Drama, Mystery and Romance of Medieval and Renaissance Europe

Many people, both young and old, are history aficionados. This can range from those who simply enjoy reading a book or watching a movie or television program, to those who enjoy dressing up in period costumes and re-enacting some major historical event such as a famous battle or Washington crossing the Delaware every December in our own backyard.

One expanse of history which seems to have captivated the fascination of multitudes of people is the high drama and romance of Medieval Europe. We can stretch this from King Arthur in the middle of the Dark Ages, through the Middle Ages up to the Renaissance which ended in the late 16th century.

Fortunately, those of us interested in this time period have a wealth of both fiction and non-fiction, books, films and websites to satisfy our appetite, and many of them are available right here at the Mercer County Library.

Starting with films, one of my personal favorites is the 1964 classic, Becket, starring Richard Burton in the title role and Peter O’Toole as King Henry II. The film recounts the friendship between Thomas Becket and the king, which turned into a bitter rivalry when Becket was made archbishop of Canterbury; eventually ending in Becket’s martyrdom in Canterbury Cathedral during Christmas week in 1170. The sequel to this, The Lion in Winter, was released several years later when O’Toole reprised his role as Henry II; this time opposite Katherine Hepburn as his wife and queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The Lion in Winter, follows the machinations of the dysfunctional Plantagenets as Henry and Eleanor battle over which of their sons will be the next king of England. Some other recommendations I can make, all of which are owned by our library system are both the movie and book by Umberto Eco called The Name of the Rose. The movie stars Sean Connery as a murder mystery solving monk in 12th century Italy. Connery also stars as King Arthur in the 1995 film entitled First Knight. Another favorite mystery and crime solving monk is the book and TV series, Cadfael. The hit movie Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe was released on DVD in September 2010 and is still in demand at the library. An older (1966), but well made film starring Paul Scofield and Wendy Hiller is, A Man for All Seasons, which recounts the life of Sir Thomas More during the reign of Henry VIII; and speaking of Henry VIII, we also have the very popular TV series, The Tudors, starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.

For those who prefer a good book, we have a wide selection of both fiction and non-fiction titles. Most history books on the medieval period are in 940.1 and the Renaissance is 940.21. If you’re interested in biographies you should be aware that although most biographies are filed under the last name of the person whom the book is about, in the case of royalty, saints and popes, they are filed under the first name; for example, Saint Francis of Assisi would be B FRA, Henry VIII would be filed as B HEN and Pope Pius XII would be B PIU. More specialized non-fiction subjects from this time period may in a more specific call number, such as Gothic architecture, 723 and 726.6 or The Canterbury Tales, 821.

My next area will be fiction titles. The Middle Ages seems to be a perfect setting for mysteries, especially clerical sleuths such as the previously mentioned Brother Cadfael series. Two popular authors I can recommend here are Ellis Peters and the series written by Michael Jecks, which begins with the book, The Last Templar. A good website for some other recommendations and summaries is Clues Unlimited.

Finally, for those who enjoy active participation, there are the ever popular Renaissance Fairs, where you can go dressed as you are or in period costumes and release your inner Lord or Lady, knight or troubadour, monarch or monk and enjoy Renaissance food, games and sports, as well as re-enactments and vendors galore. A website for lots of information on these fairs is Renaissance Faire. This site provides a list of times and places for fairs as well as period recipes (cookbooks), games and diversions, language grammar and pronunciation and links to other relevant websites.

- Gary C.
Photo of Washington Crossing the Delaware courtesy of WallyG

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