Medieval society has left us many kinds of written and visual material, such as last wills, sermons, frescoes, weapons, and jewellery. This collection of essays introduces students to this impressive range and offers a better understanding of how such sources can be used to reveal fascinating details about medieval Europe.

As medieval studies have continued to evolve, the second edition of Understanding Medieval Primary Sources has been duly updated to reflect these recent approaches and methodologies. Readers will find the original essays refreshed in the form of thoughtful additions, revised bibliographies, and postscripts, whilst four new chapters stretch the chronological, geographical, and methodological boundaries of the field. Two of these new papers explore ‘the global Middle Ages’, turning to central Eurasia and the Islamic world, bringing readers into some spaces previously left untouched. Another essay challenges the old scholarly barriers drawn between late antiquity and the early medieval period, whilst the fourth examines digital approaches to medieval sources. Taken together, this collection offers the tools to discover a far richer and less parochial medieval Europe.

Understanding Medieval Primary Sources remains an invaluable resource for any student or scholar embarking on medieval historical research.

Joel T. Rosenthal spent his academic career teaching medieval history at Stony Brook University. As a productive medievalist, he has published on social history, was a founding co-editor of Medieval Prosopography, and remains a fellow of the Medieval Academy.