Publication
BBC Books (2007), Edition: New Ed, 224 pages
Original publication date
2004-02-05
Collections
Subjects
Description
"Was medieval England full of knights on horseback rescuing fainting damsels in distress? Were the Middle Ages mired in superstition and ignorance? Why does nobody ever mention King Louis the First and Last? And, of couse, those key questions- which monks were forbidden the delights of donning underpants... and did outlaws never wear trousers? Terry Jones and Alan Ereira are your guides to this most misrepresented and misunderstood period, and they point you to things that will surprise and provoke. Did you know, for example, that medieval people didn't think the world was flat? That was a total fabrication by an American journalist in the 19th century. Did you know that they didn't burn witches in the Middle Ages? That was a refinement of the so-called Renaissance. In fact, medieval kings weren't necessarily merciless tyrants and peasants entertained at home using French pottery and fine wine. Terry Jones' MEDIEVAL LIVES reveals Medieval Britain as you have never seen it before - a vibrant society teeming with individuality, intrigue and innovation."… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Othemts
Terry Jones of Monty Python fame is also a medieval scholar and this book is a companion to his BBC documentary history. Each chapter focuses on a different type of person in medieval times from peasant to damsel to outlaw to king. Jones' challenges popular misconceptions of medieval history and
Favorite Passages:
Perhaps the most surprising example of that distinctiveness is that in England, uniquely in Europe, bold robber outlaws were necessary for the effective functioning of the kingdom.
England now had an extraordinary and unique legal structure, entirely invented by an ingenious and desperate monarchy. Its most remarkable feature was the amount of power, however messily administered, it placed in the hands of the local community. English law was quite unlike that on the Continent. There, law was run from above and was based on Church law (canon law) and Roman law. In England, it was totally dependent on a popular understanding of law, and the job of the courts was to enforce ‘common law’. The juries who laid accusations and tried cases were made up of people who supposedly knew what had happened. This meant they consisted very largely of people who were legally in various degrees of servitude. This would have a very striking effect on the development of the law. It meant that the ordinary Englishman, even though he was a villein or even a serf, was familiar with the law and the courts, not as a victim but as a participant in the legal process.
These were not maps. Mappa simply means ‘cloth’ and a mappa mundi is not a ‘map of the world’ but a ‘cloth of the world’. The fact that we have derived our word ‘map’ from these cloths is not the fault of the people of the Middle Ages. If there’s any blame to be apportioned it’s our fault for forgetting where the word comes from. And a cloth of the world had an entirely different purpose from an atlas (a seventeenth-century idea). A mappa mundi is a depiction of the world as a place of experiences, of human history, of notions and knowledge. It’s more like an encyclopaedia. It’s certainly not – and was never intended to be – a chart to be followed by travellers.
In the United States medical treatment is the third highest cause of death (iatrogenic death) after cancer and heart disease. So, despite our undoubted progress in understanding the chemistry and biological structure of the body, and great advances in the techniques of medical intervention, we are not exceeding the achievements of medieval doctors as much as we might expect. In their terms we are doing worse, because the objective of their care was not necessarily to save the body (which would, of course, be wonderful) but to help save the soul by allowing patients to know the hour of their death, and prepare for it. This was itself a genuine medical skill and, again, one that depended on seeing the patient as a human being.
The fact is, there is little reference to genuinely helpless high-born maidens in medieval literature. Perhaps this is not too surprising as the stories were often commissioned by noblewomen, to be read to their friends and family. We do not have enormous knowledge of their lives, but there is enough to show that the lady’s bedchamber was, in many cases, more like a salon, elegantly decorated, where she amused herself entertaining her women friends (generally her retainers, ‘damsels’ married to men of status in her husband’s service) and male visitors, and where they would ‘drink wine, play chess and listen to the harp’.*2 They would also read and be read to – silent reading was regarded as highly suspect, a sign of being antisocial or melancholy, suitable only for scholars.
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turns them on their head with evidence of the period being one of great change with innovation and more opportunity for the lower sorts than typically imagined. It's a well-written guide to the medieval past with doses of humor and lots of historical evidence.Favorite Passages:
Perhaps the most surprising example of that distinctiveness is that in England, uniquely in Europe, bold robber outlaws were necessary for the effective functioning of the kingdom.
England now had an extraordinary and unique legal structure, entirely invented by an ingenious and desperate monarchy. Its most remarkable feature was the amount of power, however messily administered, it placed in the hands of the local community. English law was quite unlike that on the Continent. There, law was run from above and was based on Church law (canon law) and Roman law. In England, it was totally dependent on a popular understanding of law, and the job of the courts was to enforce ‘common law’. The juries who laid accusations and tried cases were made up of people who supposedly knew what had happened. This meant they consisted very largely of people who were legally in various degrees of servitude. This would have a very striking effect on the development of the law. It meant that the ordinary Englishman, even though he was a villein or even a serf, was familiar with the law and the courts, not as a victim but as a participant in the legal process.
These were not maps. Mappa simply means ‘cloth’ and a mappa mundi is not a ‘map of the world’ but a ‘cloth of the world’. The fact that we have derived our word ‘map’ from these cloths is not the fault of the people of the Middle Ages. If there’s any blame to be apportioned it’s our fault for forgetting where the word comes from. And a cloth of the world had an entirely different purpose from an atlas (a seventeenth-century idea). A mappa mundi is a depiction of the world as a place of experiences, of human history, of notions and knowledge. It’s more like an encyclopaedia. It’s certainly not – and was never intended to be – a chart to be followed by travellers.
