When I was a sophomore in high school, I took a course in Western Civ that I really liked. I'm sorry to say that I can't remember the teacher's name, but she was enthusiastic and kept the course material interesting. For the first time in my school career, I studied ancient and medieval history -- although, my questionable memory insists, we jumped from Mesopotamia to Michelangelo in the wink of an eye, barely touching anything in between, not even Charlemagne. (Surely I'd remember Charlemagne?)
In my junior year, we read some of The Canterbury Tales in English Lit. I'm very sorry to say that the teacher, a young man who seemed unsure of himself and was ill-prepared to deal with bored 16-year-olds, never managed to convey either the historical importance or the literary power of Chaucer's remarkable work. I remained bored, and for quite some years afterward, I avoided Chaucer at all costs -- much to my regret.
By the time I reached my senior year I'd moved to a small town in Texas, and their schedule of subject matter did not mesh with what I'd faced before. I was confronted with the possibility of reading Chaucer again. I pled with my English teacher, a kind young lady named Ms. Gilleland, to read something else -- anything else. She noticed me carrying around a copy of T. H. White's Once and Future King and got a flash of inspiration. How about Malory? She borrowed a copy of Le Mort D'Arthur for me to read and write essays on.
I devoured Malory greedily, and was instantly charmed. The language, the bold and exciting adventures, the tragic romances -- and, most of all, the magical world of medieval Europe. So different from the world I lived in and yet, so familiar on a visceral level. I had to know more about the time period from which these marvelous stories sprang.
Whenever I look back on my scholarly career, it is this moment I always pinpoint as the one that bound me forever to the Middle Ages. History had been fascinating for me since I was a little girl, but the medieval era holds a special thrall, thanks to Malory, King Arthur, and one special teacher.
What about you? Is the Middle Ages your favorite period of study? Did you learn anything about it in school? What first drew you to it? Why do you come back to it? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.
Thank you -- and thanks, Ms. Gilleland!
Comments
The Middle Ages have been my favorite period of history for as long as I can remember. I believe it was the old movies like The Adventures of Robin Hood and Ivanhoe and others that first gained my interest. I remember putting them VCR tapes on pause and then pulling out my parents Funk and Wagnall encyclopedia to look up the ‘characters’ to see if they were real. I would then read the entries and then cross reference and read more. By the time I was in junior high, I knew the royal succession of England from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth I.
As the years passed, my interest grew. It made me want to know who my ancestors were who had lived during that time. Also, there had been an old family rumor that we were descended from royalty, so I began to research my family tree. About three years ago, I finally was able to confirm that we are decended from the royal line. I am decended from Charlemagne, William the Conqueror, Eleanor of Aquitaine, John of Gaunt, Sir Thomas Wyatt, the poet and his son, the rebel and many others.
My love of the Middle Ages sure has hit very close to home!
Natalie, what a great find. I bet you are thrilled to have such a rich and very well documented history. I unfortunately am from the Middle East, unfortunate only because of the lack in research material from that part of the world. Someday, I too would like to found out more about my lineage.
The Middle Ages and Architecture have been my favorite subjects since I came to the US in ‘92. I was introduced to Ancient History my first year as a 5th grader in an American school, and I devoured the material even though I could little understand it. It was so different from and much richer than the topics we were taught in Pakistan. I eventually found Medieval History and it became a favorite subject right away. Melissa, I agree completely with your sentiment that “most of all, the magical world of medieval Europe. So different from the world I lived in and yet, so familiar on a visceral level.” That is the world I can’t get enough of, the magic, romance, tragedy and adventures of the medieval period that still remind me of my beloved childhood fairy tales.
Medieval history is romantic, I think, because it is less understood than other era’s. especially if you consider the era from about 600 to 1100 CE. there is a bit more written history to scour in that later part of medieval history.
I was always interested in ancient history until I started to do research into our family genealogy. After about 10 years of research I began to reach into a branch of the family that extended back to the Middle Ages. This is what started my fascination with all things from that era.
I first started to like the Middle Ages when I was about ten years old. It came to me through my love of folklore, which I’ve liked since before I can remember. But for some reason, that time period stuck with me as my favorite one. I wasn’t really able to even talk about it with other people. I don’t think it’s that well known, even if it is rather romantic. But when I was in ninth grade, I had a wonderful English teacher who also liked the medieval period and I’ve had a great time connecting with her since then.
I think that a lot of people consider the Middle Ages to be dreary, dirty, and boring, but they’re actually not. Sure, medieval people had problems with their society, but our modern society has many problems as well, mostly brought on by our own follies in the second industrial revolution. We’ve created more problems than we know what to deal with.
I find it funny, Melissa, that you and your high school class found Canterbury Tales to be boring! Some of those stories are actually quite funny. Perhaps you simply didn’t understand it at that point. I actually see Canterbury Tales as appealing to a high school audience since a lot of the humor is quite risque.
It’s interesting that some of you became interested in the medieval period after researching your family. I wasn’t interested in family history at all until I realized that I was related to most of the famous figures of Welsh medieval history, so that kind of worked the opposite way for me.