Medieval People

By Eileen Power and Power

Book Overview

"Medieval People" is a pioneering work of social history that brings the Middle Ages to life through the reconstructed lives of ordinary individuals. Rather than focusing on kings and battles, Eileen Power explores the daily existence, motivations, and social structures of the period by examining a diverse cast of characters. From the Frankish peasant Bodo working his fields to the globetrotting adventures of Marco Polo, and from the refined world of the prioress Madame Eglentyne to the industrious lives of clothiers and merchants, this book offers a vivid tapestry of medieval society.

By blending meticulous scholarship with an engaging narrative style, Power provides insight into the economic and cultural forces that shaped the lives of men and women across several centuries. The work serves as a vital bridge between formal history and the lived experience of the past, making it an essential read for those interested in the human side of history. Through these detailed portraits, "Medieval People" remains a classic study of how different social classes interacted and thrived within the complex framework of the medieval world.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025832043
• ISBN13: 9781025832043
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A view of History from the Medieval Kitchens

Eileen Power's Medieval People sets out to study the Middle Ages not from the viewpoint of an Historical abstraction, but rather from that of the people who lived during the age. It is an account of six individuals who lived during the MA's; Bodo, a Frankish Peasant; Marco Polo, the famous Venetian merchant; Madame Eglentyne, prioress of Chaucer; an anonymous middle-class Parisian housewife; and two English merchants, one engaged in the wool trade and the other a clothier in Essex. The author has illustrated various aspects of social life of the era by drawing on such sources as account books, diaries, letters, records, and wills. She starts the work with a previously unpublished essay entitled "The Precursors," which describes the barbarian conquest of Rome. In this, she describes the lives of three men, Ausonius, Sidonius and Fortunatus and uses them to foreshadow the life that would re-emerge in the Middle Ages. She starts by imagining a day in the life of the Peasant Bodo, in the time of Charlemagne. From her study of primarily economic documents from the Middle Ages of this time, she not only extrapolates but truly brings to life Bodo and his wife Ermentrude. From there, she goes on to the better documented life of Marco Polo, and also describes how he served as an inspiration for Columbus. Madam Eglentyne is next. Here, Power humorously details the inner workings of a gossipy nunnery and how Eglentyne would have gone about her life as an aristocratic women of God. She next details the life of a middle class Parisian housewife by studying the contents of the Menagier's Wife and validating many of it's points by citing other documents. She concludes by detailing the lives of the two Thomases; Betson and Paycocke of Coggeshall. Both are merchants and provide a chance for Power to really show off her grasp of medieval economics as well as an ability to compile disparate correspondences into a story of a life. This is a rare scholarly work that truly entertains while being read. One of the best books I've ever read.

History at its best, up close and personal.

Wonderful scholarship in a most readable written style. Goes beyond institutions to discover real people of the "middle" ages.

The real taste of real life

Eileen Power studies the Middle Ages, not from an abstract historical point of view but from simple and real people and what we can know about them. I particularly like her study of Marco Polo, from his notes and diaries, which gives us a materialistic and realistic vision of what they saw of the world, and not what we want to see of what they saw. I also loved Madame Eglentyne, a prioress taken from Chaucer but at once identified to one particular prioress through real life archives and descriptions. A very interesting and useful book to enable us to capture the density of everyday life in the Middle Ages.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Great Book

This book is the catharsis of all books. Very good to read. It is a book that will allow you to read it in any position at any place where you can see the pages and words. Excellent.