Biography

England
Europe (and general works on the medieval world)
Judaica
Medievalists (Prominent/Influential)
Women

Note: See the major heading of 'Art' for artist biographies.

England

Note: See also the section for European & General Works (below). Most especially the entries for the Research Guide to European Historical Biography.

Dictionary of National Biography -- see Stephan below.

Fletcher, Richard. Who's Who in Roman Britain and Anglo-Saxon England. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. Originally published in London: Shepheard-Walwyn. 1989.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) DA145.2 .F55 2002

The arrangement of this work is rather confusing. It is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically within that arrangement--which may take the reader by surprise when he/she tries to use it for the first time. Try and use the small index located in the rear to locate the person you wish to find. Many articles are anywhere from a ¼ page to one page long. Important topics can receive four to five pages (with Alfred the Great winning a whopping ten pages). The table of contents in the front is very brief and the rear matter contains a very small glossary. Unless you are looking up a famous personage, this work is best for quick facts on a historical figure.

Hallam, Elizabeth (ed). Plantagenet Encyclopedia: An Alphabetical Guide to 400 years of English History. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 1990.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) DA225 .P5461 1990

This encyclopedia devotes itself to the Plantagenet family from approximately 1154 to 1399. Entries within this work are simple and easy to read. Average entries in the text are about one paragraph in length. More important people, like Eleanor of Aquitaine, receive one column (approximately 1/3 of a page). A few sources are usually given at the end of each entry. There are also many color pictures and some maps. The rear matter contains a brief bibliography (2 ¾ pgs), a list of manuscripts, and an alphabetical index of names (~3 ¼ pgs).

Hicks, Michael. Who's Who in Late Medieval Britain. Geoffrey Treasure Ed. 3 rd volume in the British History Series. London: St. James Press. 1991.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) DA177 .H531 1991

Unfortunately, this Who's Who title has the same confusing chronological (and then alphabetical) arrangement as the Roman Britain volume. Unless you know the exact time period of the person you seek, it would be a good idea to use the index to find them. Entries are rather short: generally from one to two pages in length. There is a brief bibliography after each entry and it includes journals as well as books. The rear matter consists of a couple of genealogical tables and a very small index.

*Stephan, Sir Leslie and Sir Sidney Lee. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 24 Vol. London, Oxford University Press, 1937-39.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) DA28 .D48

Online Access:
UF
Use the database locator to find and type in oxf

Excerpt take from the UF Libraries Catalog: "50,000 specially-written signed biographies of the men and women who shaped all aspects of the British past, from the earliest times to the end of the year 2000."

Treasure, Geoffrey. Who's Who in British History: Beginnings to 1901. 2 Vol. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1998.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) DA28 .W616 1998

Tyerman, Christopher. Who's Who in Early Medieval England, 1066-1272. London: Shepheard-Walwyn. 1996.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) DA177 .T94 1996

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Europe & general works on the medieval world

Drees, Clayton. The Late Medieval Age of Crisis and Renewal, 1300-1500: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, CT.: Greenwood Press. 2001.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) CB353 .L38 2000

Fines, John. Who's who in the Middle Ages. London: Anthony Blond Publishers. 1971.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) D115 .F5 1971

Part of the well-known and loved Who's Who series, but covering the prominent people of the Middle Ages. The book is arranged alphabetically. The average listing for each person is from 3/4 to one page in length. There is an alphabetical listing of people for the table of contents. The rear index is searchable by proper names, geography, and subject. This work is a nice tool to have for general background information on famous people.

Gibson, Peter. Concise Guide to Kings and Queens. Exeter: Webb& Bower. 1985.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) D107 .G53 1985

This text covers world rulers from 978 A.D. to 1980. The entries are arranged by geographic (country/region) locations. Each entry includes the region ruled, the rulers name, dates, and a little about that ruler. Although the front matter is almost non-existent, the rear matter is particularly useful. It includes a nice alphabetical list of monarchs showing their countries they ruled and the national variants of their names. It also has a great chronological list of all monarchs (including the dates they reigned, date they ascended, and their age at ascension).

