forum Medieval Worldbuilding: Sharing Resources

Started August 31, 2018 by @Blossom_Utonium

tune

Hey guys, I would love to see the places where you do research for your books. If you've got websites, book titles, podcasts, or really anything that you find useful, please post it here for myself and other writers. Happy writing!

http://foodtimeline.org/
Information about food in different time periods.

http://springhole.net/writing_roleplaying_randomators/index.html
This site is perfect for people looking for generators. Not only does it have names, it has descriptions, traits, etc. I just think it’s an awesome resource for writers.

I got y'all!

• https://www.ranker.com/list/what-life-was-like-in-medieval-castles/shanell-mouland
• https://www.exploring-castles.com/castle_life/
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/history/middle_ages/everyday_life_middle_ages/revision/3/
• http://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/life_01_rooms.htm
• http://medieval.stormthecastle.com/essays/a-typical-day-in-a-medieval-castle.htm
• http://royalcentral.co.uk/blogs/the-life-of-a-medieval-king-77096
• http://www.themiddleages.net/people_middle_ages.html
• https://io9.gizmodo.com/10-worst-misconceptions-about-medieval-life-youd-get-fr-1686799982
• http://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/life_02_officers.htm
• https://www.google.com/search?q=when+were+firearms+invented&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS751US751&oq=when+were+firearms+invented&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.3554j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on
• http://medieval.stormthecastle.com/medieval-jobs.htm
• http://www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/nobles-in-the-middle-ages.html
• http://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-kings-2/
• http://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-people/medieval-royalty/
• http://www.medievalwarfare.info/weapons.htm

GOD BLESS

This is a great thread; thank you for starting it. I'm going to sticky it for a while.

It's not much, but these sites give you great names and their meanings, and a lot of other things (popularity, origin, languages that use them, etc.)
for your characters

www.behindthename.com
www.surnames.behindthename.com

this is awesome thank you

Oh, yes! I need a thread like this. If I come across any really good sites, I'll share them here.

Actually, when I was doing research on the Middle East (ancient/medieval era) Britannica was really useful for me. It actually covers the basics of a wide range of topics. Good for quickly double-checking your memory/understanding of something. I also made good use of it when I researching medieval sailing ships and general boat terminology.

https://www.britannica.com/

I found a few more.

https://sites.google.com/a/mycsla.org/renaissance-quest/renaissance-stuff/daily-life-in-the-renaissance
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/daily-life-0
https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/in-pictures-medieval-life/
http://www.localhistories.org/middle.html

bookmark

Ooo try reading Men of Iron by Howard Pyle! It uses a bit of complex language and old English, but the world felt very realistic!

https://rollforfantasy.com/ and https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/
I use this for character creation as well as world building. LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of great resources

Read anything by Jacques Le Goff. He's one of the most respected medieval historians, and his books are a delight to read (but again in almost a historian so…)

This is technically not medieval in that sense (it's very Early Modern), but I just found one of the coolest online resources on witchcraft persecution so I'm gonna share it anyway:
The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft
It's a database of almost 4000 witchcraft trials that happened in Scotland while witchcraft was illegal (so 1563-1736). I'm pretty sure it includes all the Scottish cases we still have records of, organised and labelled so you can search through to your heart's content. It's not… super intuitive, because it was made in 2003, but if you want to find accurate information on actual witches that actually existed this is a fabulous resource. (it's also a very interesting view into the legal system and social order of the time)

This is a youtube channel that covers the experimental practical archaeology and reinactments of the mundane aspects of medieval life.
Theres a full series on the various aspects of knights (what they eat, wear etc how they live train etc) as well as peasants and nobles

I do have some game mechanic guides to medieval worldbuilding from various pen & paper rpgs, some of which can help you build everything from how much farming land is required for population, what you can by at an alchemists to establishing weather patterns in your imaginary world.
Most of them predate the internet so if you have a specific request I could hunt it down

I personally love magic and medieval stuff, and I get most of my inspiration from BBC's The Adventures of Merlin. It is currently on Netflix if you want to watch it! I have watched it multiple times and can't stop, it is so good! I highly recommend it if you lean more towards fantasy and magic, as opposed to true-to-life historical accuracy.
Here's the link for it on IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1199099/

I personally love magic and medieval stuff, and I get most of my inspiration from BBC's The Adventures of Merlin. It is currently on Netflix if you want to watch it! I have watched it multiple times and can't stop, it is so good! I highly recommend it if you lean more towards fantasy and magic, as opposed to true-to-life historical accuracy.
Here's the link for it on IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1199099/

Honestly, one of the best shows I have ever watched. Fantastic for envisioning castles/buildings when writing, a great resource for learning about roles/classes in medieval times. Merlin is a sassy boi, so that's just a plus. Also, as mentioned, really good for if you are trying to write spells/ come up with magical means. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.

I personally love magic and medieval stuff, and I get most of my inspiration from BBC's The Adventures of Merlin. It is currently on Netflix if you want to watch it! I have watched it multiple times and can't stop, it is so good! I highly recommend it if you lean more towards fantasy and magic, as opposed to true-to-life historical accuracy.
Here's the link for it on IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1199099/

Oh! I love that show! It ends in a sad way…

Oh! I love that show! It ends in a sad way…

Yes it does! I really wish it didn't end the way it did; the very last scene also confused me and took me out of the immersive world of the show. But overall I love it and recommend it to everyone!

Oh! I love that show! It ends in a sad way…

Yes it does! I really wish it didn't end the way it did; the very last scene also confused me and took me out of the immersive world of the show. But overall I love it and recommend it to everyone!

Same!

(I miss that show immensely. I wish there was a season but…ya-)

• The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer is exhaustive, and covers aspects of daily peasant life that most books don't consider. There's even sections about how money, calendars, church, law and order, and other minor details worked.
• Queenship in Medieval Europe by Theresa Earenfight covers every single queen in Europe from 300 AD to the mid 1500s. It's really helpful for getting a sense of how women in power were perceived and what they actually could and could not do.
• Who Cooked the Last Supper by Rosalind Miles really helps breakdown how the world viewed women at any given time, and what women were up to in their daily lives. It's a must-read.