Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 How This Book is Organised 3 Part I: Starting Up the Middle Ages (450-800) 3 Part II: Forming the Basis of Europe (850-1100) 4 Part III: Waging Holy War: Crusading at Home and Abroad (1050-1300) 4 Part IV: Dealing with Domestic Dramas: Parliament, Priories and Plagues (1200-1300) 4 Part V: Ending the Middle and Beginning the Age of Discovery (1300-1492) 5 Part VI: The Part of Tens 5 Icons Used in This Book 5 Where to Go from Here 6 Part I: Starting Up the Middle Ages (450-800) 7 Chapter 1: Journeying Back to the Middle Ages: When, Where, What, Who? 9 Pinpointing the Middle Ages: The Middle of What Exactly? 10 Having the time of their lives 10 Establishing a timeline 11 Locating the Medieval World 12 Getting to Know the People of the Middle Ages 13 Moving around - a lot 13 Minding your language 14 Appreciating an Era 15 Bucking the trend: Medieval inventions 15 Encountering fascinating people 17 Chapter 2: Finishing Off the Roman Empire and Entering the (Not So) Dark Ages 19 Saying Goodbye to Antiquity 19 Dismantling Rome: The Empire that Died 20 Trying to manage a new threat: Attila the Hun 23 Crowning the last Emperor: Romulus Augustulus 24 Enduring in the East: Byzantium 26 Delving into the Dark Ages 28 Migrating during the fifth century 28 Moving on up with the Merovingians 29 Spreading Christianity 30 Chapter 3: Settling in England with the Anglo-Saxons 33 Keeping On Moving On: Early Migrations and Anglo-Saxon Action 33 Stepping in to help (and hinder): The Saxons 34 Setting up the Super Seven: The heptarchy 35 Christianising England, again 38 Assessing the Anglo-Saxon Impact 39 Governing England: Resistance is feudal 40 Laying down the law 40 Enjoying Anglo-Saxon culture 42 Chapter 4: Organising Early France & Germany: The Merovingians and Carolingians 45 Making Major Moves: The Merovingians 45 Amassing land 47 Squabbling constantly 47 Pondering Merovingian power 49 Rising to Power: The Carolingians 50 Making the most of the mayor 50 Running in the family 51 Hammering the Merovingians: Charles Martell 51 Playing with power after Charles: Pippin 52 Chapter 5: Becoming Great: Charlemagne and the New Roman Empire 57 Growing into Greatness: Charles''s Early Years 57 Laying into the Lombards 58 Suffering a small setback in Spain 58 Wrestling with the Saxons 59 Extending his reach 60 Becoming Emperor: Charles to Charlemagne 61 Gaining a crown 62 Defining the Holy Roman Empire 62 Bickering with the Byzantines 63 Living and Ruling as Emperor 64 Making reforms 65 Finding things grim up north 67 Passing On: Charlemagne''s Legacy 67 Part II: Forming the Basis of Europe (850-1100) 69 Chapter 6: Laying the Foundations of Europe 71 Following Charlemagne: Louis the Pious 71 Dividing up authority 72 Pondering mortality: The ordinatio imperii 72 Behaving less than piously 73 Marrying again - and fuelling civil war 74 Slicing Up the Pie Again: Lothair I and Afterwards 75 Forging a New England: Alfred the Great 77 Preparing for great things abroad 78 Turning things around 79 Reorganising the military 80 Influencing others after his death 81 Chapter 7: Linking East and West: Islam in Europe 83 Storming In from the Desert 84 Going back to the beginning 84 Powering up the caliph 85 Heading west 86 Seizing Hispania 86 Vanquishing the Visigoths: Tarik 86 Taking over: Abdar-Rahman 87 Venturing Farther Afield 88 Hammering into France 88 Reaching into Italy 89 Living Under Muslim Rule 91 Encountering Slaves and Pirates 92 Selling people 92 Hunting the seas: Pirates of the Mediterranean 94 Losing Power 95 Chapter 8: Invading from the North: The Vikings 97 Transitioning from Norsemen to Vikings 98 Attacking the British Isles 99 Raiding farther afield 99 Sailing Far and Wide 100 Taking long journeys on longships 101 Colonising: Creating a new home away from home 102 Shifting from raiders to traders 103 Reaching into Russia 103 Connecting with Constantinople 104 Living the Viking Life 105 Examining Viking religion and beliefs 105 Grinding their axes: Viking warfare 107 Dispelling misconceptions about the Vikings 108 Declining and Leaving a Legacy 110 Changing