This is a fabulous book for those interested in the Middle Ages, filled with information in an accessible and easy to read narrative this is a must read for any history buff!

What a wonderful way of introducing medieval history to all readers. So incredibly accessible and brilliantly researched.

I enjoyed this informative read, it was easy to access t packed full of interesting reflections on The Middle Ages. Unfortunately the formatting was a bit off, which meant I couldn’t see the image and text on the same page.

The Middle Ages by Eleanor Janega is a lovely overview for new comers to the history, as well as veterans. It is concise and the illustrations enhance the enjoyment of the information. As someone studying this field academically, I was still able to learn new information and have section spark my curiosity to learn more.

‘The Middle Ages: A Graphic History’ is written by Eleanor Janega and illustrated by Neil Max Emmanuel.

In this work of graphic nonfiction historian Eleanor Janega addresses the myth of the Dark Ages and takes her readers through the “rise and fall of empires, papacies, caliphates and kingdoms; through the violence and death of the Crusades, Viking raids, the Hundred Years War and the Plague; to the curious practices of monks, martyrs and iconoclasts.”

Eleanor Janega shows how the foundations of the modern West were established including art, culture, and religion. Her focus is upon social history though she makes us aware that primary sources for this period are scant.

She includes a great deal of factual information though this book is anything but dry. It’s written very tongue-in-cheek with playful quips and accompanied by Neil Max Emmanuel’s amusing illustrations. Following the main text there are chapter-by-chapter suggestions for further reading.

It’s a great way to approach history and I now plan on looking into Eleanor Janega’s Going Medieval’ blog.

Overall, an excellent and accessible introduction to the medieval period. The graphic novel format is bound to appeal to a wide range of readers including students. I would also feel that it will be of interest to educators and public and school librarians.

Highly recommended.

The Middle Ages: A Graphic History is a fascinating introduction to an interesting millennium of history by medieval historian Eleanor Janega who specialises in, amongst other topics, social history. She also hosts the 'Going Medieval' series on History Hit TV and runs a popular blog of the same name on intersections between medieval history and pop culture. Janega tells us about the Eurocentric and Italian ways that history has been told, seeing the very concept of time periods as an Italian, imperial kind of ‘infomercial’. The idea of the middle ages, she explains, is defined by the so-called collapse of the Roman Empire at its start and the rise of the Italian Renaissance at its end. It is a period rooted in claims of origin for so many modern nations, as seen by the English fixation on 1066. We also hear about how modes of travel and movement defined this period, from its roads and horses to its shipping lines and sailing logistics, and Janega discusses who does and doesn’t belong in this period, detailing a series of ‘others’, from women to Jews to queers. Not only does she focus on the key happenings and figures of this period, but she also looks at what life was like for the people living on societies margins.

Like today the elite made up only a small percentage of the population and the vast majority of the population of medieval Europe were peasants or craftspeople. Other groups were forced to the very edge of society such as sex workers, leppers, jews and immigrants. But as Janega has found, there is a surprising amount to be discovered about these marginalised groups. What has emerged calls into question many of our assumptions and preconceptions about life in the middle ages. This is a compelling and interesting graphic history that constructs a generalised conception of what society looked like in late medieval Europe and the Holy Roman Empire specifically as well as the Near East. Written in a fun, engaging and accessible manner, this is a superb book targeted at a popular history audience and easily draws you in to often challenging topics by being conversational and entertaining. Recognised as an authority on Central European history, she specialises in the subjects of medieval history, social history, sexuality, eschatology, propaganda, empire, cities, sex work, preaching, Antichrist, the Apocalypse and time, and you learn a wealth of intriguing information in a few short hours. Highly recommended.

An excellent book on the middle ages. It was really good to see the use of illustrations etc rather then just the printed page to impart the information.
Well worth a read to find out more about the middle ages without resorting to just text and a few pictures.
The book is easily accessible & informative even though it is just an introduction to the middle ages.

