A Medieval Family

Pastons of Fifteenth-Century England

By: Frances Gies, Joseph Gies (As told to)

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Paperback | 24 September 2014

At a Glance

Paperback
416 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.5 x 12.7 x 2.8

Paperback

$33.30

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The Paston family of Norfolk, England, has long been known to medieval scholars for its large collection of personal correspondence, which has survived five centuries. Until now, however, they have remained virtually unknown to the general reading public.

Revealing a wealth of information about the manners, morals, lifestyles, and attitudes of the late Middle Ages, the letters also tell a story of three generations of the fifteenth-century Paston family that reads like a historical novel full of memorable characters:

Margaret Paston, the indomitable wife and mother who fought the family's battles;
her husband, John Paston I, tough, hardheaded, and thrice confined to Fleet Prison but never yielding to his enemies;
daughter Margery, who scandalized family and friends by falling in love with the Paston bailiff, Richard Calle; lighthearted, chivalric Sir John; and
cheerful, sensible John Ill, who against all odds succeeded in marrying for love.

A Medieval Family traces the family history from 1420, through the stormy Wars of the Roses, to the early 1500s. The family's story, extracted from their letters and papers and told largely in their own words, shows a side of history rarely revealed: the lives and fortunes not of kings and queens but of ordinary people with problems, tragedies, and moments of happiness.

About the Author

Joseph (1916—2006) and Frances (1915—2013) Gies were the world's bestselling historians of medieval Europe. Together and separately, they wrote more than twenty books, which col-lectively have sold more than a million copies. They lived in Michigan.

Industry Reviews

"The Gieses, who specialize in making the Middle Ages accessible to nonspecialists, have done a wonderful job of linking and amplifying the Pastons' words, creating a true historical novel."-- "New Yorker""[A]n improvement on previous editions. . . . the Gies deserve much credit for their work in making the Pastons' letters and family story available to a wide audience."-- "The Washington Times"

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