In the United States medical treatment is the third highest cause of death (iatrogenic death) after cancer and heart disease. So, despite our undoubted progress in understanding the chemistry and biological structure of the body, and great advances in the techniques of medical intervention, we are not exceeding the achievements of medieval doctors as much as we might expect. In their terms we are doing worse, because the objective of their care was not necessarily to save the body (which would, of course, be wonderful) but to help save the soul by allowing patients to know the hour of their death, and prepare for it. This was itself a genuine medical skill and, again, one that depended on seeing the patient as a human being.
The fact is, there is little reference to genuinely helpless high-born maidens in medieval literature. Perhaps this is not too surprising as the stories were often commissioned by noblewomen, to be read to their friends and family. We do not have enormous knowledge of their lives, but there is enough to show that the lady’s bedchamber was, in many cases, more like a salon, elegantly decorated, where she amused herself entertaining her women friends (generally her retainers, ‘damsels’ married to men of status in her husband’s service) and male visitors, and where they would ‘drink wine, play chess and listen to the harp’.*2 They would also read and be read to – silent reading was regarded as highly suspect, a sign of being antisocial or melancholy, suitable only for scholars.
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LibraryThing member Nickelini
Some people have the most spectacular careers. Terry Jones has had two: star of Monty Python's Flying Circus and medieval scholar. Terry Jones' Medieval Lives is the second book of his I've had the pleasure to read (The other was the physically beautiful Who Murdered Chaucer?). This is what I think
I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but the book is a companion to a BBC series of the same name. There are a few clips on YouTube, and they look even better than the book. I will definitely order the series on DVD.
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they call "popular history," in that it's written to entertain a lay audience and not for academic study. That does not mean it's simplistic, and nor is it written for a beginner of medieval history. This is good stuff, lots of interesting--occasionally funny--information presented in a readable format. I particularly liked his medieval myth-busting of silly and erroneous things we've been led to believe about people in the middle ages (things like they believed the world was flat.)I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but the book is a companion to a BBC series of the same name. There are a few clips on YouTube, and they look even better than the book. I will definitely order the series on DVD.
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LibraryThing member Greatrakes
This is a coffee table book based on the BBC Series. I am an avid consumer of popular histories, the sort that history purists would shudder to read. This is a pretty good spin off book, not as good as the Simon Schama books, but nicely illustrated, well structured and full of interesting facts.
My
Terry Jones is a champion of the Medieval period and thinks it has been much maligned by Renaissance enthusiasts. He makes his case well - see the chapter on Medieval science.
Favourite fact from the book, King Louie The First, where is he in all the history books? What happened to him? - airbrushed out, that's what.
My
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favourite chapter covered knights and chivalry, a complete medieval invention, based on popular Arthurian romances, but disguised a brutal set of hired killers with no real scruples or sense of honour. The myth itself generated a set of touring jousters, whose tournament battles, over time, became to be as realistic as as World Wrestling Federation bouts. Terry Jones is a champion of the Medieval period and thinks it has been much maligned by Renaissance enthusiasts. He makes his case well - see the chapter on Medieval science.
Favourite fact from the book, King Louie The First, where is he in all the history books? What happened to him? - airbrushed out, that's what.
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LibraryThing member Simon1265
NO one makes history more fun than Jones!
LibraryThing member meggyweg
I've seen the Medieval Lives TV series and this is just as good, though each contains information not found in the other. This is serious history, but Terry Jones, being Terry Jones, is able to insert plenty of humor. Highly recommended for high school and college classrooms, and for anyone
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interested in medieval history. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shuffy2
Monty Python's Terry Jones is not just funny--- he's actually smart too! ;)
Terry Jones and Alan Ereira do a great job of presenting "Medieval Lives" in layman’s terms while at the same time being informative and entertaining. Each chapter is broken down by a particular social order, whose
It is informative and funny, a perfect way to impart information to a 21st century audience! It is perfect for actual historians or even just fans of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', myself falling under both categories, I would lean more towards people who have an affinity toward the time period. It is history with a fun twist!
Terry Jones and Alan Ereira do a great job of presenting "Medieval Lives" in layman’s terms while at the same time being informative and entertaining. Each chapter is broken down by a particular social order, whose
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viewpoint offers crucial insights into life during the Medieval period. It is informative and funny, a perfect way to impart information to a 21st century audience! It is perfect for actual historians or even just fans of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', myself falling under both categories, I would lean more towards people who have an affinity toward the time period. It is history with a fun twist!
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LibraryThing member TheInvernessie
It was alright, just alright. I expected it to be a much easier read to be honest. I viewed the programme on this book prior to reading it, and I'm very glad I did. The show was far better than the book. It felt too choppy.
LibraryThing member sloopjonb
Too much anecdata, too much opinion presented as fact, without backup, and too many weak jokes shoehorned in. Meh.
LibraryThing member TempleCat
I focused on the medieval period when I was getting my Master's degree, reading many of the primary sources (Domesday Book, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, etc.), but none of it gave me the high-level view of what the period was like - I was smothered in particularity. Terry Jones' book, however,
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provides that general view that I was missing. It does cover some details, often of a humorous incident, but it really concentrates on exposing the underlying economic, political and religious motives and events behind the myths of chivalry and knights and daring-do, all while providing a good look at what the lives of the common man and woman were like. Highly recommended. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0563522755 / 9780563522751
Physical description
240 p.; 5 inches
Pages
240