Thank you to the publishers & Netgalley for this ARC

Like Horrible Histories but for adults, The Middle Ages mixes text and illustrations to tell the story of an entire era. The information flies by at a rate which makes it difficult to catch a hold of anything, certainly for the novice. The middle ages is a long period of time and lots of stuff happened! Eleanor Janega uses this platform as an opportunity to correct a lot of the misconceptions held about the period and to challenge a kind of chronological snobbery we may have looking back. It's a noble aim, though I'm not sure who she is going to reach with a book in this format. I struggle to see who it's meant to appeal to. Aiming at humour with its often very mature illustrations, they consistently fail to hit the mark and offer no more insight or comedy. One walks away with the vague idea that the middle ages were just rather farcical and ridiculous.

I recently returned to university for a Research Masters in Medieval History, so of course I'm the perfect target audience for Eleanor Janega's The Middle Ages. I already knew Janega through her Twitter account and blog, where she doesn't just roast ignorami but also informs and educates in a fun and thorough way. She does the same in this graphic book, with humour and heart, and beautiful illustrations. Thanks to Icon Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Middle Ages experienced a major imagery make-over in the past two decades. When I was in primary school there was still the whole "Dark Ages" thing going on, as if everyone stopped thinking, reading, and let themselves be guided by God only, with a side dish of witch hunting. (Witch hunts were actually a thing of early Enlightenment, not the Middle Ages!) Since then, thankfully, a wider awareness of the culture, skill and progress of the Middle Ages has reached popular culture. From international trade, to the preservation of Greek Philosophy and the building of awe-inspiring cathedrals and castles, the Middle Ages have a lot to offer. Of course the Middle Ages were also a period of warfare, of the Plague, of misogyny, antisemitism, and much more. This complexity is what makes the period so fascinating and Janega's The Middle Ages is a brilliant introduction, for newbies and the experienced.

In The Middle Ages Eleanor Janega takes us through the period of roughly 500 to 1500. I say roughly since historians can't entirely agree on when the Middle Ages started and ended. Different historians focus on different aspects and any historical categorization is of course hindsight. By laying this out so clearly from the beginning, Janega is able to give her readers an insight into not just history but also historians and how they see, and argue about, the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages highlights not just the key events and the trends we see throughout this period, but also the groups that were traditionally excluded.

Eleanor Janega is not only very knowledgeable, she's also a very fun author. The Middle Ages is an introduction, a primer, full of fascinating information, fun jokes and great illustrations. Even though this is technically the period I know most about, I still learnt something new in every chapter. Janega shows what's so fascinating about the Middle Ages and is bound to kindle a passion in some future historians. Neil Max Emmanuel's illustrations are a big reason why The Middle Ages is as much fun to read as it is. They bring extra energy to the facts, while the quippy asides and the detailed imagery brings it all to life.

The Middle Ages is a great introduction to a fascinating period of history. Janega and Emmanuel have created a fun and beautiful book that is bound to enlighten its audience.

Will go live on my blog on publication day.

I gave this one a go, even though it's a little out of my comfort zone, as I love history and the cover seemed like a really fun twist on non-fiction about Medical history. I loved the art style as it brought this era of history to life, emulating the style of the time. I did however struggle a bit to find the text engaging, as it felt like reading a textbook at times - I had hoped the writing style would more closely resemble the humour of the illustrations, or that the whole book would be presented more like a comic or graphic novel. It was also a bit difficult to read the format that was sent as an e-arc. Overall, I would definitely recommend to those studying Medieval history, and I think this would be an excellent classroom resource as an engaging alternative to more dry, traditional textbooks.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. This was an interesting insight into the middle ages. I have always liked this part of history and enjoyed the writing style and the illustrations throughout this book. If you like history I would recommend getting this. I am going to get the paperback for my history section in my library when this is released.

This is a dynamite of a book. It's the perfect combination of concise, informative history with witty illustrations. The Middle Ages is broken into different eras and topics, which means there's a lot to get your brain around. However, it's told so eloquently, that you just want to find out more. I particularly enjoyed the section on marginalised people and the reflection on how they have been treated in modern history (in reality sometimes worse). A fabulous read.

