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The Miscellaneous Medieval Illustrations ClipArt gallery offers 29 illustrations of life in the Middle Ages.

"The amphitheater was made a fortress, packed with houses, in the eighth century, on account of Saracen incursions."—Myers, 1905

The Amphitheater at Arles

"The amphitheater was made a fortress, packed with houses, in the eighth century, on account of Saracen…

The Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170.

The Murder of Thomas Becket

The Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170.

"This fortress was founded by Edward I in 1283. It is one of the most impressive of the decayed medieval strongholds of the British Isles."—Myers, 1905

Carnarvon Castle

"This fortress was founded by Edward I in 1283. It is one of the most impressive of the decayed medieval…

An example of a medieval castle.

Typical Medieval Castle

An example of a medieval castle.

"The trial by combat, or wager of battle, was a solemn judicial duel. It was resorted to in the belief that God would give victory to the right."—Myers, 1905

Trial by Combat

"The trial by combat, or wager of battle, was a solemn judicial duel. It was resorted to in the belief…

"A count and his wife granting a charter to a city."—Myers, 1905

A Count and His Wife

"A count and his wife granting a charter to a city."—Myers, 1905

A castle courtyard.

Castle Courtyard

A castle courtyard.

Reception of Crusaders by the King of Hungary.

Reception of Crusaders by the King of Hungary

Reception of Crusaders by the King of Hungary.

"Cosmas lived in the sixth Christian century. In the cut here reproduced from his Topography, he ridicules the idea of a round earth with people on the under side whose heads hand downwards. The views of Cosmas as to the existence of an antipodal people had defenders throughout the medieval centuries."—Myers, 1905

The Antipodes in Derision

"Cosmas lived in the sixth Christian century. In the cut here reproduced from his Topography, he ridicules…

"There are two large volumes of the survey, one being a folio of 760 pages and the other a large octavo of 900 pages. The strong box shown in the cut is the chest in which the volumes were formerly kept."—Myers, 1905

Domesday Book

"There are two large volumes of the survey, one being a folio of 760 pages and the other a large octavo…

The drawbridge of a castle.

Drawbridge

The drawbridge of a castle.

"The Huns sweeping everything before them as they invade Europe."—Gordy, 1912

Huns Invading Europe

"The Huns sweeping everything before them as they invade Europe."—Gordy, 1912

The Gauntlet is a piece of protective armor for the hand, dating back to the 12th century. The first gauntlets were leather covered gloves with an unarticulated metal back. They evolved from the chain mail bag, which , in the 12th century, terminated at the sleeves of the hauberk. The gauntlet of the 14th century had separate, but unjointed fingers. This gauntlet was superseded by the 'mitten'.

Gauntlet

The Gauntlet is a piece of protective armor for the hand, dating back to the 12th century. The first…

"Grinding with a hand-mill in the fourteenth century, as pictured in an old manuscript."—Gordy, 1912

Grinding with a Handmill

"Grinding with a hand-mill in the fourteenth century, as pictured in an old manuscript."—Gordy,…

The Battle of Hastings, as depicted on the Bayeux tapestry.

Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings, as depicted on the Bayeux tapestry.

An illustration of angles and a knight surrounding the holy grail.

Holy Grail

An illustration of angles and a knight surrounding the holy grail.

"A fief was conferred by a very solemn and peculiar ceremony called homage. The person about to become a vassal, kneeling with uncovered head, placed his hands in those of his future lord and solemnly vowed to be henceforth his man and to serve him faithfully even with his life. This part of the ceremony, sealed with a kiss, was what properly constituted the ceremony of homage."—Myers, 1905

The Ceremony of Homage

"A fief was conferred by a very solemn and peculiar ceremony called homage. The person about to become…

"Pope Urban II presiding over the council of Clermont in 1095 and calling the Christian people to the first crusade for the deliverance of the Holy Land, after an engraving of the sixteenth century."—Gordy, 1912

Pope Urban II

"Pope Urban II presiding over the council of Clermont in 1095 and calling the Christian people to the…

"Investiture of a bishop by a king through the giving of the crosier, or pastoral staff."—Myers, 1905

Investiture

"Investiture of a bishop by a king through the giving of the crosier, or pastoral staff."—Myers, 1905

"At the age of twenty-one the squire became a knight, being then introduced to the order of knighthood by a peculiar and impressive service."—Myers, 1905

Arming a Knight

"At the age of twenty-one the squire became a knight, being then introduced to the order of knighthood…

A ritual where a knight is stripped of his position due to discipline.

Degradation of a Knight

A ritual where a knight is stripped of his position due to discipline.

Medieval Castle of the Holy Roman Empire. "1 Moat, 2 Drawbridge, 3 Wicket, 4 Merlons, 5 Embrasures, 6 Rampart, 7 Portcullis, 8 Donjon or Keep, 9 Turret, 10 Escutcheon." -Foster, 1921

Medieval Castle

Medieval Castle of the Holy Roman Empire. "1 Moat, 2 Drawbridge, 3 Wicket, 4 Merlons, 5 Embrasures,…

Medieval town of the Holy Roman Empire in 1491.

Medieval Town

Medieval town of the Holy Roman Empire in 1491.

The 'mitten' superseded the gauntlet of the 14th century. Rather than having separate, unjointed fingers, it had jointed steel plates (meshed), for the fingers.

Mitten (Armor)

The 'mitten' superseded the gauntlet of the 14th century. Rather than having separate, unjointed fingers,…

"The monks also became copyists, and with great painstaking and industry gathered and multiplied ancient manuscripts, and thus preserved and transmitted to the modern world much classical learning and literature that would otherwise have been lost."—Myers, 1905

Monk Copyist

"The monks also became copyists, and with great painstaking and industry gathered and multiplied ancient…

"Reaping in the fourteenth century, as pictured in an old psalter."—Gordy, 1912

Reaping

"Reaping in the fourteenth century, as pictured in an old psalter."—Gordy, 1912

"St. Peter gives to Pope Leo III the stola and to Charlemagne the banner of Rome as symbols of the spiritual and temporal power. The portrait of Charlemagne here shown is with little doubt the oldest in existence."—Myers, 1905

The Spiritual and the Temporal Power

"St. Peter gives to Pope Leo III the stola and to Charlemagne the banner of Rome as symbols of the spiritual…

A group in the manor house, during feudalist Europe.

Tapestry

A group in the manor house, during feudalist Europe.

"There are instances mentioned, however, where even women performed the wager of battle; in which case, to equalize the conditions, the man was placed in a pit waist-deep, with his left hand tied behind his back."—Myers, 1905

Wager of Battle Between a Man and Woman

"There are instances mentioned, however, where even women performed the wager of battle; in which case,…