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The Middle Ages: A Graphic History
The Middle Ages: A Graphic History busts the myth of the ‘Dark Ages’, shedding light on the medieval period’s present-day relevance in a unique illustrated style.
This history takes us through the rise and fall of empires, papacies, caliphates and kingdoms; through the violence and death of the Crusades, Viking raids, the Hundred Years War and the Plague; to the curious practices of monks, martyrs and iconoclasts. We’ll see how the foundations of the modern West were established, influencing our art, cultures, religious practices and ways of thinking. And we’ll explore the lives of those seen as ‘Other’ – women, Jews, homosexuals, lepers, sex workers and heretics.
Join historian Eleanor Janega and illustrator Neil Max Emmanuel on a romp across continents and kingdoms as we discover the Middle Ages to be a time of huge change, inquiry and development – not unlike our own.
This history takes us through the rise and fall of empires, papacies, caliphates and kingdoms; through the violence and death of the Crusades, Viking raids, the Hundred Years War and the Plague; to the curious practices of monks, martyrs and iconoclasts. We’ll see how the foundations of the modern West were established, influencing our art, cultures, religious practices and ways of thinking. And we’ll explore the lives of those seen as ‘Other’ – women, Jews, homosexuals, lepers, sex workers and heretics.
Join historian Eleanor Janega and illustrator Neil Max Emmanuel on a romp across continents and kingdoms as we discover the Middle Ages to be a time of huge change, inquiry and development – not unlike our own.
176 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2021
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1887 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
September 11, 2021
The Middle Ages: A Graphic History is a fascinating introduction to an interesting millennium of history by medieval historian Eleanor Janega who specialises in, amongst other topics, social history. She also hosts the 'Going Medieval' series on History Hit TV and runs a popular blog of the same name on intersections between medieval history and pop culture. Janega tells us about the Eurocentric and Italian ways that history has been told, seeing the very concept of time periods as an Italian, imperial kind of ‘infomercial’. The idea of the middle ages, she explains, is defined by the so-called collapse of the Roman Empire at its start and the rise of the Italian Renaissance at its end. It is a period rooted in claims of origin for so many modern nations, as seen by the English fixation on 1066. We also hear about how modes of travel and movement defined this period, from its roads and horses to its shipping lines and sailing logistics, and Janega discusses who does and doesn’t belong in this period, detailing a series of ‘others’, from women to Jews to queers. Not only does she focus on the key happenings and figures of this period, but she also looks at what life was like for the people living on societies margins.
Like today the elite made up only a small percentage of the population and the vast majority of the population of medieval Europe were peasants or craftspeople. Other groups were forced to the very edge of society such as sex workers, leppers, jews and immigrants. But as Janega has found, there is a surprising amount to be discovered about these marginalised groups. What has emerged calls into question many of our assumptions and preconceptions about life in the middle ages. This is a compelling and interesting graphic history that constructs a generalised conception of what society looked like in late medieval Europe and the Holy Roman Empire specifically as well as the Near East. Written in a fun, engaging and accessible manner, this is a superb book targeted at a popular history audience and easily draws you in to often challenging topics by being conversational and entertaining. Recognised as an authority on Central European history, she specialises in the subjects of medieval history, social history, sexuality, eschatology, propaganda, empire, cities, sex work, preaching, Antichrist, the Apocalypse and time, and you learn a wealth of intriguing information in a few short hours. Highly recommended.
Like today the elite made up only a small percentage of the population and the vast majority of the population of medieval Europe were peasants or craftspeople. Other groups were forced to the very edge of society such as sex workers, leppers, jews and immigrants. But as Janega has found, there is a surprising amount to be discovered about these marginalised groups. What has emerged calls into question many of our assumptions and preconceptions about life in the middle ages. This is a compelling and interesting graphic history that constructs a generalised conception of what society looked like in late medieval Europe and the Holy Roman Empire specifically as well as the Near East. Written in a fun, engaging and accessible manner, this is a superb book targeted at a popular history audience and easily draws you in to often challenging topics by being conversational and entertaining. Recognised as an authority on Central European history, she specialises in the subjects of medieval history, social history, sexuality, eschatology, propaganda, empire, cities, sex work, preaching, Antichrist, the Apocalypse and time, and you learn a wealth of intriguing information in a few short hours. Highly recommended.
January 13, 2022
It's an ok introduction to Medieval History. It does dispell some of the myths about the era. However I would have preferred less of the cartoony drawings and more examples of actual artwork from those eras. The biggest problems with the book though are glaring factual errors concerning defining theological ideas, which of the 10 commandments were used to argue for those ideas, misspelled words, typographical errors, and a dismissive tone towards the contributions of women waved away with an we're sexist and then ending with we can do better. The lack of ensuring factual accuracy on things I know about and clear lack of editing makes me question how much of the history for parts I don't know much about is accurate in this book.
