Medieval Travellers - Hardcover

Labarge, Margaret Wade

3.76

25 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393017397 ISBN 13: 9780393017397

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 1983

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Adventure, religion, politics, amusement: they're all here in abundance, in this vivid account of the upper-class men and women who journeyed the world in medieval days. With information culled from personal writings, chroniclers' notices, and varied financial reports, it presents a surprising and fascinating portrait of the age--including a vision of touring so lavish and comfortable that it puts contemporary travel to shame. And, contrary to expectations, even in those plane-free days, some people covered thousands of miles a year. Among the medieval globetrotters: Sir Thomas Becket; Mary, the daughter of Edward I and a most restless nun; and Bertandon de la Broquiere, the Burgunidan squire who disguised himself as a Turk to join a caravan returning from Mecca.

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About the Author:

Margaret Wade Labarge was educated at Radcliffe College and Oxford University. She was a part-time lecturer in Medieval history at Ottowa University and Carleton University between 1950 and 1962 and a visiting professor at many other universities both in Canada and abroad. She is the author of nine books, is a Member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She lives in Ottowa, Ontario.

From Booklist:

Labarge writes in her informative introduction that it was the pleasant duty of the rich and powerful in medieval society to wear fine clothes and jewelry, to ride a spirited horse, to set a generous table, and to scatter largess among the less fortunate. "Display and elegance were necessary; comfort, though desired, was secondary," she tells readers. Young, restless adventurers traveled in search of fortune, while others traveled to attend social occasions such as weddings, feasts, or tournaments. In this, her eighth book (which includes 54 black-and-white illustrations), Labarge draws on chronicles and literary works as well as itemized expense accounts that noble diplomats and officials had to submit in order to get reimbursed. Some of the travelers died on the road, and it was important to return the body to the family mausoleum. The final journey could often be long and difficult, but at least there was no hassle getting through airport security. George Cohen
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