The Middle Ages Unlocked by Gillian Polack and Katrin Kania
I have a habit of picking up very solid historical information books about the middle ages and reading them from cover to cover. It is a slightly questionable technique, especially since some of them are VERY information dense, but I have great fun doing it. As you can see in the image above I used a lot of sticky notes.
The Middle Ages Unlocked was awesome, really informative and jam packed with every type of information you could possibly need about medieval England 1050-1300. The time period you choose for a medieval nonfiction book is very important because there are huge changes that happened over what is quite a large period. This was the first one I’ve read where it considered both Jewish and Christian communities as well as slavery in the middle ages, two things I have never seen much info about. There is even information about measuring things! In conclusion, The Middle Ages Unlocked was very readable, sorted into handy sections and filled with information. If you want information on this time period, this is the book for you.
I’m not sure what else I can say about this without it getting repetitive, so instead I’m going to throw some facts at you from different sections that you can surprise your family with (if you so wish.)
Rich and Poor, High and Low
Rich and well-born people were supposed to be happy and look happy, regardless of their state, as happiness was considered attractive.
The Middle Ages Unlocked
From Cradle to Grave
Pain was often considered an essential part of Christian death because it was thought to be the deserved punishment for sins.
The Middle Ages Unlocked
Death and Taxes You Cannot Avoid
Outlawry meant that the person was considered outside the law and thus had no legal protection from others.
The Middle Ages Unlocked
Crossroads of the Mind
The vast majority of magic practices were considered part of daily life or religious belief and were not regarded as sorcerous.
The Middle Ages Unlocked
Babies were ideally bathed one to three times a day.
The Middle Ages Unlocked
Written and Spoken Words
Dragons were generally considered to be oversized snakes, with wings, a tail, feet and sharp talons.
The Middle Ages Unlocked
