Melissa Snell History Expert Education B.A., History, University of Texas at Austin Introduction A historical researcher with a focus on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Freelance writer for more than 20 yearsWrote the Foreword to The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Crusades (Alpha, 2001) Experience Melissa Snell is a former writer for ThoughtCo who contributed articles on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance for more than 12 years. Melissa wrote more than just insightful articles about the Medieval and Renaissance periods she offered news about discoveries and links to resources. Many students refer to her writing as for coursework references, as well as period reenactor and gamers looking for insight into the period.Melissa is an expert on the timeframe. She wrote the foreword for The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Crusades (Alpha 2001). Her career as an independent researcher and writer spans more than two decades. Websites such as SmithsonianMag.com, Medievalist.net, BestOfLegends.org, TenthMedieval.Wordpress.com, Yahoo Answers, and other niche sites reference her research and writing. Education Melissa Snell holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin. Awards and PublicationsWrote the foreword for The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Crusades (Alpha 2001) ThoughtCo and Dotdash Meredith ThoughtCo, a Dotdash Meredith brand, is an award-winning reference site offering education content created by experts. ThoughtCo reaches 13 million readers each month. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines. Read more from Melissa Snell The Early, High and Late Middle Ages The Avignon Papacy - When the Popes Resided in France The History of the Saxons Fresh Meat & Fish Chateau Gaillard Biography of Justinian I, Emperor of Byzantine Pope Clement VII Profile The Top 8 Medieval History Books Types of Meat Louis I Donatello Sculpture Gallery Biography of Saint Ambrose of Milan, Father of the Church Manor: Economic and Social Center of European Middle Ages Preserving Middle Age Information Castel Sant'Angelo The Book of Kells: Splendid Illuminated Manuscript Harun al-Rashid's Court Inspired the 'Arabian Nights' Giotto di Bondone How Porridge Came to Be The Kingdom of Mali and the Splendor of Medieval Africa Bulgars, Bulgaria, and Bulgarians The Problem With Feudalism Love Poems of the English Renaissance Medieval Food Preservation