May 10, 2021
Note: an e-copy of this book was gifted to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“The Middle Ages are still very much a part of our world. Ignoring them means ignoring ourselves.”
This book pleasantly surprised me. I studied History at University, specialising in the medieval period, and came to this book expecting it to be typically derivative - it is not. While structured mainly chronologically, The Middle Ages: A Graphic History provides a nuanced look at the political, cultural, and religious themes of the period. It was refreshing, too, to recenter the period in Central Europe - I.e. Italy, France, and Germany - when England is usually focused on. Particularly in the UK, our education of the medieval period focuses almost entirely on the British Isles when, as the book notes, they played a very small role in the politics of the time. Britain is given an inflated sense of its importance, due primarily to the later influences of its colonialism dominating scholarship retrospectively.
Some of my favourite figures cropped up, which I found delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed the case study of Charlemagne and the pages on Alcuin and the Carolingian Renaissance; the tale of Peter Abelard will never fail to make me giggle; even my dissertation inspiration, Boethius, made a brief appearance! But, I also came across things I had never heard of - I will definitely be looking into the defenestration of Prague!
Janega critically analyses the different sectors of society, divisions of wealth, gender, religion, and sexual orientation, extolling the virtues of studying the period and comparing it to today’s society. She combines all this with a dry sarcastic humour that had me smiling throughout. This book was incredibly well researched but made approachable and easy to read. I will definitely be recommending this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about the medieval period.
Emmanuel’s illustrations pair beautifully with the writing, striking a nostalgic note in the style as reminiscent of the Horrible Histories books. However, Emmanuel’s work has clearly been inspired by medieval examples, the figures and their settings familiar to any who has studied the period. They provide the perfect accompaniment; a modern interpretation of medieval marginalia.
“The Middle Ages are still very much a part of our world. Ignoring them means ignoring ourselves.”
This book pleasantly surprised me. I studied History at University, specialising in the medieval period, and came to this book expecting it to be typically derivative - it is not. While structured mainly chronologically, The Middle Ages: A Graphic History provides a nuanced look at the political, cultural, and religious themes of the period. It was refreshing, too, to recenter the period in Central Europe - I.e. Italy, France, and Germany - when England is usually focused on. Particularly in the UK, our education of the medieval period focuses almost entirely on the British Isles when, as the book notes, they played a very small role in the politics of the time. Britain is given an inflated sense of its importance, due primarily to the later influences of its colonialism dominating scholarship retrospectively.
Some of my favourite figures cropped up, which I found delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed the case study of Charlemagne and the pages on Alcuin and the Carolingian Renaissance; the tale of Peter Abelard will never fail to make me giggle; even my dissertation inspiration, Boethius, made a brief appearance! But, I also came across things I had never heard of - I will definitely be looking into the defenestration of Prague!
Janega critically analyses the different sectors of society, divisions of wealth, gender, religion, and sexual orientation, extolling the virtues of studying the period and comparing it to today’s society. She combines all this with a dry sarcastic humour that had me smiling throughout. This book was incredibly well researched but made approachable and easy to read. I will definitely be recommending this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about the medieval period.
Emmanuel’s illustrations pair beautifully with the writing, striking a nostalgic note in the style as reminiscent of the Horrible Histories books. However, Emmanuel’s work has clearly been inspired by medieval examples, the figures and their settings familiar to any who has studied the period. They provide the perfect accompaniment; a modern interpretation of medieval marginalia.
June 19, 2024
¿Hace mucho que fuiste al instituto y no recuerdas muchas de las cosas que decían en clase de historia? ¿O estas Interesado en la historia medieval, pero no sabes muy bien qué leer para ahondar más en el tema? ¿Te gustan las novelas gráficas con un toque humorístico? ¿Eres fan de los videos tipo “Destripando la Historia? Si la respuesta a todas estas preguntas es si, “La Edad Media: Una Historia Gráfica” es tu libro. O por lo menos uno a tener muy en cuenta para leer en un futuro.
La medievalista Eleanor Janega y el dibujante Neil Max Emmanuel unen fuerzas y esfuerzos para traernos un ameno e interesante repaso al ositos más importantes de este extenso e interesante. Periodo histórico: desde sus inicios hasta su final (spoilers: los historiadores no tienen muy claro donde empieza y acaba el medievo, todas esas hipótesis se reflejan en el libro) pasando por los hechos históricos más relevantes de esos diez siglos, un repaso en el que tienen lugar los cambios sociales e histórico que se produjeron, las ideas conceptuales, filosoficas y estilísticas y los descubrimientos e investigaciones que se fueron sucediendo durante estos años, su evolución histórica y, por supuesto, los hechos más destacados y trascendentales de esa época.
