Life in a Medieval City

«Life in a Medieval City» — a classic bestseller by the renowned historians Frances and Joseph Gies, in which the world of the Middle Ages is presented through the everyday life of the French city of Troyes, the historical center of Champagne. Year 1250. This time marks the peak of medieval civilization, when former Roman forts like Troyes, strengthened over centuries of defense against relentless invaders and developing their economy, transformed into centers of bustling trade routes, wealthy European cities that were yet to face the devastating onslaught of brutal wars in the following centuries and the epidemic of the Black Death. The authors reconstruct the lifestyle of both wealthy and poor families, housewives and their servants, merchants and craftsmen, doctors and schoolboys, while narrating the long-forgotten customs and traditions of that period. Observing life unfold in a medieval city, where you feel as if you have lived for more than a year by the last page, opens a window into a fascinating, intricately arranged, and vibrant world that cannot be called «backward medieval times» even from the perspective of all the achievements of the 21st century.