Tips
Encyclopedias are great for:
- choosing a topic
- quick self-education
- perspective on a topic
- variant spellings, vocabulary, terminology
- bibliography
Recommended Medieval Encyclopedias
- Oxford Bibliographies OnlineOffers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on the Middle Ages.
The Middle Ages: a very short introductionPublication Date: 2014
- Oxford Handbooks Online: Scholarly Research ReviewsThe complete texts of the Oxford handbooks in Archaeology, Business and Management, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Religion online.
Literature
- Literature Resource Center (LRC)A literature database combining biographical, bibliographical, and contextual information on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism).
Medieval Encyclopedias
Medieval France: an EncyclopediaISBN: 0824044444Publication Date: 1995Covers the political, intellectual, literary, and musical history of the country from the early fifth century to the late 15th.
The Cambridge Companion to Medieval French LiteratureISBN: 9781139001809Publication Date: 2009Medieval French literature encompasses 450 years of literary output in Old and Middle French, mostly produced in Northern France and England. These texts, including courtly lyrics, prose and verse romances, dits amoureux and plays, proved hugely influential for other European literary traditions in the medieval period and beyond.
The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval EuropePublication Date: 2013
Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: an EncyclopediaPublication Date: 2006Examines the daily reality of medieval women from all walks of life in Europe between 450 CE and 1500 CE, i.e., from the fall of the Roman Empire to the discovery of the Americas. Masculinity in the Middle Ages is also addressed.
Trade, Travel, and Exploration in the Middle Ages: an EncyclopediaPublication Date: 2000Covers the peoples, places, technologies, and intellectual concepts that contributed to trade, travel and exploration during the Middle Ages, from the years A.D. 525 to 1492.
The Oxford Dictionary of SaintsISBN: 019860629XConcise accounts of the lives, cults, and artistic associations of over 1,400 saints.
New Catholic EncyclopediaPublication Date: 2002
Encyclopedia of the Black DeathPublication Date: 2012
Medieval England: An EncyclopediaPublication Date: 1998All aspects of life and culture in medieval England-art, architecture, law, literature, kings, commoners, women, music, commerce, technology, warfare, religion, and many others.
Medieval Italy: an EncyclopediaPublication Date: 2003Online edition:
Volume I : A-K, Volume II : L-Z Cross-disciplinary resource on literature, history, the arts, science, philosophy, and religion in Italy between A.D. 450 and 1375.
Medieval Islamic Civilization: an EncyclopediaPublication Date: 2005Online:
Volume I : A-K, Volume II : L-Z Two volumes, illustrated. Covers fields such as Arabic languages, Arabic literature, architecture, art history, history, history of science, Islamic arts, Islamic studies, Middle Eastern studies, Near Eastern studies, politics, religion, Semitic studies, theology, and more.
Medieval Scandinavia: an EncyclopediaPublication Date: 1993Religion, education, politics and law, culture and material life, history, literature, and art. A valuable and absorbing volume for students of the Norse sagas, the Viking age, and Old English history and literature, and more.
Medieval Iberia: an EncyclopediaPublication Date: 2002Focuses on the Iberian kingdoms from the fall of the Roman Empire to the aftermath of the Reconquista.
Medieval Jewish Civilization: an EncyclopediaPublication Date: 2002Medieval Jewish civilization, from the fall of the Roman Empire to about 1492.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle AgesPublication Date: 2010Four volumes. Key aspects of European history, society, religion, and culture from 500 to 1500. Since neighbouring areas of Asia and North Africa impinged on and helped shape the civilization of the West, relevant aspects ofthe Byzantine Empire, the Islamic dynasties, and Asiatic peoples such as the Avars and the Mongols are included.
Cambridge Histories Online
Excellent resource. Full text. Chapters as pdfs. Extremely high quality essays with rich footnotes and bibliography.
OED
English Language and its history
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) The dictionary that is scholar's preferred source; it goes far beyond definitions.