with the times: Testaments and trade bans 110 Reaching far and wide 111 Chapter 9: Splitting the Church: Schisms between East and West 113 Walking the Walk: Early Medieval Missionaries 113 Following the leader of the pack: Boniface 114 Taking God on tour: Cyril and Methodius 117 Experiencing conversion issues 118 Creating Cracks in the Church: The Photian Schism 118 Pitting the pope against the patriarch 119 Coming to a head in 863 120 Splitting the Church: The Great Schism 122 Writing a letter with enormous impact: Michael I 122 Trying to heal the breach 123 Chapter 10: Revving Up the ''Real'' Middle Ages with the Normans 125 Stormin'' Normandy 126 Settling in Northmannia 126 Building up the Duchy of Normandy: Gold and Frankish sense 127 Mounting the Norman Invasion - 1066 and All That! 129 Claiming William ''The Bastard'' 129 Making friends and foes 130 Looking towards England 130 Invading England: The Norman Conquest 131 Waging the Battle of Hastings 132 Transforming England: Normanisation 135 Building towers of power 135 Ringing the changes135 Constructing Castles: The New Big Things 137 Defending your land and hosting guests 137 Touring early buildings: Motte and bailey castles 138 Visiting medieval castles 139 Journeying South: The Normans in the Mediterranean 141 Fortune hunting in southern Italy: the de Hauteville clan 141 Setting their sights on Sicily 142 Part III: Waging Holy War: Crusading at Home and Abroad (1050-1300) 145 Chapter 11: Uncovering the Origins of the Crusades 147 Seeking the Causes of the Crusades 147 Going berserk at Manzikert 148 Hungering for land 149 Calling for Crusade 149 Bringing on the knights 150 Venturing into the Kingdom of France 152 Finding your way round France 153 Meeting the king of France 153 Extending the call to France 154 Preparing for the First Crusade 155 Meeting some notable Crusaders 155 Planning the journey 156 Covering travel expenses 157 Chapter 12: Waging the First Crusade: 1096-1099 159 Participating in the People''s Crusade 159 Palling around with Peter the Hermit 160 Marching with the great unwashed 160 Falling apart 162 Persecuting Jews 162 Heading East 164 Taking Alexius''s oath 164 Making moves on Nicaea 164 Achieving the first victory at Dorylaeum 166 Establishing a new state in Edessa 166 Laying siege on Antioch 168 Capturing Jerusalem 171 Negotiating with the Egyptians 171 Stumbling onward 172 Retaking the city 172 Establishing the Kingdom of Jerusalem 173 Chapter 13: Struggling for Power: Popes Versus Monarchs 175 Getting Busy with Pope Gregory VII 175 Taking a broader view of the Church''s role: Papal reform 176 Creating and stating new rules 176 Putting people in power: The investiture question 177 Expanding the Kingdom: Henry I of England 181 Going from fourth to first 181 Laying down the law and nabbing Normandy 183 Presenting the Charter of Liberties 184 Dabbling in investiture 184 Dealing with Unfinished Business: Henry V 185 Gaining Paschal''s agreement 186 Reaching resolution with the Concordat of Worms 186 Comparing the Ends of Two Henrys 187 Chapter 14: Waging the Second Crusade and Crusading at Home 189 Maintaining Semi-Order in Outremer 189 Responding to Holy War 191 Stepping up jihad in Edessa 192 Catching Crusade Fever 194 Calling for another round 194 Going on Crusade - without leaving Europe 196 Venturing East Again: The Second Crusade 198 Going with the Germans199 Following the French 200 Encountering Nured-Din: A new enemy 200 Losing focus in Antioch 202 Dead-ending at Damascus 202 Playing the blame game 204 Chapter 15: Pitting Richard I Against Saladin: The Third Crusade 205 Turning Up the Heat: The Rise of Saladin 205 Coming out on top in Egypt 206 Sweeping all before him 206 Taking Jerusalem 207 Readying for Round Three: Europe Prepares for Crusade 209 Dealing with false starts and empty promises 210 Roaring into battle: Richard the Lionheart 212 Duelling for Dominance: Richard versus Saladin 214 Vying for Outremer 214 Besieging Acre - for years 215 Dealing with diplomatic baggage 216 Regaining Jerusalem (sort of) 217 Chapter 16: Following the Fourth Crusade and Other Failures 219 Playing a Gam.