Suggested Reading and Media Resources

• Bartlett, Robert. England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 1075–1225. 2000. An excellent synthesis of social, cultural, and political history in highly readable prose.
• Edgington, Susan B., and Sarah Lambert, eds. Gendering the Crusades. 2002. Articles that look at the roles of men and women.
• Holt, J. C. Magna Carta, 2d ed. 1992. The authoritative study of the Magna Carta.
• Kaeuper, Richard W. Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe. 2006. Examines the role chivalry played in promoting violent disorder.
• Karras, Ruth M. From Boys to Men: Formations of Masculinity in Late Medieval Europe. 2002. Explores the way boys of different social groups were trained in what it meant to be a man; designed for students.
• Lambert, Malcolm. Medieval Heresy: Popular Movements from the Gregorian Reform to the Reformation, 3d ed. 2000. Analyzes the development and suppression of heresy over several centuries.
• Lawrence, C. H. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. 1988. Provides a solid introduction to monastic life as it was practiced.
• Madden, Thomas. The New Concise History of the Crusades. 2005. A highly readable brief survey by the pre-eminent American scholar of the Crusades.
• Moore, R. I. The Formation of a Persecuting Society. 1990. Sets the Inquisition and medieval heresy within a broad cultural, social, and political context.
• Newman, Barbara. Voice of the Living Light: Hildegard of Bingen and Her World. 1998. A book designed for general readers that places the medieval mystic within her social, intellectual, and political contexts.
• O’Callaghan, Joseph. Reconquest and Crusade in Medieval Spain. 2004. A broad survey that situates the Spanish reconquista within the context of crusading efforts.
• Rubin, Miri. Gentile Tales: The Narrative Assault on Late Medieval Jews. 2004. Explores the way that stories that were spread about Jews contributed to violence against them.
• Tyerman, Christopher. Fighting for Christendom: Holy War and the Crusades. 2005. Assesses the impact of the Crusades on modern times.

• Battle Castle (Parallax, 2012). A six-part interactive documentary, first shown on Canadian television, with an accompanying Web site and computer game, that examines sieges and battles involving six formidable castles in Syria, France, Spain, Wales, Poland, and England. Reflects high production values and excellent scholarship.

• Becket (Peter Glenville, 1964). Richard Burton stars as Thomas Becket and Peter O’Toole as King Henry II of England in a widely acclaimed film that focuses on the conflict between the two and the growth of royal power.
• Braveheart (Mel Gibson, 1995). Loosely based on the story of the thirteenth-century Scottish nobleman William Wallace, this historical epic regularly shows up on lists of best medieval films (for its battle scenes) and worst medieval films (for its historical inaccuracy).
• The Lion in Winter (Anthony Harvey, 1968) (Andrey Konchalovskiy, 2003). Two award-winning film versions of the same play, centering on the intense and hostile relationships among Henry II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their sons. The 1968 version stars Katharine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole, and the 2003 version stars Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart.
• Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (Margarethe von Trotta, 2010). A German film, with English subtitles, that focuses on the famed twelfth-century Benedictine nun, mystic, composer, and philosopher. Shot on location in the convent of Bingen and the surrounding countryside.

• De Re Militari. The official site of the Society for the Study of Medieval Military History, with primary sources, articles, dissertations, and other resources for the study of military actions, technology, and topics from the fall of Rome to the early seventeenth century. deremilitari.org/
• Monastic Matrix. A database site designed to make available all existing data about nuns and other women in religious communities in Christian Europe between 400 and 1600. Organized thematically and very easy to use. monasticmatrix.usc.edu/
• Medievalists.Net. This medieval-oriented blog provides news, articles, videos, reviews, and general information about the Middle Ages and medieval society. www.medievalists.net