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What is History?
What is Medieval History?
Since its first publication in 2007, John H. Arnold's What is Medieval History? has established itself as the leading introduction to the craft of the medieval historian.
What is it that medieval historians do? How - and why - do they do it? Arnold discusses the creation of medieval history as a field, the nature of its sources, the intellectual tools used by medievalists, and some key areas of thematic importance from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Reformation. The fascinating case studies include a magical plot against a medieval pope, a fourteenth-century insurrection, and the importance of a kiss exchanged between two tenth-century noblemen. Throughout the book, readers are shown not only what medieval history is, but the cultural and political contexts in which it has been written.
This anticipated second edition includes further exploration of the interdisciplinary techniques that can aid medieval historians, such as dialogue with scientists and archaeologists, and addresses some of the challenges - both medieval and modern - of the idea of a 'global middle ages'.
What is Medieval History? continues to demonstrate why the pursuit of medieval history is important not only to the present, but to the future. It is an invaluable guide for students, teachers, researchers and interested general readers.
What is it that medieval historians do? How - and why - do they do it? Arnold discusses the creation of medieval history as a field, the nature of its sources, the intellectual tools used by medievalists, and some key areas of thematic importance from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Reformation. The fascinating case studies include a magical plot against a medieval pope, a fourteenth-century insurrection, and the importance of a kiss exchanged between two tenth-century noblemen. Throughout the book, readers are shown not only what medieval history is, but the cultural and political contexts in which it has been written.
This anticipated second edition includes further exploration of the interdisciplinary techniques that can aid medieval historians, such as dialogue with scientists and archaeologists, and addresses some of the challenges - both medieval and modern - of the idea of a 'global middle ages'.
What is Medieval History? continues to demonstrate why the pursuit of medieval history is important not only to the present, but to the future. It is an invaluable guide for students, teachers, researchers and interested general readers.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 2008
8 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
John H. Arnold
23 books15 followersJohn Hugh Arnold (born 1969) is a British historian. Since 2016, he has been the Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge. He previously worked at Birkbeck College, University of London, where he specialised in the study of medieval religious culture. He has also written widely on historiography and why history matters.
Born 28 November 1969, Arnold received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in medieval studies from the University of York. He was professor of medieval history at Birkbeck College, University of London, from 2008. He joined the college as a lecturer in 2001. Before that he was a lecturer at the University of East Anglia. He is a member of the Social History Society and the Medieval Academy of America.
Arnold specialises in the study of medieval religious culture, saying that while he has never been a believer in any religion, "belief" has always fascinated him. In his work he asks "Why do people believe the things they believe? What does 'believing' really mean in practice?" Arnold has also written widely about historiography. In 2008 he wrote a policy paper, Why history matters - and why medieval history also matters, for History & Policy.
Born 28 November 1969, Arnold received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in medieval studies from the University of York. He was professor of medieval history at Birkbeck College, University of London, from 2008. He joined the college as a lecturer in 2001. Before that he was a lecturer at the University of East Anglia. He is a member of the Social History Society and the Medieval Academy of America.
Arnold specialises in the study of medieval religious culture, saying that while he has never been a believer in any religion, "belief" has always fascinated him. In his work he asks "Why do people believe the things they believe? What does 'believing' really mean in practice?" Arnold has also written widely about historiography. In 2008 he wrote a policy paper, Why history matters - and why medieval history also matters, for History & Policy.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 17, 2017
This is an engaging and very useful book. It's thoughtful and passionate assessment of what medieval history as a field does, both methodologically and socially. Arnold's treatment of primary and secondary sources is thoughtful and lucid; I could easily imagine using this in an upper-level undergraduate class, or as first-week reading in an introductory graduate seminar.
Arnold begins by questioning what we (imagined as a general public) think we know about the Middle Ages and how the Middle Ages are portrayed, and giving a brief history of historiographical trends and methods. Arnold points out that defining “the Middle Ages” will and must always be tendentious, and that engaging with the question of periodization critically is part of our work as scholars. Each of the central three chapters deals with a different theme: sources, interdisciplinary influences, and scholarly debates.