El resultado es un ensayo gráfico muy interesante y útil. Si lo que buscas es refrescar conocimientos (como era mi caso) sobre que es exactamente eso de la “edad media” y cuáles fueron los acontecimientos más destacados que tuvieron lugar en ella. Porque si lo que buscas es un libro de texto que te descubra cosas nuevas o adonde en conocimientos previos, siento decirte que es mejor que busques en otra parte. El tomo no busca más que ser un somero, pero interesante repaso de la Edad Media, así que eres historiador has leído y estudiado mucho del tema, su lectura no va a aportarte nada nuevo.
El libro está organizado en diferentes capítulos, y cada uno se ocupa de un aspecto o situación histórica concreta. Las secuencias están ordenados de una manera muy coherente. Así empezamos hablando de lo que es La Edad Media, para continuar con sus inicios históricos y seguir centrándonos en su sociedad. Con muy buen criterio se ha utilizado una prosa ágil y directa, enfocada en los datos a exponer. Unos datos que analizan la historia, sociedad, religión, estatus sociales, arte, política y filosofía y cultura de la Europa de esos siglos. Algo que me ha sorprendido para bien es que se ponga más el foco en el Sacro Imperio Germánico, Oriente y la Península Ibérica que en Inglaterra. No sé vosotros, pero yo muchas veces cuando pienso en Edad Media me centro más en lo que pasó en Inglaterra en esta época, pero como se señala en el libro realmente esta nación no fue especialmente importante durante esos año o relevante. También me ha gustado mucho que se ponga en foco en las diversas teorías de los historiadores sobre qué acontecimiento marca el final de este periodo, convención especial a la toma de Granada por parte de los Reyes Católicos y a los Husitas. En la mayoría de libros que he leído sobre el tema, se suele finiquitar el medievo con la caída de Constantinopla, y esto me ha parecido muy interesante.
Porque realmente lo que buscan los autores de este tomo es acercar una época llena de prejuicios y estereotipos en el pensamiento moderno al lector actual, acercar a nuevas generaciones a lo que supuso la edad media en la historia y desempolvar viejos prejuicios. Demostrando que estamos ante unos años efervescentes en todos los sentidos, escenarios de cambios vibrantes de todo tipo y condición, protagonizados por unas sociedad en muchas ocasiones muy alejadas de la idea de oscurantismo, prejuicios, y religiosidad excerbada que se nos vienen a la cabeza cuando pensamos en el medievo. Y también nos sirve para ilustrar la heterogeneidad que había dentro del mundo medieval, según la época y el lugar en el que pongas la mirada. No era una época que se basase simplemente en la típica tónica que estudiamos en los institutos de vetustos castillos habitados por reyes y nobles, campos trabajados por siervos que vivían en condiciones de simiesclavitud, iglesias y conventos que controlaban la mentalidad de la época y un todopoderoso papá que desde Roma se autoproclamaba como guía de las almas de toda la cristiandad. La Edad M no edia era un mosaico, lleno de colores, texturas, diferencias y en constante movimiento. Fue una época apasionante, de la cual el hombre moderno es absolutamente heredero directo, incluso aunque ahora le parezca que es un contexto muy alejado y diferente de su realidad en casi todos los sentidos. Pero esas influencias son más que evidentes en nuestra sociedad actual si se sabe cómo rastrearlas. Aunque sea simplemente, porque la mayor parte de las naciones actuales tienen sus orígenes durante estos siglos. Y esa es una enseñanza que creo que los autores consiguen mostrar con total eficacia durante toda la lectura. Por eso me parece muy interesante para estudiantes de institutos y de la que los docentes pueden sacar cosas de cara a impartir clases.
En el apartado visual, hay que reconocer que los dibujos de Neil Max Emmanuel se acercan mucho a las ilustraciones de los códices medievales, pero con un puntito actual y muy personal que las hacen muy accesibles al lector moderno. El que el propio trabajo de edición muchas veces imite esos manuscritos también ayuda mucho. Son un perfecto acompañamiento para los diferentes gag , ilustraciones y viñetas a modo de cómic que jalonan todo el texto y que aportan una visión humorística y cercana del medievo. Son chistes ácidos y con muchas referencias a los tiempos modernos, que obviamente un lector medieval no reconocería ni por asomo, pero que para el actual resulta muchas veces desternillantes, y que consiguen sacarle la sonrisa. Una mezcla entre modernidad e historia que casa perfectamente y no resulta nada anacrónica. Me ha parecido una forma muy ingeniosa de enseñar, ya que conecta lo antiguo con lo moderno, y el llevar acabo todas estas uniones mentales facilita que se te queden todos los datos y hechos que vas leyendo, enseñando de una manera muy agradable y ágil.
En lo personal, a mí quizás el libro se me ha quedado un poco corto en cuanto a información. Pero reconozco que como toma de contacto con la Edad Media es una fuente bastante importante, y que también me ha ayudado, como he señalado antes, a refrescar ciertas nociones que tenía un poco olvidadas.
