A sweeping account of what medieval life was like for ordinary peopleIn The Axe and the Oath, one of the world's leading medieval historians presents a compelling picture of daily life in the Middle Ages as it was experienced by ordinary people. Writing for general readers, Robert Fossier vividly describes how these vulnerable people confronted life, from birth to death, including childhood, marriage, work, sex, food, illness, religion, and the natural world. While most histories of the period focus on the ideas and actions of the few who wielded power and stress how different medieval people were from us, Fossier concentrates on the other nine-tenths of humanity in the period and concludes that "medieval man is us."Drawing on a broad range of evidence, Fossier describes how medieval men and women encountered, coped with, and understood the basic material facts of their lives. We learn how people related to agriculture, animals, the weather, the forest, and the sea; how they used alcohol and drugs; and how they buried their dead. But The Axe and the Oath is about much more than simply the material demands of life. We also learn how ordinary people experienced the social, cultural, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of medieval life, from memory and imagination to writing and the Church. The result is a sweeping new vision of the Middle Ages that will entertain and enlighten readers.

Preface ixPart One: MAN AND THE WORLDChapter 1: Naked Man 3A Fragile Creature 3An Ungainly Being 3Fairly Content with Himself 5But Are There Nonetheless Nuances? 8But a Threatened Creature 11Does Man Really Know Himself? 11"Abnormal" Assaults on Man 16The Illness That Lies in Wait 19The Black Death 23Can Those Men Be Counted? 27Chapter 2: The Ages of Life 37From the Child to the Man 38Expecting a Baby 38 When the Child Arrives 41 "Childhoods" 44The Child in the Midst of the Family 48Man in His Private Life 51As Time Goes By 52Nourishing the Body 59The Shaping of Taste 67 Adorning the Body 69Man, Woman, and the Others 77The Two Sexes Face-to-Face 78Sexual Concerns 82Living by the Fire and by the Pot 87The Chains of Marriage 91. . . And Their Locks 96Kin 102. . . And "Relations" 107The Workplace 108The House 109. . . And What Was Found in the House 115Man Is Born to Toil 117But What Work? 121And Tools? 127The End of Life 131The Elderly 132The "Passage" 136After Death 139Chapter 3: Nature 145The Weather 145The Paleo-Environment 146What Did They See or Feel? 149Fire and Water 154Fire, the Symbol of Life and Death 154Saving and Beneficent Water 157The Sea, Horrible and a Temptress 160The Products of the Earth 164Mastering the Soil 165Making the Earth Render 168Grasses and Vines 171The Trees and the Forest 175The Forest, Overwhelming and Sacred 175The Forest, Necessary and Nourishing 180And the People of the Forest? 183Chapter 4: And the Animals? 186Man and Beast 187Fear and Disgust 187Respect and Affection 189Knowing and Understanding 194What Are the Beasts? 195Penetrating This World 198Utilize and Destroy 202The Services of the Beast 203Killing: Man's Job 208A Contrasting Balance Sheet 215Part Two: MAN IN HIMSELFChapter 5: Man in Himself 223Living in a Group 224Why Come Together? 225How to Assemble? 229Where to Gather? 235Laughter and Games 246Precautions and Deviations 252Order and the "Orders" 254Peace and Honor 260Law and Power 265Gaps 276And People from Elsewhere 285Chapter 6: Knowledge 292The Innate 293Memory 293The Imaginary 298Measurement 303Acquisitions 310Act, Image, Word 312Writing 317What to Learn? 323And Where? 329Expression 335Who Wrote and What Did They Write? 336For Whom and Why Did Authors Write? 341The Artist's Part 343Chapter 7: And the Soul 348Good and Evil 350The End of Dualism 351Virtue and Temptation 356Sin and Pardon 362Faith and Salvation 365Dogma and the Rites of Medieval Christian Faith 366The Church 371The Other World 376Conclusion 382