Why read Life in a Medieval Castle?

Book cover of Life in a Medieval Castle

Book description

"Some particular books I found useful for A Game of Thrones and its sequels deserve mention...Life in a Medieval Castle and Life in a Medieval City, both by Joseph and Frances Gies." -George R.R. Martin, author of the series A Song of Ice and Fire Medieval history comes alive in…

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European history

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Life in a Medieval Castle as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Hope Carolle

Author

This book is essential to understanding the feudal system, and how life revolved around the myriad castles dotted throughout the countryside of England and Wales.

They focus on one castle in particular, but the structure of the society around the castle was somewhat universal, with the lord and lady of the castle, to the workers in the castle, the village that was nearby that would take refuge inside the castle walls if necessary during battles.

I found this an essential book when I was researching my book, which features a castle named Wodesley. What would meals be like there, entertainment,…

From Hope's list on surviving and thriving in Medieval England.

Maggie Freeman

Author

This is an amazingly comprehensive and lively guide to life in a medieval castle, useful for me because I write historical novels for adults, and I like to get my background facts right. It’s packed with information about subjects as various as the herbs strewn among the rushes in the castle hall, the timing of everyday dinner (between 10 am and noon), and how a count might take off his shirt in the evening to have his back scratched… It tells how the castle remained ‘the basic center of power throughout the Middle Ages’ both in peace and war.

From Maggie's list on the magic of castles.