Named one of the Best Databases of 2020 by Library Journal.

Bloomsbury Medieval Studies is an interdisciplinary digital resource with a global perspective on this rich field of study.

The platform brings together high-quality secondary content with visual primary sources, a brand new reference work, and object images in a one-stop digital resource to open up the Medieval world.

Now with a collection featuring Boydell & Brewer’s entire Medieval Clothing and Textiles series, in addition to the Core Collection.

Available via subscription or perpetual access to institutions worldwide.

Core Collection: Content Highlights

• Fully-searchable access to a broad range of 170 scholarly books hand chosen by our exemplary Editorial Advisory Board. The extensive list includes primary texts, research monographs, companions and more from Bloomsbury and other top publishers in the field such as IB Tauris, Arc Humanities Press and Amsterdam University Press.
• The Encyclopedia of the Global Middle Ages, a new and exclusive reference work written by an international group of scholars which combines thematic overviews, regional overviews, object case studies and core case studies.
• Exceptional visual sources, including newly-digitized and rare incunabula from Senate House Library, high-resolution medieval maps from the British Library, and 1000 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• To maintain a rigorous academic standard the platform will be updated twice a year with new, cutting-edge research.

Medieval Clothing and Textiles Collection: Content Highlights

• Boydell & Brewer's full Medieval Clothing and Textiles series—16 annuals, with a 17th coming in Spring 2023
• Features multiple examinations of specific clothing items—from wimples and tippets, to hoopskirts, capes, and headdresses
• Contains studies in the weaving, embroidering, and exporting of clothing and textiles around Medieval Europe
• Covers popular topics such as masculinity, the history
  of women, religious clothing, and the representation of clothing and
  textiles in literature, tapestries, and art

Features & Benefits for Research and Learning

• Enhances research with a unique combination of global primary and second material, including visual sources to boost student engagement
• Draws out regional interconnectivity and differences through the innovative and internationally authored articles in the Encyclopedia of the Global Middle Ages
• Brings the period to life with material culture object images, illuminated manuscript pages and other artwork which deepen understanding and give substance to key themes
• Supports undergraduate study across disciplines which focus on the medieval period, as a one-stop resource with a range of consolidated, searchable material
• A growing selection of study resources curated by major scholars, including lesson plans and exclusive primary source commentary articles
• An interactive timeline with a global focus, placing image and text content from across the resource within their time and geographical region

Reviews and Awards

Visit the platform review page.

LJ Best Databases
Best Reference 2020
Bloomsbury Medieval Studies was named best databases of 2020 by Library Journal.

“This resource devoted to medieval history stands out from similar offerings with its global approach. The backbone of the collection, the Encyclopedia of the Global Middle Ages, is diverse in both regional coverage—the Maya civilization, Ethiopia, and the Korean Kingdom of Silla are just a few examples—and in theme: religious iconography, mental illness, disability, and queenship, among others. With a clean layout, superb organization, top-notch searchability, stunning images of historical objects, and excellent primary sources, this is an essential database for students seeking a thorough understanding of the period.”