Print

500 - 1500

Ann Baer, Down the Common.
A year in the life of a peasant woman in medieval England who struggles to hold her family together and is able to see beauty in the face of hardship.

Gillian Bradshaw, The Bearkeeper’s Daughter.
A young man comes to Constantinople to learn if Empress Theodosia is really his mother and becomes involved in court intrigue, riots, and war.

Sophy Burnham, The Treasure of Montsegur.
A woman escapes the massacre of the Cathars-a religious sect condemned by the Church-and must hide from the Inquisition.

Elizabeth Chadwick, Lords of the White Castle.
A squire earns the wrath of Prince John and is forced to become and outlaw as he strives to regain the castle his family lost.

Don Coldsmith, The Runestone.
In 11th century North America, two stranded Norse explorers must accept the help of a native guide who leads them into uncharted wilderness.

Evan Connell, Deus lo Volt!
A sweeping saga of the Crusades from Pope Urban’s call to arms in 1095 to the final defeat in the time of Louis IX.

Bernard Cornwell, The Archer’s Tale.
At the start of the Hundred Years War, an English archer vows revenge on a black-clad knight who massacred his townspeople and stole a holy relic.

Donna Cross, Pope Joan.
The daughter of a Christian and a pagan adopts her brother’s identity after he’s killed by Vikings and goes on to become Pope.

Liza Dalby, The Tale of Murasaki.
The imagined memoir of Lady Murasaki in 11th century Japan, whose marriage to an older man leads her to dream up the princely hero of her Tale of Genji, the world’s first novel.

Kara Dalkey, Genpei.
In the last days of the Heian period in Japan, conflict between two rival clans paves the way for the start of the Shogun period.

Dorothy Dunnett, Niccolo Rising.
In 15th century Bruges, a dyer’s apprentice rises to become the head of a mercantile empire and wins the hand of a strong woman and the hatred of two powerful enemies. First in a series.

Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose.
In the year 1327, Franciscans in an Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, but the investigation is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths.

Michael Alexander Eisner, The Crusader.
When a Spanish knight returns from the Crusades mute and apparently possessed, a monk tries to coax the story of his experiences out of him.

Ken Follett, Pillars of the Earth.
When the Kingsbridge Cathedral burns down in 1125, the Prior and his community join forces to build the most beautiful cathedral in England.

Margaret Frazer, The Clerk’s Tale. Mystery
Dame Frevisse investigates the murder of a man found dead in a cloister garden. Part of a series.

W.Michael & Kathleen Gear, People of the Silence.
As the great Anasazi empire is on the verge of collapse, the Sun Chief hunts down his wife’s illegitimate daughter, who must flee for her life.

Parke Godwin, The Tower of Beowulf.
In this retelling of the Anglo-Saxon epic in novel form, Beowulf is haunted by a youthful act of cowardice and is driven to acts of valor & heroism.

Noah Gordon, The Physician.
In 11th century England, an orphan travels the countryside peddling remedies for the sick and discovers his talent for healing.

Cecelia Holland, The Angel and the Sword.
In the dark and bloody days of the 9th century, a courageous young woman takes the guise of a gallant warrior to preserve the precious legacy of the past, and protect her people from destruction.

Sheri Holman, A Stolen Tongue.
A priest makes a pilgrimage to Mount Sinai to venerate the holy relics of St Katherine but finds that someone has been stealing pieces of her body.

Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Quasimodo tries to hide a gypsy condemned as a witch in the church tower of Notre Dame.

Ellen Jones, The Fatal Crown.
A love affair between Maud and Stephen of Blois-her rival for the English throne-is complicated by political strife.

Jeanne Larsen, The Silk Road.
In 8th century China, a girl who is kidnapped by bandits escapes and embarks on a quest to rescue her mother from the realm of the Dragon Monarch.

Stephen Lawhead, The Iron Lance.
When he touches an ancient iron lance, a Scottish lawyer beholds visions of his medieval ancestor Murdo, whose fight for his family's home sets him in the thick of the Crusades. First in a trilogy.

Kanan Makiya, The Rock.
An exploration of the history and significance of the Rock of Jerusalem in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity seen through the eyes of the son of the man who designed the Dome of the Rock.

Sharan Newman, Death Comes as an Epiphany. Mystery
A young novice is sent on a perilous mission by Abbess Heloise to find out who is trying to destroy the reputation of their convent. First in a series.

Julia O’Faolain, Women in the Wall.
Radegund is captured and forced to marry the Frankish king Clotair, but she devotes herself to others and becomes patron saint of prisoners.

Edith Pargeter, The Heaven Tree Trilogy.
An idealistic stonecarver accepts an offer to build a cathedral against a backdrop of civil war and border battles.

I.J. Parker, Rashomon Gate. Mystery
In 11th century Japan, a minor government official is asked by a friend to investigate a blackmail scheme at the Imperial University. First in a series.

Jill Paton Walsh, The Emperor’s Winding Sheet.
A shipwrecked English boy becomes a symbol of good luck for the Emperor Constantine.

Sharon Kay Penman, Here Be Dragons.
King John hopes to conquer Wales and arranges a marriage between his illegitimate daughter and Prince Llewelyn of Wales. First in a trilogy.

Ellis Peters, A Morbid Taste for Bones. Mystery
Brother Cadfael is sent to Wales to obtain a saint’s relics and encounters opposition that leads to murder. First in a series.

Judith Merkle Riley, A Vision of Light.
A healer and midwife who is inspired by a vision to tell her life story hires a monk to write her memoir.

Jennifer Roberson, Lady of the Forest.
Marian loses her father in the Crusades and falls in love with the battle-weary Robert of Locksley, but first must outmaneuver the machinations of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Candace Robb, The King’s Bishop. Mystery
Owen Archer is sent by King Edward III to gain support for his choice of Bishop and helps a friend accused of murder. Part of a series.

Caroline Roe, A Draught for a Dead Man. Mystery
Blind Jewish physician Isaac of Girona travels to Catalonia and helps a Christian noblewoman accused of smuggling weapons. Part of a series.

Tina St. John, Lord of Vengeance. Romance
A man kidnaps the daughter of his enemy, who he blames for destroying his family.

Susan Fromberg Schaeffer, The Snow Fox.
A poet & a samurai in 11th century Japan fall in love and are driven apart but meet again years later.

Kate Sedley, The Goldsmith’s Daughter. Mystery
Roger the Chapman unearths dark family secrets when he’s asked to investigate the case of a woman accused of poisoning her husband. Part of a series.

Linda Lay Shuler, She Who Remembers.
The daughter of an Anasazi woman and a Viking invader is exiled from her tribe as a witch because of her blue eyes and is rescued by Kokopelli.

Jane Smiley, The Greenlanders.
A family struggles for survival in the Greenland colony founded by Erik the Red.

Susan Squires, Danegeld. Romance
A woman heals a Viking warrior who was tortured by the same brutish Saxon lord who raped her

Peter Tremayne, The Subtle Serpent. Mystery
In 7th century Ireland, Sister Fidelma investigates a murder in a remote abbey and the strange disappearance of a ship and its crew.

Robert Van Gulik, The Chinese Bell Murders. Mystery
In T’ang Dynasty China, Judge Dee’s investigations include a rape and murder, a fertility scheme at a Buddhist temple, and a corrupt businessman. Part of a series.