This seminal work of scholarship, which traces the development of literacy in medieval England, is now fully updated in a third edition.This book serves as an introduction to medieval books and documents for graduate students throughout the worldFeatures a completely re-written first chapter, 'Memories and Myths of the Norman Conquest', and a new postscript by the author reflecting on the reception to the original publication and discussing recent scholarship on medieval literacy Includes a revised guide to further reading and a revision of the plates which illustrate medieval manuscripts in detail

Michael Clanchy introduces the reader to medieval life through the experience of Peter Abelard, the master of the Paris schools whose career included seducing Heloise (his student), being castrated, accused of treason, condemned as a heretic (twice) as well as writing his memoirs - his "story of calamities."

Because Abelard touched so many aspects of life, this book is structured naturally around the roles he played. The author describes in vivid and concrete terms what it meant in the twelfth century to be a famous scientist (the master of Latin, logic and philosophy), then a dedicated monk and pioneer of the discipline of theology - and yet one who was at various times a wandering scholar, courtier and jester. The author's many new findings include the discovery that it was Heloise who inspired many of Abelard's most profound ideas. "She" educated "him: " up to now historians have assumed it to be the other way round.

This, the first biography of Abelard for over 30 years, combines the most recent international research with a re-reading of the sources line by line.

This is an updated and expanded edition of a classic introduction to medieval England from the reign of William the Conqueror to Edward I. * Includes a new chapter on family and gender roles, revisions throughout to enhance the narrative flow, and further reading sections containing the most up-to-date sources * Offers engaging and clear discussion of the key political, economic, social, and cultural issues of the period, by an esteemed scholar and writer * Illustrates themes with lively, pertinent examples and important primary sources * Assesses the reigns of key Norman, Angevin, and Plantagenet monarchs, as well as the British dimension of English history, the creation of wealth, the rise of the aristocracy, and more