*Moncure, James. Research Guide to European Historical Biography, 1450-present. 8 volumes. Washington, D.C.: Beacham Pub., 1992-1993.
UF
Smathers Library -- Reference -- CT759 .R471 1992

Shulman, Jana. Rise of the Medieval World 500-1300: A Biographical Dictionary. Part of the Great Cultural Eras of the Western World. Westport: Greenwood Press. 2002.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) CT114 .R57 2002

This dictionary mainly concentrates on Europe, but also includes some information on Byzantium and the Arab world. The front matter of this work begins with a nice chronology of the medieval world beginning in 496 A.D. & ending at 1300 (17 pgs). The alphabetical entries vary in length depending on the importance of the individual. Average entries contain somewhere between ½ to one full page. More important figures receive two to three pages. One strength of this dictionary is that it has more detailed biographical information on figures of the Middle Ages. Many individuals covered in the text are religious, scholarly (including those of literary and philosophical importance), and political leaders. A weakness of the text is that the bibliographies for the entries are terribly short. Average entries often only have one book and important figures have two to three. Articles are signed and contain 'see also' references to guide the reader to other entries of interest. The rear matter contains a good-sized bibliography (22 pgs) with many specialized works. There is also a name index (with important sections in bold) and a general index (searchable by philosophical works, events & battles, people, and subjects).

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Who's Who in the Middle Ages. London: Mcfarland and Co. 2001.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) CT114 .S56 2001

Another volume of the Who's Who series. The content of this work is arranged alphabetically by a person's name. The front matter and table of contents is rather brief. Entries average between 1/3 of a column to a full column. However, it is the rear matter of this work that is outstanding: there are some truly unique and useful charts found here. It has a chronology of events, including rulers (kings, emperors, popes, etc.) and their dates. There is also a very nice chart showing the division of rulers into categories, countries, etc. in chronological order. This chart is much easier for the average person to follow (compared to the previous one). What makes this particular volume unique is it contains charts of medieval colleges and universities and their funding. It also has a listing of the major monasteries, abbeys, and convents with their founding dates. There is even a listing of individuals by occupations (i.e. artists, biographers, etc.). Next, the work contains a large bibliography (including web addresses). Finally, the rear index is good and is searchable by person, subject, battles, literary works, etc.

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Judaica

Comay, Joan. Who's Who in Jewish History: After the Period of the Old Testament. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press. 1995.
UF
Education Library: Judaica Collection, Reference (Non-Circulating) DS115 .C6 1995

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Medievalists (Prominent/Influential)

Damico, Helen & Joseph Zavadil (ed). Medieval Scholarship: Biographical Studies on the Formation of a Discipline. Volume 1: History. Part of the Garland reference library of the humanities; vol. 1350. New York: Garland. 1995.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) D116.5 .M43 1995

This text covers twenty-three scholar's lives whose work helped shape medieval studies as a discipline. This work starts in the 16 th century and continues to modern day (1980). Famous scholars include: Edward Gibbon, Fredrick Maitland, Henri Pirenne, Charles Haskins, Marc Bloch, and Dorothy Whitelock. Each scholar has a nice black & white picture at the beginning of his/her biography. There is also an extensive bibliography at the end of each biography (which includes books and articles). The table of contents is ordered chronologically and the rear index is searchable by people or subjects.

Damico, Helen; Joseph Zavadil; Donald Fennema; Karmen Lenz (ed). Medieval Scholarship: Biographical Studies on the Formation of a Discipline. Volume 2: Literature and Philology. Part of the Garland reference library of the humanities; vol. 1350. New York: Garland. 1998

Note: This work is not held at UF and has not been personally examined.

Provides accounts of 32 men & women who influenced the disciplines of medieval philology and literature.

