The Intolerant Middle Ages

The Intolerant Middle Ages is a collection of primary sources on the history of persecution. The goal of the book is to highlight instances of persecution and violence, as well as those relatively rare but significant episodes of toleration, toward an intentionally broad spectrum of people who existed at the margins of medieval society: heretics, Jews and Muslims, the poor, the displaced and disabled, women, and those deemed sexually deviant. The volume also presents a more geographically diverse Middle Ages by including sources from Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Mediterranean.

Sources are organized in thematic chapters, covering everything from "Heresy and Inquisition" to "Disease and Disability." Each document is preceded by a brief introduction and followed by questions for discussion, making The Intolerant Middle Ages an excellent entrance into the lives and struggles of minorities in the medieval world.