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Lynn reviews The Worlds of Medieval Europe by Clifford R. Backman.

In the article, based on archaeological materials, written sources, toponymy, ethnography and anthropology, the ethno¬cultural zones of medieval Karelia are distinguished. The process of formation of three large areas is characterized: North-Western Ladoga region, the territory of the chronicles' Korela; South-Eastern Ladoga and Southern Karelia, the lands of the ancient Veps, and the basin of Lake Onega, inhabited by hunters, fishermen and trappers of different ethnic origin.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- Chronology -- 1. Marriage and Sexuality -- Late Antique and Early Medieval Marriage -- Roman Marriage -- Germanic Marriage -- Age at First Marriage -- The Christian Influence on Early Medieval Marriage -- Sex in Marriage-Fourth Through Eleventh Centuries -- Concubinage and Polygyny -- High Medieval Marriage and Sexuality -- Sex in Marriage-Twelfth to Fifteenth Centuries -- Positive and Negative Views of Sex -- Positive and Negative Views of Marriage and Women -- Jewish Marriage and Sexuality -- Rape and Sexual Violence -- Domestic Abuse -- Conclusion -- 2. Childbirth, Child Rearing, and the Life Cycle -- Understanding the Female Body -- Pregnancy -- Childbirth -- Birth Attendants and Midwives -- Contraception, Abortion, and Infanticide -- Illegitimacy and Abandonment -- The Ages of Man -- Stages of Life: The Family -- Stages of Life: Infancy -- Stages of Life: Adolescence -- Stages of Life: Adulthood -- Stages of Life: Widowhood -- Stages of Life: Old Age -- Stages of Life: A Good Death -- Conclusion -- 3. Working Women -- Living and Working in the Countryside: Serfs and Peasants -- Everyday Food -- Upper-Class Food and Feasts -- Cloth Production -- Town Work in the Middle Ages -- Creating and Transmitting Knowledge: Book Production -- Caregiving and Healing -- Conclusion -- 4. Noble Women -- Marriages and Children -- Dowry, Dower, and Inheritance -- Royal Power and Regency -- Conduct of an Aristocratic Lady: Ideals -- Daily Life for Upper-Class Women -- Leisure Time -- Conclusion -- 5. Religion and the Church -- Daily Religious Practice -- Finances and Endowments -- New and Reformed Religious Orders -- Lay Piety and Beguinage -- Mysticism -- Joan of Arc: Saint or Heretic? -- Conclusion -- 6. Women on the Outskirts -- Crimes and Incarceration -- Sexual Transgressions.

Warfare is one of the central themes of medieval history. Until now, however, there has been no journal dedicated specifically to this area. The Journal of Medieval Military History, the new annual journal of De Re Militari: The Society for Medieval Military History will remedy this situation by publishing top-quality scholarly articles on topics across the full thematic and chronological ranges of the study of war in the middle ages. Medieval society was dominated by men who considered themselves more as soldiers than landlords, judges or administrators. More of society's resources went into fortifications than cathedrals; deeds of arms were a topic rivalled in literature only by love; and in many times and places the common people dreaded war far more than famine or plague. War was the greatest force in determining the evolution of medieval governments. Although the study of war, its conduct and its impact, has never been absent from medieval historiography, the past few decades have seen this field rise to new prominence. Contributors: EMILIE AMT, BERNARD BACHRACH, DOUGLAS BIGGS, CHARLES BOWLUS, JOHN FRANCE, STEPHEN MORILLO, CLIFFORD ROGERS, and J.F. VERBRUGGEN

"Beginning in the 12th century, taxation increasingly became an essential component of medieval society in most part of Europe. The state building process, relations between princes and their subject cities or between citizens and their rulers, were deeply shaped by fiscal practices. Although medieval taxation has produced many publications over the past decades there remains no synthesis of this important subject. This volume provides a comprehensive overview on a European scale and suggests new paths of inquiry. It examines the fiscal systems and practices of medieval Europe, including essential themes such as medieval fiscal theory and the power to tax; royal, seigneurial and urban taxation; and Church taxation. It goes on to survey the entire European continent, as well as including comparative chapters on the non-European medieval world, exploring questions on how taxation developed and functioned; what kinds of problems authorities encountered assessing their fiscal power; and the circulation of fiscal cultures and practices across cities and kingdoms. The book also provides a glossary of the most important types of medieval taxes, giving an essential definition of key terms cited in the chapters. The Routledge Handbook of Taxation in Medieval Europe will appeal to a large audience, from seasoned scholars who need a comprehensive synthesis, to students and younger scholars in search of an overview of this critical subject"--

Is your knowledge of The Crusades less than tip-top? Maybe you're curious about Columbus, or you're desperate to read about the Black Death in all its gory detail? Whatever your starting point, this expert guide has it all - from kings, knights and anti-Popes, to invasion, famine, the Magna Carta and Joan of Arc (and a few rebellious peasants thrown in for good measure!). Get ready for a rip-roaring ride through the political, religious and cultural life of the Middle Ages, one of the most talked-about periods in history. Medieval History for Dummies includes: Part I: The Early Middl