La medievalista Eleanor Janega y el dibujante Neil Max Emmanuel unen fuerzas y esfuerzos para traernos un ameno e interesante repaso al ositos más importantes de este extenso e interesante. Periodo histórico: desde sus inicios hasta su final (spoilers: los historiadores no tienen muy claro donde empieza y acaba el medievo, todas esas hipótesis se reflejan en el libro) pasando por los hechos históricos más relevantes de esos diez siglos, un repaso en el que tienen lugar los cambios sociales e histórico que se produjeron, las ideas conceptuales, filosoficas y estilísticas y los descubrimientos e investigaciones que se fueron sucediendo durante estos años, su evolución histórica y, por supuesto, los hechos más destacados y trascendentales de esa época.
El resultado es un ensayo gráfico muy interesante y útil. Si lo que buscas es refrescar conocimientos (como era mi caso) sobre que es exactamente eso de la “edad media” y cuáles fueron los acontecimientos más destacados que tuvieron lugar en ella. Porque si lo que buscas es un libro de texto que te descubra cosas nuevas o adonde en conocimientos previos, siento decirte que es mejor que busques en otra parte. El tomo no busca más que ser un somero, pero interesante repaso de la Edad Media, así que eres historiador has leído y estudiado mucho del tema, su lectura no va a aportarte nada nuevo.
El libro está organizado en diferentes capítulos, y cada uno se ocupa de un aspecto o situación histórica concreta. Las secuencias están ordenados de una manera muy coherente. Así empezamos hablando de lo que es La Edad Media, para continuar con sus inicios históricos y seguir centrándonos en su sociedad. Con muy buen criterio se ha utilizado una prosa ágil y directa, enfocada en los datos a exponer. Unos datos que analizan la historia, sociedad, religión, estatus sociales, arte, política y filosofía y cultura de la Europa de esos siglos. Algo que me ha sorprendido para bien es que se ponga más el foco en el Sacro Imperio Germánico, Oriente y la Península Ibérica que en Inglaterra. No sé vosotros, pero yo muchas veces cuando pienso en Edad Media me centro más en lo que pasó en Inglaterra en esta época, pero como se señala en el libro realmente esta nación no fue especialmente importante durante esos año o relevante. También me ha gustado mucho que se ponga en foco en las diversas teorías de los historiadores sobre qué acontecimiento marca el final de este periodo, convención especial a la toma de Granada por parte de los Reyes Católicos y a los Husitas. En la mayoría de libros que he leído sobre el tema, se suele finiquitar el medievo con la caída de Constantinopla, y esto me ha parecido muy interesante.
Porque realmente lo que buscan los autores de este tomo es acercar una época llena de prejuicios y estereotipos en el pensamiento moderno al lector actual, acercar a nuevas generaciones a lo que supuso la edad media en la historia y desempolvar viejos prejuicios. Demostrando que estamos ante unos años efervescentes en todos los sentidos, escenarios de cambios vibrantes de todo tipo y condición, protagonizados por unas sociedad en muchas ocasiones muy alejadas de la idea de oscurantismo, prejuicios, y religiosidad excerbada que se nos vienen a la cabeza cuando pensamos en el medievo. Y también nos sirve para ilustrar la heterogeneidad que había dentro del mundo medieval, según la época y el lugar en el que pongas la mirada. No era una época que se basase simplemente en la típica tónica que estudiamos en los institutos de vetustos castillos habitados por reyes y nobles, campos trabajados por siervos que vivían en condiciones de simiesclavitud, iglesias y conventos que controlaban la mentalidad de la época y un todopoderoso papá que desde Roma se autoproclamaba como guía de las almas de toda la cristiandad. La Edad M no edia era un mosaico, lleno de colores, texturas, diferencias y en constante movimiento. Fue una época apasionante, de la cual el hombre moderno es absolutamente heredero directo, incluso aunque ahora le parezca que es un contexto muy alejado y diferente de su realidad en casi todos los sentidos. Pero esas influencias son más que evidentes en nuestra sociedad actual si se sabe cómo rastrearlas. Aunque sea simplemente, porque la mayor parte de las naciones actuales tienen sus orígenes durante estos siglos. Y esa es una enseñanza que creo que los autores consiguen mostrar con total eficacia durante toda la lectura. Por eso me parece muy interesante para estudiantes de institutos y de la que los docentes pueden sacar cosas de cara a impartir clases.
