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Ian Mortimer’s A–Z of Medieval Life

Ian Mortimer’s A–Z of Medieval Life

Join bestselling historian Ian Mortimer for a fresh journey through the realities of medieval life

Dr Ian Mortimer

Published: July 31, 2026 at 4:09 PM

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What was life 'really like' for the people who lived before us? How much of it would be familiar to us? And would we think of any of it as ‘better’?

My A–Z of Medieval Life – the latest HistoryExtra Academy – is based on some of the themes I explore in my Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England.

How should you dress before heading off to the 14th century? What might you eat, where might you stay and what diseases might kill you – not to mention which doctors might also kill you.

The idea is to place readers in the context of the period, so they may not only judge medieval people’s values and ways of life in relation to their own modern ways of life but also see themselves through medieval eyes.

One big advantage of this approach is to prioritise what modern people want to know about the past over the traditional ‘schoolroom’ approach to history. If you put your hand in your purse, what coins will you find? What can they buy? It breaks down the distance between us and our ancestors.

Rather than depicting their ‘nasty, brutish and short lives’ as a distant memory, you are invited to step up close and see how you yourself would have fared with the sexism, violence and famines.

The 26 points in this A–Z are intended to surprise as well as inform, amuse and educate people about England in the 14th century. Thus it includes some big themes (such as the food supply, kingship and religion) and some smaller ones that hitherto historians have overlooked, including some intimate aspects of the past.

In some respects, these smaller matters are just as important as the bigger ones. They should show you what you don’t know you don’t know. Half the battle with understanding life in another time is the presumption that people in the past are ‘just like us’ but in different clothes. As this A–Z shows, nothing could be further from the truth.

Explore Ian Mortimer’s A–Z of Medieval Life

Episode 1: An adventure from A to D

“I very much doubt you’ll guess any of the themes with which I start off my medieval A–Z. Even if you did guess them, you’d be amazed by the truths they reveal. It would be telling to say what they are but, suffice to say, they are not just medieval: they are all of vital importance to you today.”

Episode 2: Exploring from E to H

“The next four subjects are all big ones – some of the most important. And yet in many respects they are misunderstood. So strongly do we identify the Middle Ages with knights in shining armour and monks in their habits that we miss some fundamental truths.”

Episode 3: Journeying from I to L

“Four more big themes follow – and one at least is bound to make you think. After all, do you have a concept of what 14th-century English people think of the world beyond the seas? And if you do, how do you imagine they come by their information?”

Episode 4: Navigating from M to P

“These four subjects should give you some idea as to what makes medieval English people tick. We touch on their open-mindedness to new ways of thinking and their compassion.”

Episode 5: A questing from Q to U

“Traditional Victorian-style history has created the impression that medieval kings are all-powerful figures, as if their womenfolk are merely for producing the next generation of kings. But is that right? Also, we will here get into some very surprising and potentially dirty aspects of everyday life.”

Episode 6: Our voyage ends with V to Z

“As we come to the end, we have to turn our minds to what it all means. How should we think of our medieval ancestors and what is their legacy? Do you find them inspiring or do you think of them as an unwashed, ignorant, violent mass whom you would rather forget about? I suspect the last point in my A–Z will make you realise the common assumptions about them are very far from reality.”

Authors

Dr Ian MortimerHistorian and author

The Time Traveller’s Guide to Regency Britain