Anne Lawrence-Mathers

A fascinating and highly original history of medieval magic told through twenty key illuminated manuscripts Medieval Europe was preoccupied with magic. From the Carolingian Empire to Renaissance Italy and Tudor England, great rulers, religious figures, and scholars sought to harness supernatural power. They tried to summon spirits, predict the future, and even prolong life. Alongside science and religion, magic lay...

Who was the historical Merlin? Merlin the Magician has remained an enthralling and curious individual since he was first introduced in the twelfth century through the pages of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae. Although the Merlin of literature and Arthurian myth is well known, Merlin the "historical" figure and his relation to medieval magic are less familiar. In this...