Medieval History
In a SPIEGEL interview, British historian Ian Mortimer discusses the often brutal reality of everyday life during the Middle Ages, the violent excesses of the time, his lively approach to writing historical tomes and his need to empathize with the subjects he is covering.
At one time, historian Ian Mortimer, 44, was an ambitious student at the University of Exeter. But, frustrated after his exams, he moved back to the remote village of Moretonhampstead in Devon, in southwestern England. He started a family, bought a house and built a bell tower.
For years, he raged against all the academics who torment their audiences with "boring and tedious" treatises. But then he started writing his own books.
Since Mortimer doesn't like to travel and hasn't boarded an airplane in years, it might seem odd that his best-known work is essentially a travel guide. In the book "The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England," Mortimer explains what travelers would expect if they were catapulted back to the Middle Ages in a time machine. Instead of writing about famous battles, kings and wars, he describes how it smelled in the narrow alleyways, what kinds of meals the people cooked in their crooked houses, and how they washed their backsides.
The response has been tremendous. Readers and critics alike are enthralled by his unconventional historical prose, and universities are recommending his trip into the Middle Ages as basic reading for young history students.
Click here to read the interview with Ian Mortimer from Spiegel
Click here to read our interview with Ian Mortimer
Click here to learn more about The Time Traveller?s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
- Medieval Lincoln Captures Best-selling Author And Historian Alison Weir
Lincoln Castle will open its gates and transport visitors back in time at the weekend, transforming its grounds into a scene from Medieval England. The Medieval Merriment event at the castle will be brought to life with theatrical performances and...
- Rewriting History: Royal Conspiracies In Late Medieval England
Royal intrigues are by no means a modern phenomenon ? medieval monarchs were involved in conspiracies and cover-ups, according to best-selling author Ian Mortimer. Ian will be giving an open lecture on medieval conspiracies, in particular the impact of...
- Time Team To Show Special On Dover Castle
The recent restoration of Great Tower at Dover Castle is the subject of a special Time Team programme, which will be broadcast in the United Kingdom on Saturday, December 19. The castle has dominated the town and the White Cliffs since it was built in...
- Traveling Through Texts In / To The Middle Ages
South Atlantic MLA Convention, Durham NC, November 9-11, 2012: Traveling through Texts in / to the Middle Ages (DEADLINE EXTENDED) Writers of the Middle Ages frequently wrote about travels?their own or someone else?s?as a way to bring their contemporary...
- South Atlantic Mla Convention
South Atlantic MLA Convention, Durham NC, November 9-11, 2012: Traveling through Texts in / to the Middle Ages Writers of the Middle Ages frequently wrote about travels?their own or someone else?s?as a way to bring their contemporary readers to distant,...
Medieval History
A Time of 'Incredible Violence': Historian Gives Readers Glimpse of Medieval Life
At one time, historian Ian Mortimer, 44, was an ambitious student at the University of Exeter. But, frustrated after his exams, he moved back to the remote village of Moretonhampstead in Devon, in southwestern England. He started a family, bought a house and built a bell tower.
For years, he raged against all the academics who torment their audiences with "boring and tedious" treatises. But then he started writing his own books.
Since Mortimer doesn't like to travel and hasn't boarded an airplane in years, it might seem odd that his best-known work is essentially a travel guide. In the book "The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England," Mortimer explains what travelers would expect if they were catapulted back to the Middle Ages in a time machine. Instead of writing about famous battles, kings and wars, he describes how it smelled in the narrow alleyways, what kinds of meals the people cooked in their crooked houses, and how they washed their backsides.
The response has been tremendous. Readers and critics alike are enthralled by his unconventional historical prose, and universities are recommending his trip into the Middle Ages as basic reading for young history students.
Click here to read the interview with Ian Mortimer from Spiegel
Click here to read our interview with Ian Mortimer
Click here to learn more about The Time Traveller?s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
- Medieval Lincoln Captures Best-selling Author And Historian Alison Weir
Lincoln Castle will open its gates and transport visitors back in time at the weekend, transforming its grounds into a scene from Medieval England. The Medieval Merriment event at the castle will be brought to life with theatrical performances and...
- Rewriting History: Royal Conspiracies In Late Medieval England
Royal intrigues are by no means a modern phenomenon ? medieval monarchs were involved in conspiracies and cover-ups, according to best-selling author Ian Mortimer. Ian will be giving an open lecture on medieval conspiracies, in particular the impact of...
- Time Team To Show Special On Dover Castle
The recent restoration of Great Tower at Dover Castle is the subject of a special Time Team programme, which will be broadcast in the United Kingdom on Saturday, December 19. The castle has dominated the town and the White Cliffs since it was built in...
- Traveling Through Texts In / To The Middle Ages
South Atlantic MLA Convention, Durham NC, November 9-11, 2012: Traveling through Texts in / to the Middle Ages (DEADLINE EXTENDED) Writers of the Middle Ages frequently wrote about travels?their own or someone else?s?as a way to bring their contemporary...
- South Atlantic Mla Convention
South Atlantic MLA Convention, Durham NC, November 9-11, 2012: Traveling through Texts in / to the Middle Ages Writers of the Middle Ages frequently wrote about travels?their own or someone else?s?as a way to bring their contemporary readers to distant,...