En el apartado visual, hay que reconocer que los dibujos de Neil Max Emmanuel se acercan mucho a las ilustraciones de los códices medievales, pero con un puntito actual y muy personal que las hacen muy accesibles al lector moderno. El que el propio trabajo de edición muchas veces imite esos manuscritos también ayuda mucho. Son un perfecto acompañamiento para los diferentes gag , ilustraciones y viñetas a modo de cómic que jalonan todo el texto y que aportan una visión humorística y cercana del medievo. Son chistes ácidos y con muchas referencias a los tiempos modernos, que obviamente un lector medieval no reconocería ni por asomo, pero que para el actual resulta muchas veces desternillantes, y que consiguen sacarle la sonrisa. Una mezcla entre modernidad e historia que casa perfectamente y no resulta nada anacrónica. Me ha parecido una forma muy ingeniosa de enseñar, ya que conecta lo antiguo con lo moderno, y el llevar acabo todas estas uniones mentales facilita que se te queden todos los datos y hechos que vas leyendo, enseñando de una manera muy agradable y ágil.
En lo personal, a mí quizás el libro se me ha quedado un poco corto en cuanto a información. Pero reconozco que como toma de contacto con la Edad Media es una fuente bastante importante, y que también me ha ayudado, como he señalado antes, a refrescar ciertas nociones que tenía un poco olvidadas.
May 5, 2023
This was much more detailed than I expected! The illustrations are amusing, sometimes quite beautiful, but occasionally the text in them is too small and the gags a bit obscure. Janega takes us on much more than a mere whistle stop tour of around 900 years of history, centered on Europe unfortunately, but free of the conservative eurocentric attitude. I'll have to look for other books for more about the rest of the world in this period, but Janega does fill us in a bit about the Arab world where relevant. I've also discovered a new historical villain, Prince Henry the Navigator, originator of the sub-Saharan slave trade to Europe. Eff that guy.
April 27, 2021
Want to know more about the Middle Ages? That elusive time in history that nobody seems to know about? Then look no further!
I’m sure everyone can give it a good guess when it comes to the question of ‘what are the medieval times’ but this book will go a long way to showing you how wrong you are! There is so much to this period of history - spanning over 1000 years (I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t even know how long the medieval period lasted for before this book!)
I learnt so much after reading this, and it’s delivered in such a fantastic and entertaining way to read. With the illustrations and the way the information is delivered to the reader, it really makes for an effortless and thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. I loved the varying layout and the accompanying pictures to the main text.
From the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Middle Ages, this book goes through several foundational pillars of key events and happenings during this time. Including the formation of religions, creation of the universities, wars and crusades, marginalised people of the times and of course - the Black Death.
I loved how it’s written - so accessible and interesting and not overly intimidating, it’s very informative and I can guarantee that you will come away having learnt a fair few things about the Middle Ages!
Thank you to the author and publishers for an advanced copy of this, in return for my honest thoughts and review.
I’m sure everyone can give it a good guess when it comes to the question of ‘what are the medieval times’ but this book will go a long way to showing you how wrong you are! There is so much to this period of history - spanning over 1000 years (I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t even know how long the medieval period lasted for before this book!)
I learnt so much after reading this, and it’s delivered in such a fantastic and entertaining way to read. With the illustrations and the way the information is delivered to the reader, it really makes for an effortless and thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. I loved the varying layout and the accompanying pictures to the main text.
From the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Middle Ages, this book goes through several foundational pillars of key events and happenings during this time. Including the formation of religions, creation of the universities, wars and crusades, marginalised people of the times and of course - the Black Death.
I loved how it’s written - so accessible and interesting and not overly intimidating, it’s very informative and I can guarantee that you will come away having learnt a fair few things about the Middle Ages!
Thank you to the author and publishers for an advanced copy of this, in return for my honest thoughts and review.
June 12, 2022
I have long been fascinated by all things medieval. So when I stumbled upon this book, I knew I needed to read it. This book is a fascinating introduction to an often overlooked time period. I appreciated that the author, a medieval historian, wrote this book to debunk the idea so many have about the "dark ages." And don't be scared off by the fact that it is a graphic novel! I'd say this is more of a hybrid between a typical book and a graphic novel - there are illustrations in comic format, but the bulk of the book is text. However, it's very readable and the illustrations are very fun!
You can read my full review here: http://historybookbybook.com/The_Midd...
You can read my full review here: http://historybookbybook.com/The_Midd...
November 10, 2022
Muy interesante y ameno de leer. Plantea un recorrido por la Edad Media desde un enfoque geopolítico aunque eurocéntrico y diacrónico (pero con interesantes apuntes sobre la sociedad, las formas de amar, etc.). Destaco, aparte de las viñetas (que en algún momento realmente me han hecho reír), el esfuerzo en desmentir que fuera una época oscura, en primer lugar, y, asimismo, la conciencia de la autora a la hora de trasladarnos al momento actual para demostrarnos que algunas cosas no han cambiado tanto como nos pensamos.
April 26, 2023
şahane grafiklerle desteklenmiş, temel seviyede güzel bir ortaçağ tarihi kitabı.
October 3, 2024
My tour around the medieval world continues! This was a great summary book over the whole era and had some great illustrations!
July 30, 2022
Solid high level overview, I recommend this one to everyone. Very good - incredible!
