Life in a Medieval City

By: Frances Gies, Joseph Gies

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Life in a Medieval City is the classic account of the year 1250 in the city of Troyes, in modern-day France. Acclaimed historians Frances and Joseph Gies focus on a high point of medieval civilization - before war and the Black Death ravaged Europe - providing a fascinating window into the sophistication of a period we too often dismiss as backward.

Urban life in the Middle Ages revolved around the home, often a mixed-use dwelling for burghers with a store or workshop on the ground floor and living quarters upstairs. A developed economy, focusing on textiles, farming, and financial services, could be found in the town center, where craftsmen competed for business while adhering to the guilds' codes of conduct. There were schools for the children, though only boys could attend and the lessons were taught in Latin by a priest. The church was a hub of both religious and civic life; services were lively and filled with song, and baptisms and other special occasions brought neighbors together to celebrate. The weddings of wealthier townsfolk were lavish affairs full of song and dance and drinking that could sometimes last for weeks.

©1969 Joseph and Francis C. Gies (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

“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)

an excellent resource on medieval city life

very good but not a great resource on life Under Siege. nevertheless I was impressed with the thoroughness despite having come to expect it from the authors

Mediævalism

This narration is a fascinating and articulately expresses journey into life in the Middle Ages.

A great look at life in medieval times

I read the book on medieval villages, which I enjoyed, but I thought this one was stronger. It might be because of my french heritage, or that my idea of medieval life was in a city setting, but I found this to be more interesting to me. Similar to the book on villages, you really see that these people were simply human beings like us, with the same fears and worries. They just lived in a more difficult time.

Excellent History

Excellent. Would love for Life in A Medieval Castle by the authors to be done in audio book too.

Decent

They could have removed the long French passages i suppose.... I enjoyed it though. Hooray

Puts you in 13th century France

As a medieval fantasy author. I found this book helps me capture the feel of the times.

Learning from history

Medieval history is more than knights, and this book explained more! Commerce was the life line to a region's growth or downfall. loved this book

Troyes, an old town but a new city

"Anything written in a book has a certain sacredness, all the established authors are authorities, and all are timeless, from Aesop to Horace."
- Joseph & Frances Gies v

A nice survey of Troyes in 1250 AD. Joseph and Frances Gies examine everything from medicine to women to the church and cathedrals in Medieval Europe, focusing their historical lense on Troyes, which at the time was a prosperous center of commerce in Europe. Not super deep, but VERY interesting with some great nuggets. This book is written for general readership and seems to always jump to the next chapter just as soon as my interest was piqued. Here is a list of the chapters/subjects:

* Prologue
1. Troyes: 1250
2. A Burgher's Home
3. A Medieval Housewife
4. Childbirth and Children
5. Weddings and Funerals
6. Small Business
7. Big Business
8. The Doctor
9. The Church
10. The Cathedral
11. School and Scholars
12. Books and Authors
13. The New Theatre
14. Disasters
15. Town Government
16. The Champaigne Fair
* After 1250