Synopses & Reviews
Review
“Jean Verdon does a comprehensive job of accounting for most motives, methods, costs, durations, dangers, fears, landscapes, seascapes, fantasies, criticisms, and occasions of medieval travel from the fourth-century Bordeaux Pilgrim to Christopher Columbus. He admirably includes Arabic travelers and their wide Asian and African range, notably Ibn Battuta, as well as the great Jewish traveler, Ibrahim ibn Yakub.” --The Historian
Review
“Verdon has written a fascinating and informative book that is generously interspersed with examples of medieval travel from a constellation of medieval sources....”—History: Reviews of New Books
Review
“General readers, eager to be led on an armchair voyage through medieval times and terrain... [will] find it broadening.” —Choice
Review
“Many times the title of a book promises more than its content delivers. Travel in the Middle Ages does just the opposite. Jean Verdon... offers the reader an original and scholarly work that has all the authority of learned and detailed research but that manages to read like an intriguing creative mystery novel. This book offers a rare and informative insight into the life and times of the European Middle Ages. It is recommended for specialist and non-specialist alike.”—Cistercian Studies Quarterly
Synopsis
Travel in the Middle Ages is filled with the stories and adventures of those who hazarded hostile landscapes, elements, and people—out of want or necessity—to get from place to place. While most journeys involved very short distances (home to market or village to village), longer trips were not uncommon in the Middle Ages. Clergy were frequently called upon to act as ambassadors, messengers, and overseers to the various monasteries and churches within their jurisdiction. Merchants, agents of the king, and pilgrims were also frequently required to travel. While sharing the fascinating stories of these ordinary wayfarers, Verdon also relates colorful tales of the journeys of notable historical figures such as Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus. Part I of Travel in the Middle Ages addresses the means by which people traveled. This section contains vivid descriptions of modes of conveyance, road systems, sea lanes, tolls, taxes, and even pirates. Knowing the risks involved, why did people brave the uncertainty of travel? Part II of the book addresses this question by identifying five main motivational categories of medieval travel. Part III deals with travel myths, monsters, and fictitious journeys of medieval fantasy writers. Verdon concludes with a pithy critique of travel in the modern world. Appearing for the first time in an English translation, Travel in the Middle Ages will delight anyone with an interest in medieval culture or travel books.
Synopsis
The medieval world was not a motionless one and whether by road or sea, people were prepared to face the difficulties and dangers of travel. Now translated into English, this highly readable study looks at literary evidence for real and imagined journeys undertaken, exploring how people travelled, why they wanted or were required to travel and what events, people and experiences they encountered. The corpus of medieval literature records the short, local and international' trips of merchants, the clergy, ambassadors, pilgrims, the king's agents, and players, to name just a few, who travelled the medieval world filled with curiosity and fear. First published as Voyager au Moyen Age in 1998.
About the Author
JEAN VERDON is professor emeritus of literature and humanities at Université Limoges. He is the author of numerous books, including Night in the Middle Ages, published by the University of Notre Dame Press.