February 23, 2022
I found the first 50 pages really frustrating--it felt like the names of people and places were flying at me hard and fast, with almost no contextualizing information. I kept wishing I had an index of names--they'd mention someone, and it was clear I should know who that was because they probably already mentioned them several pages ago, but there had been 83 other names in the meantime, so I sure didn't remember who tf they were.
Throughout the book, there were insufficiently labeled maps and text that could've used a bit of editing. Also, while the illustrations were generally quite good and fun (loved the medieval art style), they were often JUST for fun, didn't at all help sort out the complexities the text was trying to convey; I appreciate that they were trying to keep things light, but again, that meant a lot of missed opportunities for improved clarity. (On page 132, the pile of bones that wants to be but absolutely is NOT a bar graph was so egregious as to just tick me right off.)
The pace picked up later on--maybe because there was more story/detail to actually stick in my brain, or maybe just because the names and places became a little more familiar? Overall, I liked what this was trying to do, but I wish it had done it better.
Throughout the book, there were insufficiently labeled maps and text that could've used a bit of editing. Also, while the illustrations were generally quite good and fun (loved the medieval art style), they were often JUST for fun, didn't at all help sort out the complexities the text was trying to convey; I appreciate that they were trying to keep things light, but again, that meant a lot of missed opportunities for improved clarity. (On page 132, the pile of bones that wants to be but absolutely is NOT a bar graph was so egregious as to just tick me right off.)
The pace picked up later on--maybe because there was more story/detail to actually stick in my brain, or maybe just because the names and places became a little more familiar? Overall, I liked what this was trying to do, but I wish it had done it better.
March 9, 2022
I wasn't entirely certain what to expect with this book, but what I got was a very pleasant surprise.
Graphic History is a really apt descriptor. This is a history told, in part, through drawings - but it is still a very intense and interesting history. This is the most accessible book of medieval history that I've come across so far. The writing isn't dry, but instead takes on a conversational tone that lends itself to long bouts of reading. The humor throughout the book makes it easier to follow and helps the facts stick a bit longer in your mind.
The book does an excellent job of contextualizing the importance of medieval history and how views of it have changed over time. It illuminates some of the ongoing debates and difficulty of the study of this time period as well, while also being remarkably helpful in dissuading the reader of some of the less helpful myths that continue to be perpetuated. I.e. that the Dark Ages are unimportant, that British history is the only one that matters, etc.
So, all in all, an excellent source with an intriguing bibliography. I dearly hope more ends up being released - this is a great team.
Graphic History is a really apt descriptor. This is a history told, in part, through drawings - but it is still a very intense and interesting history. This is the most accessible book of medieval history that I've come across so far. The writing isn't dry, but instead takes on a conversational tone that lends itself to long bouts of reading. The humor throughout the book makes it easier to follow and helps the facts stick a bit longer in your mind.
The book does an excellent job of contextualizing the importance of medieval history and how views of it have changed over time. It illuminates some of the ongoing debates and difficulty of the study of this time period as well, while also being remarkably helpful in dissuading the reader of some of the less helpful myths that continue to be perpetuated. I.e. that the Dark Ages are unimportant, that British history is the only one that matters, etc.
So, all in all, an excellent source with an intriguing bibliography. I dearly hope more ends up being released - this is a great team.
November 11, 2022
A brief and breezy overview of thousand years of history; delving into what medieval means and the many ways it all came to an end.
August 24, 2025
4☆
It was so entertaining and really easy to get through! Plus the illustrations were out of this world!
It was so entertaining and really easy to get through! Plus the illustrations were out of this world!
May 6, 2024
A light academic look at the roughly 1100 years of world history between the Ancient and Modern periods, with a heavy Eurocentric focus on Europe, west Asia, and north Africa. It's a lot of ground to cover in 170 pages.
Not really a graphic novel, more an illustrated history text. Janega hits all of the obvious highlights: William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings. The Great Schism. Charlemagne. The Viking Age. The Crusades. The Black Death. The Hundred Years War and Joan of Arc. The fall of Constantinople.
But she finds time for less obvious, still fascinating topics. What historians mean by Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. Pogroms. What life was like for women. The birth of universities. Relations between Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities. The rise of cities. The four humors. Chivalry.
Won't be particularly satisfying if looking for something meaty but it made for an excellent non-ponderous, high-level introduction to the period.
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SECOND READ
That is just a fun, informative, accessible read with a high benefit-to-cost ratio, and despite the lightness it manages to delve into popular misconceptions about the Middle Ages and even substantive points of academic disagreement. For what it is, it's worthy of five stars.
Not really a graphic novel, more an illustrated history text. Janega hits all of the obvious highlights: William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings. The Great Schism. Charlemagne. The Viking Age. The Crusades. The Black Death. The Hundred Years War and Joan of Arc. The fall of Constantinople.
