Renowned for lampooning the schoolboy view of the medieval world in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Terry Jones is also regarded as a true connoisseur of the Middle Ages. In this lavish volume, he slays the dragons of cliché and platitude.

It was the Humanists who created the image of the Middle Ages as a time of ignorance, misery, and superstition, and it is this image that Medieval Lives aims to dispel. Terry Jones and Alan Ereira are your guides to this most misunderstood era, and they point you to things that will surprise and provoke. Did you know that medieval people didn’t burn witches in the Middle Ages? In fact, as our guides point out, medieval kings weren’t necessarily tyrants, and peasants entertained at home using French pottery and fine wine. An exhilarating, supremely entertaining volume presenting medieval Britain as a vibrant society teeming with individuality and innovation....