Medieval travel

Author: Jean Verdon
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The author, Jean Verdon, is a professor of Medieval History at the University of Limoges. With delicate brushstrokes, he presents the nuances of medieval travel to readers, covering the methods, mindset, sights, and experiences of medieval travelers, which will captivate readers. Using concise and accessible language, along with detailed examples and engaging travel stories, the author allows readers to explore medieval social culture in a relaxed reading experience. There is a notion that lies between ancient Ulysses (a legendary Greek king and hero of the Trojan War) and the great explorers of the Renaissance is a stagnant Middle Ages. Jean Verdon changes this perception with vivid examples and illustrative documents. Jean Verdon depicts a vast world, from farmers whose horizons didn’t extend beyond their own parish, market, mill, or the nearest town, to "travelers," and then to great explorers (Marco Polo, who traveled to Asia and Black Africa, and Ibn Battuta), as well as those who traveled in fantasy worlds. He writes about all kinds of people. The individuals he portrays in this vast world have activities far beyond pilgrimage and the Crusades.