But she finds time for less obvious, still fascinating topics. What historians mean by Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. Pogroms. What life was like for women. The birth of universities. Relations between Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities. The rise of cities. The four humors. Chivalry.
Won't be particularly satisfying if looking for something meaty but it made for an excellent non-ponderous, high-level introduction to the period.
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SECOND READ
That is just a fun, informative, accessible read with a high benefit-to-cost ratio, and despite the lightness it manages to delve into popular misconceptions about the Middle Ages and even substantive points of academic disagreement. For what it is, it's worthy of five stars.
January 5, 2022
The Middle Ages is barely a graphic history, as the subtitle suggests, but don't you dare let that stop you from reading it. The minimal graphics on each page are largely for chuckles - the text is the real star here.
Historian Eleanor Janega gives the history and historiography of the Middle Ages, explaining what happened, but also how our perception of what happened has changed. For a history nerd like me, this is pure catnip. Janega also makes a point of covering the entire European continent, not just England, and she also notes that the term "Middle Ages" doesn't really apply in places like the Middle East and China since they were actually thriving at this time. (And, to be clear, parts of Europe were thriving too. "Dark Ages" is a misnomer.)
Despite covering such a huge range of time, places, and people, the narrative flow in The Middle Ages is superb. It's honestly hard to put down! I especially appreciated the quartet of endings, as there's never any clear delineation in history of when a period ended and another began. Also, shout-out to Janega's teardown of the "Renaissance." Did she need to tie Middle Ages affairs into Bush and Trump on the last page? Probably not, but the rest of the book is solid gold.
Historian Eleanor Janega gives the history and historiography of the Middle Ages, explaining what happened, but also how our perception of what happened has changed. For a history nerd like me, this is pure catnip. Janega also makes a point of covering the entire European continent, not just England, and she also notes that the term "Middle Ages" doesn't really apply in places like the Middle East and China since they were actually thriving at this time. (And, to be clear, parts of Europe were thriving too. "Dark Ages" is a misnomer.)
Despite covering such a huge range of time, places, and people, the narrative flow in The Middle Ages is superb. It's honestly hard to put down! I especially appreciated the quartet of endings, as there's never any clear delineation in history of when a period ended and another began. Also, shout-out to Janega's teardown of the "Renaissance." Did she need to tie Middle Ages affairs into Bush and Trump on the last page? Probably not, but the rest of the book is solid gold.
June 28, 2021
Underwhelming. It becomes clear pretty quickly that this history of the Middle Ages is dispiritingly conventional. While the medium is somewhat insouciant and playful, the content is an exercise in hidebound, academic box-checking. Personally, I felt the absence of a competent (or influential) copy editor on almost every page. Why was this book created? I don’t know. There’s certainly a desire to inform (in a general sense) that runs throughout, but the purpose of the endeavor seems to stop there. The author, Eleanor Janega, apparently specializes in the more quotidian aspects of Medieval life (and has a distinct and creative authorial voice in other formats)—so it was surprising that this history focused mainly on the power politics of invasions, schisms, and court drama. That said, it was a decent refresher on the Middle Ages writ large; and it was a quick read.
Read
May 1, 2023A quick and easy, theme-park walkthrough of the middle ages. The writing style might be a little too ‘pop’ at times, but eh, it works just fine for me. In fact, the book’s more jovial tone seems to work well in elevating a lot the feuds and absurdity of that era into something comical.
So, what about the middle ages? I feel like my interest on the oft misunderstood era really reignited the past year due to there having been so many interesting sources online on historical Europe. Also, there’s a lot of second-hand pleasure to be had from actual historians (including Janega herself) dunking on dumbass RETVRN types on twitter.
This book, as it is more introductory than anything, intrigued me on a couple of things in particular:
The history of the papacy is a fun one. It’s an interesting example of how being producers of knowledge was one of the more important basis for the early papacy to establish its power with the Liber Pontificalis. It was full of colorful characters and interesting arcs too, my favorite being the King Phillip vs the Papacy arc and the Great Schism arc. The origins of the Franciscan order were also fascinating, that they were basically welcomed (or set up) for Rome to assuage the masses that have become disillusioned with the church’s lavish lifestyle.
Early academia is one that I’ve not much prior knowledge about, and learned a lot of stuff that were actually pretty funny. The fact that it originates from the clergy, and that it provides legal protection to its students akin to how the military tend to have their own court in modern days is kinda hilarious, since this was ostensibly necessary because students were pretty much frat-house debate-me types those days. They would get into trouble in towns, and they can’t be tried in a normal court. I guess this makes sense when pretty much only more well-to-do men were able to enter academia back then. The book also made parallels between philosophers at that time (like Abelard) to how we have superstar scientists and physicists nowadays (like Neil deGrasse Tyson). Which also makes sense, because they’ve both have some unsavory history with women (though perhaps Abelard is much better on that front).