Damico, Helen; Joseph Zavadil; Donald Fennema; Karmen Lenz (ed). Medieval Scholarship: Biographical Studies on the Formation of a Discipline. Volume 3: Philosophy and the Arts. Part of the Garland reference library of the humanities; vol. 1350. New York: Garland. 2000.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) D116.5 .M43 2000 vol. 3

This volume covers 20 deceased eminent scholars who influenced the disciplines of medieval philosophy, musicology, and art history (parts 1,2, & 3 respectively in the text). One will find more excellent bibliographies at the end of each entry. The only minor drawback to this volume is that the pictures of each scholar are all stuck on one page at the beginning of the work (instead of with each persons biography).

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Women

Note: for more sources on women's biography, please see the major categories of 'Women's Studies' and 'Mythology'.

See also these works listed above:

Gibson's Concise Guide to Kings and Queens .

Hallam's Plantagenet Encyclopedia

Bell, Robert. Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary.

Anne Commire, Deborah Klezmer. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. 17 Vol. Waterford , CT : Yorkin Publications. 1999.

LIBRARY WEST: Reference (Non-Circulating) HQ1115 .W6 1999

Echols, Anne and Marty Williams. An Annotated Index of Medieval Women. New York : M. Wiener Pub. 1992.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) CT3220 .A56 1992

Lawler, Jennifer. Encyclopedia of Women in the Middle Ages . North Carolina: McFarland & Co. 2001.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) HQ1143 .L38 2001

This work gives biographical information of prominent women who lived during the Middle Ages. The arrangement of the text is alphabetical by person. Each entry ranges from a few lines to an entire page. The birth & death dates of each person are included as well as a list of suggested readings.

The rear matter contains some good appendixes including extensive genealogical charts organized by country or region (a total of 65 pages worth!). It also contains a glossary of terms and a very nice bibliography organized by category. There is an index arranged by subject and person, but it is very small. This book could be a useful guide to those studying gender or feminism in the Middle Ages.

Levin, Carole, Barrett-Graves, Debra, Carney, Jo, Spellman, W.M., Kennedy, Gwynne, Witham, Stephanie. Extraordinary Women of the Medieval and Renaissance World: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, CT.: Greenwood Pr. 2000.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) HQ1143 .E93 2000

This work offers biographical information of exceptional women of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. This text is particularly useful since it includes women from all over the world and not just from Europe (which is most common). The table of contents has a nice, alphabetical list of all the women in the book. The average length of the biographical information is quite long: typically 4-6 pages. In each entry, the woman's name (including maiden name) is given, years she lived, occupation, and country she resided. Many of the entries have nice drawings or artwork of what each woman looked like. Each of the editors have signed and given a bibliography at the end of each entry. The rear matter includes some very good appendixes. One includes a listing of notable women organized by title, occupation, or main area of interest. Another appendix lists notable women by country or region. There is also a timeline of historical events from 600 to 1649 A.D. The rear section offers a select bibliography and a small index (searchable by person).

Strayer, Joseph ed. Dictionary of the Middle Ages. 13 vol. New York: Scribner. 1982.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating), v.1-13 D114 .D5 1982

This text is another standard reference tool and should be one of the first works consulted to gain background information regarding all kinds of medieval topics. It is an excellent source of information on the Middle Ages for both lay person and student alike. It covers the time period from about 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D., which are the standard dates for the Middle Ages. It is arranged alphabetically primarily by subject or author. Articles vary considerably in length from one to ten pages. Each article is signed by the author and includes a bibliography. The volume boasts that there are over 100,000 people, places, and concepts in this work! Volume 13 is a separate index searchable by the standard author, title, and subject categories. It also offers superior cross-references and blind entries.

Jordan, William Chester. Dictionary of the Middle Ages: Supplement 1. Charles Scribner's Sons. 2003.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) D114 .D5 1982

. Women and gender issues (childbirth, gender, gynecology, queenship, sexuality, women, etc.)

Wilson, Katharina and Nadia Margolis. Women in the Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia . 2 vol. Westport , CT : Greenwood Press, 2004.
UF
Library West, Reference (Non-Circulating) HQ1143 .W643 2004

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