Medieval Silesia: An Inclusive History

This book presents an innovative retelling of the history of medieval Silesia, by providing a truly inclusive narrative that considers a variety of perspectives.

Silesia, the land on the Odra, at the crossroads of the German lands, Poland, and Bohemia, played a key role in the history of medieval Europe, bridging various cultures. The transformations of the thirteenth century, which included the migration of German, Francophone, and Jewish settlers in new towns and villages and legal, technological, and environmental innovations, had profound effects on language, culture, and the economy; proximity to Bohemia forced a reaction to the Hussite movement in the fifteenth century. This book combines a more familiar history with that of women and of other cultural and religious minority groups – Francophones, Jews, religious dissenters – who shared the territory of Silesia in the Middle Ages.

This study will be an ideal resource for students of medieval Europe or anyone seeking an introduction to medieval Silesia and its diversity of cultures.

Sébastien Rossignol is associate professor of medieval European history at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Interested in pragmatic literacy, urbanization, and the environment in medieval Central Europe, he is the author of a study of charters and practices of reading in Silesia and Pomerania (2019).