The Middle Ages

A unique, illustrated book that will change the way you see medieval history

The Middle Ages: A Graphic Historybusts the myth of the 'Dark Ages', shedding light on the medieval period's present-day relevance in a unique illustrated style.



This history takes us 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. We'll see how the foundations of the modern West were established, influencing our art, cultures, religious practices and ways of thinking. And we'll explore the lives of those seen as 'Other' - women, Jews, homosexuals, lepers, sex workers and heretics.



Join historian Eleanor Janega and illustrator Neil Max Emmanuel on a romp across continents and kingdoms as we discover the Middle Ages to be a time of huge change, inquiry and development - not unlike our own.



Eleanor Janega is a medieval historian specialising in social history. She is a lecturer at London School of Economics, 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.



Neil Max Emmanuel is an illustrator who worked for 10 years on the TV show Time Team. He illustrated a children's book, History Hunters: Saxon Gold, and is currently making medieval art for a historical computer game.



'Suddenly the Middle Ages make coherent sense, plus nifty cartoons and some good gags!'



'Dr. Janega brings her expertise to bear, dispelling myths about the Dark Ages; spilling all the details about the rise and fall of cities, states, and empires; and introducing readers to an eclectic cast of characters from history (including some rather naughty saints). ... Black-and-white illustrations by Emmanuel, drawn in a mix of modern and medieval styles, add humor and useful context to the text. ... this comic offers an enjoyable, comedic entryway into understanding the Middle Ages.'



'A lovely breeze through a millennium of history ... It's a lot of fun.'



'Precise, informative, digestible and witty ... It all adds up to an utterly essential volume for history buffs, whether they're diving into the medieval period for the first time or just brushing up on a few things.'