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Life in a Medieval Castle (Medieval Life) Kindle Edition

by Joseph Gies (Author), Frances Gies (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 492 ratings
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The definitive classic used as a source for Game of Thrones: “The Gieses succeed in making a remote and unfamiliar world accessible.” —Kirkus Reviews

A bestseller by two widely respected historians, Joseph and Frances Gies’s Life in a Medieval Castle remains a timeless work of popular medieval scholarship.

Focusing on Chepstow, an English castle on the Welsh border that survived the turbulent Middle Ages with a relative lack of violence, the book offers an exquisite portrait of what day-to-day life was actually like during the era, and of the key role the castle played. The Gieses take us through the full cycle of a medieval year, dictated by the rhythms of the harvest. We learn what lords and serfs alike would have worn, eaten, and done for leisure—and of the outside threats the castle strove to keep at bay.

“The authors allow medieval man and woman to speak for themselves through selections from past journals, songs, even account books.” —Time

Includes photographs and maps
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  1. Part of series
    Medieval Life
  2. Print length
    208 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    HarperCollins e-books
  6. Publication date
    July 30, 2010
  7. File size
    6357 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
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  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“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 A Song of Ice and Fire series

“The Gieses succeed in making a remote and unfamiliar world accessible.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The authors allow medieval man and woman to speak for themselves through selections from past journals, songs, even account books.” — Time

From the Back Cover

Medieval history comes alive in Joseph and Frances Gies's Life in a Medieval Castle, used as a research resource by George R. R. Martin in creating the world of A Game of Thrones.

Newly reissued for the first time in decades, Life in a Medieval Castle is the bestselling classic that has introduced countless readers to the wonders of the Middle Ages. Focusing on a castle called Chepstow on the border between England and Wales, acclaimed Medievalists Joseph and Frances Gies offer an exquisite portrait of what day-to-day life was actually like during the era, and of the key role the castle played. The Gieses write eloquently about the many people whose lives revolved around the castle, from the lord and lady to the commoners of the surrounding village. We discover what lords and serfs alike would have worn, eaten, and done for leisure; the songs sung; and the codes of sexual conduct that maintained order. We learn of the essential role of honor in medieval culture, the initiation process undertaken by knights, and how castles attempted to keep the constant threats of outside violence at bay.

Exhaustively researched and as engaging as any novel, Life in a Medieval Castle is the definitive text for anyone wishing to learn more about this fascinating era.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003JBHV4A
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins e-books; 1st edition (July 30, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 30, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6357 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 492 ratings

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  1. Frances Gies

    Frances Gies

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
492 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Robert Kleinberg
5.0 out of 5 stars First rate book, poorly produced by HarperCollins
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2013
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A very readable, extremely well organized survey that brings us close to life in and around castles of the 10-12th centuries, mainly in England and France.

Conveying passionate interest of the authors, the book covers the seasons, times of day, conditions of life, work, pleasures and meals of each social class: including daily activities, economics, as well as military techniques of attack and defense of castles.

The book also provides a clear explanation of English and French feudalism and its evolution.

This book is best read together with a historical survey of the period such as R.H.C. Davis's brilliant "History of Medieval Europe".

The current paperback edition of "Medieval Castle" however is ruined by poor quality production from HarperCollins. Printed on rough paper that will age quickly, the many excellent black and white photos are so badly reproduced that some are nearly indecipherable.

With today's technology there's no excuse for this shoddy production. Many low volume books at this price level have excellent photo reproduction.

Get an older used copy of Gies, if possible from another publisher, which might well have better and more lasting reproduction of this excellent book and its illustrations.
20 people found this helpful
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that guy
4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and detailed
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2021
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This is the second book in the series of "Life in a ..." by the authors that I have read. The book is certainly filled with valuable information that is overall well integrated with life outside of the castle as well. The highlights, for me, where the chapter on the castle as house, a day in the castle, the household and the castle at war (out of a total of 12 chapters). Collectively, these chapter generate a good understanding of the logistics and day to day living related to castle dwelling for a variety of the inhabitant, from the Lord and Lady to servants. The chapter addressing siege warfare does a good job at addressing the relevant logistics. The chapter on The Castle Year is an excellent companion to the author's Life in a Medieval Village and provides an excellent summary of the seasonal relationships between the villagers and the inhabitants of the castle. The book provides two glossaries of great use, one addressing terminology related to castles and one the feudal system. The chapters are interspersed with quotes from the period to emphasize the points and add some humor, while making a point (as in relation to human waste disposal systems). Who does not like a good poop joke!? A the end the book also has an overview of castles throughout the Christian Medieval world. It is superficial by necessity (there were many castles) but provides a brief at a glance summary of the variety of castles.