All in all, I really liked this book. There’s a whole bunch of stuff you might have not previously known about the middle ages that might actually pique your interest. There’s crusades (too many of them, if you’d ask me), religions that popped up here-and-there, a whole chapter on how society treated minorities like prostitutes, homosexuals, heretics, etc etc. I wished there were more discussion on more mundane topics, like how the peasantry live or about food, but it is what it is I guess.
Tangents
- Read this to take a break from reading Zoltan Dienes’ book. That’s a tough one.
- Man, I’m still on the fence about playing Pentiment, there’s too many releases on my calendar, but this book really made me want to immerse myself on some monastic shit.
October 13, 2023
Five stars for ye! What an absolutely delightful treasure. I picked this up at my local library with low expectations... and was richly rewarded. I learned so much. The narrative voice is humorous and relaxed, the artwork evokes the Medieval period while being fun and irreverent. This book is a true pleasure.
I especially liked learning about monasteries and was able to use that knowledge to make a very amusing social media post (well I had fun making it, but it also amused me). The gist of it was that monasteries were one of The Church's original business units. I was able to incorporate a lot from this book! I may even use one or two more things I learned from this book for future posts!
Would highly recommend.
I especially liked learning about monasteries and was able to use that knowledge to make a very amusing social media post (well I had fun making it, but it also amused me). The gist of it was that monasteries were one of The Church's original business units. I was able to incorporate a lot from this book! I may even use one or two more things I learned from this book for future posts!
Would highly recommend.
January 6, 2023
A positively romp-y guide through Medieval history with my favorite historian (ok, she ties with Georges Duby) Eleanor Janega as a guide and some really great illustrations by Neil Max Emmanuel.
I absolutely ought to have changed majors with that first epic Medieval European History course my first semester of freshman year of college, but alas I did not. More fool I. This is an overview and not too specific but I liked visiting the major characters and movements again, this time with more laughter than happened in Prof Barker’s classes.
I want to lend this to people but actually I am afraid it won’t come back and that would be tragic. Get your own copy, friends and relations.
I absolutely ought to have changed majors with that first epic Medieval European History course my first semester of freshman year of college, but alas I did not. More fool I. This is an overview and not too specific but I liked visiting the major characters and movements again, this time with more laughter than happened in Prof Barker’s classes.
I want to lend this to people but actually I am afraid it won’t come back and that would be tragic. Get your own copy, friends and relations.
March 26, 2025
This struck me as disjointed, but I think it's because I needed A LOT more context than space provided. I'm sure it all made sense to the historian who wrote it, but she already knew the backstory. I could barely remember who was invading who.
The pictures illustrated the text but didn't add any additional information—except for the maps, which I could have gone for on every page! I wonder if this is easier for Europeans to follow.
I guess one thing I learned is that the only reason for the term "Dark Ages" is that not a lot of source material survived from the early medieval period.
The pictures illustrated the text but didn't add any additional information—except for the maps, which I could have gone for on every page! I wonder if this is easier for Europeans to follow.
I guess one thing I learned is that the only reason for the term "Dark Ages" is that not a lot of source material survived from the early medieval period.
January 23, 2022
Well written, with many well-known facts, which amateurs will appreciate, but even from my non-expert position, I can say that many vital facts were unnecessarily left out.
The formatting is excellent and the illustrations are beautiful and well executed, but I don't understand the useless and sometimes naive sense of humor that doesn't bring as much to the book.
I kind of enjoyed it, anyway.
The formatting is excellent and the illustrations are beautiful and well executed, but I don't understand the useless and sometimes naive sense of humor that doesn't bring as much to the book.
I kind of enjoyed it, anyway.
May 5, 2022
This was a lot of fun. At times it read like a Horrible Histories book for adults, especially given the amazing illustrations, and I think it's great at getting the point across that the middle ages are a lot more nuanced and impactful on the modern world than people might realize.
Read
August 25, 2024DNF
it started off pretty good, but dude if you're gonna cover 1000 years of history you're gonna HAVE to add in some timelines and maps, because about halfway through I was absolutely lost as to what the hell was going on where and when and with who
it started off pretty good, but dude if you're gonna cover 1000 years of history you're gonna HAVE to add in some timelines and maps, because about halfway through I was absolutely lost as to what the hell was going on where and when and with who
November 2, 2021
A fun basic explanation of the Medieval Era. It touches on a lot without ever getting too detailed. It’s also pretty humorous. Perfect for people that know nothing about the era!
June 9, 2022
This was an excellent overview. I really enjoyed the writing style and the graphics were interesting and hilarious
May 24, 2023
Muy recomendable, enseña sobre la edad media pero de un modo muy entretenido. Tanto para jovenes como adultos
August 18, 2023
I read this to hype myself up for this crusades class I'm taking. It did the trick! Now I'm obsessed with Abelard and Hildegard.
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