I really tried to give that one a go because it looks so informative and packed full of fun information. I love the middle ages and learning about the unexpected advances of the time, and I love the casual comic book format. The art of this one was definitely a plus, as it emulates the medieval style which I adore. But the electronic version I received was just plain impractical. The kindle version was disjointed, with text out of the images. and the Reader file just took too long to load between pages, it literally would not scroll down. All this made it impossible to enjoy the text and incredibly frustrating. I cannot judge the work for its worth.

“The Middle Ages are still very much a part of our world. Ignoring them means ignoring ourselves.”

This book pleasantly surprised me. I studied History at University, specialising in the medieval period, and came to this book expecting it to be typically derivative - it is not. While structured mainly chronologically, The Middle Ages: A Graphic History provides a nuanced look at the political, cultural, and religious themes of the period. It was refreshing, too, to recenter the period in Central Europe - I.e. Italy, France, and Germany - when England is usually focused on. Particularly in the UK, our education of the medieval period focuses almost entirely on the British Isles when, as the book notes, they played a very small role in the politics of the time. Britain is given an inflated sense of its importance, due primarily to the later influences of its colonialism dominating scholarship retrospectively.

Some of my favourite figures cropped up, which I found delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed the case study of Charlemagne and the pages on Alcuin and the Carolingian Renaissance; the tale of Peter Abelard will never fail to make me giggle; even my dissertation inspiration, Boethius, made a brief appearance! But, I also came across things I had never heard of - I will definitely be looking into the defenestration of Prague!

Janega critically analyses the different sectors of society, divisions of wealth, gender, religion, and sexual orientation, extolling the virtues of studying the period and comparing it to today’s society. She combines all this with a dry sarcastic humour that had me smiling throughout. This book was incredibly well researched but made approachable and easy to read. I will definitely be recommending this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about the medieval period.

Emmanuel’s illustrations pair beautifully with the writing, striking a nostalgic note in the style as reminiscent of the Horrible Histories books. However, Emmanuel’s work has clearly been inspired by medieval examples, the figures and their settings familiar to any who has studied the period. They provide the perfect accompaniment; a modern interpretation of medieval marginalia.

As someone who had very little knowledge about the period, this was a bold, funny and insightful book, that covered surprising amounts of detail in relatively few pages.

Taking the period chronologically, it explores key moments, people and themes that shaped the time period, and, in doing so, encourages us to look beyond the description 'The Dark Ages', which is sometimes used more disparagingly. Indeed, far more was happening during the time than is widely mentioned.

Something that I also appreciated was how the book covered other topics within the period that you do not often see in historical overviews- the views of 'The Other'. There were sections on anti-semitism, homosexuality, gender and race within this book, and for me that made this book truly powerful- not only drawing connections between The Middle Ages and now, but also showing how those prejudices shaped those times then, and how they continue to shape current times now.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Want to know more about the Middle Ages? That elusive time in history that nobody seems to know about? Then look no further!

I’m sure everyone can give it a good guess when it comes to the question of ‘what are the medieval times’ but this book will go a long way to showing you how wrong you are! There is so much to this period of history - spanning over 1000 years (I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t even know how long the medieval period lasted for before this book!)

I learnt so much after reading this, and it’s delivered in such a fantastic and entertaining way to read. With the illustrations and the way the information is delivered to the reader, it really makes for an effortless and thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. I loved the varying layout and the accompanying pictures to the main text.

From the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Middle Ages, this book goes through several foundational pillars of key events and happenings during this time. Including the formation of religions, creation of the universities, wars and crusades, marginalised people of the times and of course - the Black Death.

I loved how it’s written - so accessible and interesting and not overly intimidating, it’s very informative and I can guarantee that you will come away having learnt a fair few things about the Middle Ages!

The concept for this book sounded so interesting that I dropped all the other books I was reading to begin on this, sadly however it was unreadable on my Kindle as there were no words in any of the cartoons so you missed half the story. Perhaps this should be a printed page only sort of book