Overall, this book is a valuable resource for the scholar and interested amateur. If you are looking for a fun read above information gathering maybe seek some other source.

Some minor "dings": The chapter on The making of Knight is rather generic and by my reading did not do a great job at integrating the knight into life in the castle. It's a basic 101 chapter on medieval knights. Not bad in and of itself, but it seems to lack full integration to the main theme of the work. The publishers (not the authors) did a very poor job with the photographic reproductions for the paperback (which is what I own). There are many photographs of castles throughout, but they are printed with such high contrast as to appear more as attempts at modern art than useful visual data for historical purposes.

In conclusion, the books is an excellent resource for the reader interested in reading for information gathering purposes, but perhaps not for the reader who seeks amusement. The books in this series are historical works, not historical fiction intended to entertain. By providing a focused analysis of village, castle, city etc etc each book generates a rather comprehensive picture of that aspect of medieval life.
13 people found this helpful
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Delle Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2022
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Great book and has opened my eyes to how people truly lived during these historical times.
2 people found this helpful
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Judy
3.0 out of 5 stars Very hard read
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2014
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The type is very small in this book, smaller than usual in a paperback making it hard to read. It serves better as a book for students as it is very detailed with a lot of statistical information about the castle's themselves than the lives of those who lived in them. If you want to know about the lives of those who lived in the castle, this is not the book for you.
4 people found this helpful
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M. Pagels
5.0 out of 5 stars Life also outside the castle
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2010
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I liked "Life in a Medieval Castle" very much. Not only does it give a detailed insight into everyday life and "management" of a castle, it also describes the politics in and around it. I very much appreciated the description of how the connections between various lords and the king play a big role in how the castles are built and run. Rather than being self-centered single units, there are intricate political networks between the lords and the manifestation of their power, their castles.
One person found this helpful
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Alice L. Moore
4.0 out of 5 stars 4 stars for the book 3 stars for the Kindle Edition
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2010
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Let me start of by saying: I love my Kindle and I really like the book "Life in a Medieval Castle". That being said these two are not made for each other.

In the book there are photographs and drawings interspersed with text. This is easy to follow in hard copy. On the Kindle, the text is interrupted by sometimes one or more illustrations with captions. As a result this reader lost the train of thought from the written text.

The book itself is easy to read and understand, even if you are not a Medieval scholar. You can appreciate the engineering genius that helped the castle evolve. Many people may not realize that William the Conqueror had a relatively easy time consolidating his hold over England, The Saxon Lords only had 5 castles before 1066. There were hundreds by the 1100s.

What I liked most about the narrative is that this was not a romanticized or patronizing account of Medieval times. The descriptions were easy and interesting enough for the lay reader. I found myself always wanting to read a little further. If the next chapter was about, say ,the castle gardener, I still wanted to go on based on the interest that was built before it.

It definitely is not a novel. It could, though, provide source material for an aspiring Historical or Fantasy novelist,

To sum up buy the hard copy book and not the digital edition. The book is only .20 cents more. Sorry Kindle not this time.
49 people found this helpful
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Margie Adkins
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2020
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Life in a Medieval Castle is meticulously researched and incredibly detailed. Yet is easily understood by non historian. Ihighly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Middle Ages.
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Lionel Mochamps
5.0 out of 5 stars Todo bien.
Reviewed in Spain on December 16, 2018
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Todo bien, muy rapido.
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Jacob la Cour
5.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a novel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2013
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This is an excellent book !! It touches upon all topics surrounding life in a castl and the surrounds, taking ofset in one specific British castle as an example, but expanding also to castles in France.

Each chapter is sufficiently short so that the book does not become tedious, but on the contrary wets the appetite for further reading. The text of the author is supplemnet with numerous quotes from original sources, giving a fine illustration of the text - as does the numerous illustrations, whose only downside is that they are all in B/W.
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Thomas Wisdom
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting overview
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2023
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This is a very interesting overview, which dives into all aspects of castles in the medieval period. However, I feel a little more wouldn’t have been amiss when discussing life inside the castles - floor plans would’ve been good for visualisation too.
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Katie
3.0 out of 5 stars Good, novel-type book
Reviewed in Germany on March 6, 2021
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No illustrations and pretty technical essay-type writing. But still an enjoyable read, with many facts and accurate descriptions that those curious about Medieval Times will appreciate.
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Maggie May
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Scholarly
Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2019
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I thought this book would be more of a fictionalized depiction of a family, with their servants, knights, children etc. living in a castle in medieval times. It has a bit of that but mostly talking about the castle itself and what each part of it was used for. Rather dry but I would imagine it being very helpful to anyone writing about life in a castle.
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