As a currently-practicing medievalist, I found the first and last chapters particularly interesting, as in them, Arnold reflects on the practice (and uses) of medieval history as inherently tendentious, and also as a potentially vital public practice. Almost a decade after the book's publication, the need for questioning "the medieval" in public discourse is more pressing than ever.
Arnold begins by questioning what we (imagined as a general public) think we know about the Middle Ages and how the Middle Ages are portrayed, and giving a brief history of historiographical trends and methods. Arnold points out that defining “the Middle Ages” will and must always be tendentious, and that engaging with the question of periodization critically is part of our work as scholars. Each of the central three chapters deals with a different theme: sources, interdisciplinary influences, and scholarly debates.
As a currently-practicing medievalist, I found the first and last chapters particularly interesting, as in them, Arnold reflects on the practice (and uses) of medieval history as inherently tendentious, and also as a potentially vital public practice. Almost a decade after the book's publication, the need for questioning "the medieval" in public discourse is more pressing than ever.
February 6, 2011
This is a delightful, no-nonsense conversation about, oddly enough, what medieval history is. Arnold's voice is incredibly conversational, easy to understand, and funny, which is a delight in any book, especially scholarly ones. Each chapter starts with a little vignette of some sort that he continues as an illustration of his point, which makes all of the chapters really easy to follow. And the last chapter, his justification of being a medievalist, is so good I'm going to retype some of it for you:
"Around the time I began writing this book, we had some wood delivered in order to make book shelves. As I helped the delivery man unload the timber, he asked me what I did for a living. 'Medieval history,' I said. 'Oh,' he replied. 'Right....Much call for that, is there?'
"Despite his doubtful tone, the question rather pleased me. It implied the possibility of an artisanal approach to studying the middle ages--a jobbing medieval historian called in to fix a particular kind of problem, implicitly standing alongside other skilled trades." (p. 119)
If you're at all curious about the topic, read this. It's very good.
"Around the time I began writing this book, we had some wood delivered in order to make book shelves. As I helped the delivery man unload the timber, he asked me what I did for a living. 'Medieval history,' I said. 'Oh,' he replied. 'Right....Much call for that, is there?'
"Despite his doubtful tone, the question rather pleased me. It implied the possibility of an artisanal approach to studying the middle ages--a jobbing medieval historian called in to fix a particular kind of problem, implicitly standing alongside other skilled trades." (p. 119)
If you're at all curious about the topic, read this. It's very good.
February 15, 2018
A warm and engaging introduction to the current interdisciplinary methods that are shaping and extending the way in which historians are uncovering the intricacies of the period from 500-1500. Arnold's passion for his subject shines through in every sentence and it's impossible not to swept up in his enthusiasm - with academics like this at the forefront, the future of Medieval Studies is looking good.
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June 22, 2024One of my new favorite things is seeing medievalists very desperately babble on about how their time-period is actually really nothing like how we tend to view it, defending the middle ages with all their might.
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June 2, 2025Definitely recommend if you're interested!
August 8, 2021
I really enjoyed Arnold’s observations in this book. It prompted me to think about aspects of medieval history which I had never even considered before. Arnold’s exploration of historical research methods was also wonderful and certainly something which could be of great use to researchers. I most enjoyed the section which explored history’s interdisciplinary nature - particularly history’s relationship with texts, whether they be literary or not. Towards the end, I felt it was droning on a little, but I did enjoy the last section which explored the importance of medieval history today.
October 21, 2025
3.5 stars, good overview (though not as good as the what is cultural history book), but I did miss some things
October 12, 2022
medieval history is good to think with
June 11, 2020
I'm not a historian but I don't know how you could introduce a discipline any better. This is a well-written and engaging work that taught a general interest reader like me a lot.
August 28, 2012
This is not a book about the history of the Middle Ages, but on how can contenporary historians get a glimpse of that age. It shows how our knowledge of the Middle Age is sometimes biased by current political and social ideas, and how the very idea of a "middle time" between ages has been constructed by different generations of historians. Splendid.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews