Medieval Studies

Edited by Robert E. Bjork. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. 4 volumes.
[For print version locations see UofT Catalogue]
[St. Michael’s 2nd Floor – D114 .O94 2010]
Intended for both novices and specialists, this 4-volume set covers European history, society, religion, and culture between A.D. 500 to 1500. Articles number about 5,000. They range from brief to lengthy, include bibliographies, and often unearth material you can only find elsewhere with difficulty. Women and children, for example, get substantial attention. The set contains a thematic listing of entries, a general index, a list of medieval popes and antipopes, and an index of alternative place names.

Brill, 2022
Comprises 4 encyclopedias:
Brill's Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages,
Encyclopedia of Medieval Dress and Textiles, Encyclopedia of Medieval Pilgrimage, and Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle.

Edited by Albrecht Classen.
De Gruyter, 2015.

Edited by Andre Vauchez. Cambridge: James Clarke, 2000. 2 volumes.
The encyclopedia contains brief articles on all aspects of medieval studies.

Edited by Joseph R. Strayer. New York: Scribner's, 1982. 13 volumes.
[St. Michael’s 2nd Floor – D114 .D5]
Including more than 5,000 signed articles ranging in length from 100 to 10,000 words, this 13-volume set is the major scholarly encyclopedia for medieval studies and is intended for all levels, from the high school student to the scholar. All volumes are available online on the Internet Archive, a trusted source, but one for which it is necessary to create a free account and login: V1, AAC-AUG; V2, AUG-BYZ; V3, CAB-CRI; V4, CRO-FAM; V5, FAM-GRO; V6, GRO-ITA; V7, ITA-MAB; V8, MAC-MYS; V9, MYS-POL; V10, POL-SCA; V11, SCA-TEX; V12, THA-ZWA; V13, Index; Supplement 1.

[For print version locations see UofT Catalogue]

Edited by Joel T. Rosenthal. Abingdon, OXON: Routledge, 2012.
[St. Michael’s 2nd Floor – D113 .U53 2012]
Wills, sermons, letters, archaeological finds, and narratives are just some of the medieval primary source types explored in this book. With copious bibliographic references buttressing 16 in-depth chapters, this essay collection is a great place to find out how scholars interpret the past.

By Jean Shepherd Hamm.
Greenwood Press, 2010.
Best suited for first and second-year undergraduates.

Edited by Erik Hermans.
Arc Humanities Press, 2020.

Edited by Carol Lansing and Edward D. English.
Wiley-Blackwell, 2013.

Edited by Edward D. English. London: Facts on File, 2005. 2 volumes.
Available online through the Internet Archive with free registration.
[St. Michael’s 2nd Floor – D114 .E55 2005]
[Print copies available through the UofT Catalogue.]
This 2-volume set covers a range of topics on mediaeval life (e.g. people, literature, science, law, institutions). Cross-references and further reading bibliographies, plus a substantial index in the 2nd volume, make the roughly 2000 entries easy to use. The 2nd volume includes 2 appendices (Monarchs and Rulers of the Medieval World and Genealogies), as well as a 50-page bibliography broken down into categories (e.g. encyclopedias and dictionaries, general overviews, and more specific topics such as the British Isles).

By R.L. Storey. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994.
Available online on the Internet Archive with free registration.
[St. Michael’s 2nd Floor – D118 .S855 1994]
[Print copies available through the UofT Catalogue.]
A year-by-year arrangement of important events in politics, economics, science, religion, art, literature, and philosophy. Very useful if you need to find the exact date of a medieval event.

By Christopher Corèdon and Ann Williams. Woodbridge, Suffolk: D.S. Brewer, 2004.
[St. Michael’s 2nd Floor – DA129 .C67 2004]
Brief definitions for over 3,400 terms including Latin, Old English, and Middle English words.

Edited by Peter Bogucki and Pam J. Crabtree.
Scribner, 2004.

By Michael Frassetto.
ABC-CLIO, 2003.

Edited by Angus MacKay and David Ditchburn.
Routledge, 1997.