this tumultuous period in English history in succinct yet informative detail that is both educational and entertaining.

What is sex exactly? Does everyone agree on a definition? And does that definition hold when considering literary production in other times and places? We cannot simply transfer our contemporary notions of what constitutes a sex act into the past and expect them to be true for the people who were then reading literature and watching plays.

The parish, the lowest level of hierarchy in the medieval church, was the shared responsibility of the laity and the clergy. Most Christians were baptized, went to confession, were married, and were buried in the parish church or churchyard; in addition, business, legal settlements, sociability, and entertainment brought people to the church, uniting secular and sacred concerns.

Hiding from a cadaverous stalker in 1046 England, Thorston races to unleash the magical charms from the diabolical Book Without Words. Suddenly, with success almost in his grasp, he slumps to the floor, muttering cryptic words. Newbery Award-winning author Avi adds this jewel to his many literary gems.

In 1144 the mutilated body of William of Norwich, a young apprentice leatherworker, was found abandoned outside the city's walls. The boy bore disturbing signs of torture, and a story spread that it was a ritual murder, performed by Jews, in imitation of the Crucifixion as a mockery of Christianity. The outline of William's tale eventually gained currency far beyond Norwich, and the idea that Jews engaged in ritual murder became firmly rooted in the European imagination.

Was nimmt man, wenn man keinen Fußball zur Hand hat? Im Mittelalter waren es Totenköpfe oder Kuhblasen - toller Roman über die Entstehung des beliebtesten Mannschaftssport der Welt. England, 13. Jahrhundert. Harold, kaum älter als elf, fiebert seinem ersten Fußballmatch entgegen, dem Spiel gegen das Nachbardorf. Sieger soll das Dorf sein, dessen Bewohner es schaffen, die mit Luft gefüllte Kuhblase in die Mitte des anderen Dorfes zu treiben - nur mit den Füßen.

Battles result, blood is spilled, and women are won and lost when William and Thomas return from the crusades and discover that King Richard has ignored his regent's appointment of William and appointed someone else to be the Earl of Cornwall. This is the fourth audiobook in the acclaimed Archers saga set in beautiful and brutal medieval England.

The Archer's Castle is the second book in an exciting action-packed saga set in medieval England during the days of King Richard and King John, prior to the Magna Carta. It is the tale of an English serf who rises to become the captain of a company of archers and leads its survivors as they fight their way back to dangerous and brutal feudal England after King Richard suddenly abandons his crusade - and what happens to him and his archers when they return. Most of the archers do not return as a result of intense fighting, but some of the former serfs and free men do return.

This is an audiobook with four different topics, all related to the history of Great Britain. The topics are the following: Horatio Nelson, one of the most courageous, strategic, valiant British generals in history; the Cathars, who were different from the mainstream Catholic church in the 13th century; the British rule over India; and the Great Fire of London, a massive fire in the ominous year of 1666.

While the bow was used throughout ancient times and the Middle Ages, on mainland Europe it was mostly replaced by the crossbow in the early 13th century. But that would change with the introduction of the longbow; a more powerful weapon than the traditional hunting bows. The original longbowmen were Welshmen recruited by King Edward I of England after he conquered Wales, and the weapon got its name from the fact that it was almost as tall as the man using it. This gave it a longer draw and therefore more force as longbows were generally made of yew, a strong and pliable wood.

About empty thrones, a lot can be said. Throughout history, both ancient and near modern, a lack of an heir and the sudden death of a beloved monarch always meant trouble. When the position of a king is up for grabs, a lot of eager hands come forward. Pretenders and would-be heirs, cousins and nephews, bastard sons and daughters - they all came forward staking their claim to the throne. In the history of Medieval England, such episodes were many.

Mary Stuart was born into a powerful royal dynasty that was at war with the rest of Europe and with itself. Mary’s ascent to the throne was disarmingly easy and she reached adulthood completely unprepared for the plots and betrayals she would be subject to. As the head of a resolutely unstable country, Mary struggled to maintain her grip on the precarious crown on her head and was removed from the throne by an armed rebellion.

Featuring royal residences and aristocratic splendors such as Blenheim Palace and Highclere Castle - the setting for Downton Abbey - this wonderful publication delves into the history of some of Britain's most famous historic houses. Secrets of the Manor House provides a fascinating insight into life at these splendid properties down the centuries and profiles the celebrated personalities who have left their mark on these architectural masterpieces.

This is the classic - and somewhat clichéd - image of the Vikings, and their fearsome reputation was in many respects well deserved, the Norse sagas charting their deeds in all their lurid glory. But over the past century, thanks to a wealth of new archaeological evidence, a much more nuanced picture of the Vikings has emerged, providing profound insights into one of the most astonishing, misunderstood, and adaptable of European civilizations.

Though it's often forgotten today, Robert the Bruce was a bit shiftier, if only out of necessity. Robert the Bruce has become a figure of Scottish national legend, renowned as the man who threw off the shackles of English oppression. Prior to 1306, this Anglo-Scottish nobleman did little to cover himself in glory or to earn a reputation as a hero of the national cause. A member of one of Scotland's leading noble families, Bruce inherited his grandfather's claim to the right to be king of the Scots.

From their very beginnings, England and Scotland fought each other. Emerging as unified nations from the early medieval period, their shared border and related aristocracy created endless causes of conflict. Every century from the 11th to the 16th was colored by such violence, and there were periods when not a decade went by without some act of violence marring the peace. Out of all of this, the most bitterly remembered conflict is Edward I's invasion during the late 13th century.

Pioneers: The Men Who Built Britain spans the centuries, from 17th-century Restoration Britain to the darkest days of World War II, presenting in-depth profiles of some of the characters whose genius as engineers, designers, entrepreneurs and businessmen made Britain great. Sir Christopher Wren, George Stephenson, James Brindley, R.J. Mitchell and Isambard Kingdom Brunel - arguably the greatest engineer in history - all feature in this publication.

This was the 15th century and in this green and pleasant land, numerous players took their chances in the ultimate game. The prize was the throne of England. One figure that was central to the conflict. One figure that still divides opinion today: Richard III. This is his story and the game that he played for the throne of England.