Here you will find suggested reading that covers the broad scope of Medieval and Renaissance history. This will be continued to be updated but please do not hesitate to ask for guidance or particular areas that interest you that you cannot find here. Any book marked with an * means we have a copy available to loan.
Medieval and Renaissance history is vast and it would difficult to incorporate every single area within this list. Here are a few areas that have not been included that we can provide recommendations for:
Invaders and settlers: Anglo Saxons, Vikings
Medieval warfare: siege warfare, development of archery, the Crusades, Hundred Year's war
Religious and social change during the Middle Ages
Davis, R. H. C., and R. I. Moore. (2014). A history of medieval Europe: from Constantine to Saint Louis. Abingdon on Thames: Routledge. - the classic account of the European medieval world; equipping generations to debate diverse historical perspectives and reputations. His book has been important to those who seek to specialise in the medieval period.
Ginzburg, Carlo, John Tedeschi, and Anne Tedeschi. (1980). The cheese and the worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. - The Cheese and the Worms is an incisive study of popular culture in the sixteenth century as seen through the eyes of one man, the miller known as Menocchio, who was accused of heresy during the Inquisition and sentenced to death. Carlo Ginzburg uses the trial records to illustrate the religious and social conflicts of the society Menocchio lived in.
*Hibbert, Christopher (2011) The Borgias. London: Constable - Rodrigo Borgia became Pope Alexander VI in 1492 but the name Borgia became synonymous with corruption, nepotism and greed and became one of the most infamous families in history.
*Hibbert, Christopher (1979). The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici. St Ives: Penguin Books - a classic history on the famous Renaissance family
*Holland, Tom. (2009). Millennium. St Ives: Abacus - Holland argues that there was more more light during the Dark Ages than we first thought.
*Jones, Dan (2015) The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors. London: Faber & Faber. - A comprehensive history of the turbulent wars that tore England in two during the 15th century. See the documentary page for the accompanying documentary.
*Jones, Dan (2017) The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors. London: Head of Zeus Ltd - There are many myths about the Templars, from secret societies to conspiracy theories. Dan Jones looks at how the Templars went from protecting pilgrims en route to Jerusalem to being power players at the heart of European Medieval politics.
*Jones, Micheal (2014) Bosworth: Psychology of a Battle. St Ives: Clays Ltd. - A detailed account of the Battle of Bosworth that saw that the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and the beginning of the Tudors. Jones provides us with a balanced account and not that of the Tudor propaganda that followed the battle.
*Kaufmann, Miranda (2020). Black Tudors: The Untold Story. London: One Word Publications. - Kaufmann reveals some remarkable stories of Africans who lived freely in Tudor England. From a trumpeter at the court of Henry VIII to a black porter who publicly whipped a white Englishman.
MacCulloch, Diarmaid (2004). Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490-1700. St Ives: Penguin Books - Pretty much the definitive book on the European Reformation, a sweeping, detailed and actually readable account of the European Reformation.
*Morris, Marc. (2013). The Norman Conquest. London: Windmill Books. - A very easy to read history on the Norman conquest, richly resourced with primary documents.
*Norwich, John Julius (2017) Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the obsessions that forged Modern Europe. St Ives: Clays Ltd - A short book that covers the reigns of four monarchs considered to be the most powerful men in Europe during the mid 16th century.
*Penn, Thomas (2012) Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England. London: Penguin Books. - An excellent history on the reign of King Henry VII and his establishment of the Tudor dynasty after 30 years of civil war in England. See the documentary page for the accompanying documentary.
Southern, R.W (1993). The Making of the Middle Ages. Bournemouth: Pimlico - An examination of the eleventh and twelfth centuries in western Europe by one of the greatest medievalists of the twentieth century.
*Strathern, Paul (2007) The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance. London: Vintage - One of my favourite books that builds on Hibbert's work on the Medici family. If you enjoy Renaissance art you'll love this book.