British Middle Ages—Reading Assignments by Era

    Early Britain     Saxons and Normans     Early Plantagenets     Lancastrians and Yorks     Tudors and Reformation     Stuarts and Civil War     Scotland     Ireland



Early Britain—43 to 800

Roman Conquest of Britain to First Viking Raid


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the English    Early Times to Three Great Men (12)
Marshall - Our Island Story   Albion and Brutus to Gregory and the Children (14)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The Story of England   Introduction to The English Accept Christianity (6)
Church - Stories from English History   Caius and His Grandfather to How England Became Christian (7)
Warren - King Arthur and His Knights    entire book
Morris - Historical Tales - King Arther I    entire book
Marshall - English Literature for Boys and Girls   In the Listening Time to "The Passing of Arthur" (10)

Easy Reading Selections

Cambridge Press - Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary   The Story of Queen Boadicea to The Story of Aiden (4)
Skae - Stories from English History   Hero of Ancient Britain to The Boy Captives (2)
Macgregor - Stories of King Arthur's Knights    entire book
Steedman - Our Island Saints   Saint Alban to Saint Columba (9)



Saxons and Normans—800 to 1154

House of Wessex to Death of Stephen


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the English    The Danish Pirates to Matilda's Narrow Escapes (19)
Marshall - Our Island Story   King Alfred Learns to Read to The Story of King Stephen (15)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The Story of England   King Alfred and the Danes to The Rule of the Normans (3)
Morris - Historical Tales: English   King Alfred and the Danes to A Contest for the Crown (7)
Tappan - In the Days of Alfred the Great    entire book
Tappan - In the Days of William the Conqueror    entire book
Abbott - Alfred the Great    entire book
Abbott - William the Conqueror    entire book
Marshall - English Literature for Boys and Girls   The Story of Beowulf to Havelok the Dane (7)

Easy Reading Selections

Cambridge Press - Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary   Alfred the Royal Harper to The Loss of the White Ship (6)
Haaren - Famous Men of the Middle Ages   Egbert the Saxon to William the Conqueror (4)
Skae - Stories from English History   English and Norman (1)
Marshall - Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children    entire book
Cowles - Our Little Saxon Cousin of Long Ago    entire book
Steedman - Our Island Saints   Saint Edward the Confessor to Saint Hugh of Lincoln (4)



Early Plantagenets—1154 to 1350

Henry II Plantagenet to Reign of Edward III


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the English    Story of Fair Rosamond to The Murderers punished (19)
Marshall - Our Island Story   Henry II—Gilbert and Rohesia to The Battle of Bannockburn (15)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The Story of England   Henry II, First Plantagenet King to The War of the Roses (10)
Church - Stories from English History   Thomas Becket, The Chancellor to The Great Battle of Poitiers (12)
Morris - Historical Tales: English   Captivity of Richard I to Bruce at Bannockburn (4)
Abbott - Richard I    entire book
Tappan - The Chaucer Story Book    entire book
Marshall - English Literature for Boys and Girls   About some Song Stories to The Story of Everyman (17)

Easy Reading Selections

Cambridge Press - Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary   Richard the Lion-Heart to Little Princes in the Tower (10)
Haaren - Famous Men of the Middle Ages   Henry the Second and His Sons to Warwick the Kingmaker (5)
Skae - Stories from English History   Boy Who Would be a King to The Black Prince (2)
Lindsay - Ivanhoe Told to the Children    entire book
Marshall - Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children    entire book



Lancastrians and Yorks—1337 to 1485

Hundred Years War to War of the Roses


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments *

Guerber - The Story of the English    The Battle of Crecy to Richard's Punishment (16)
Marshall - Our Island Story   The Battle of Sluys to Two Princes in the Tower (15)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The Story of England   Henry II, First Plantagenet King to The War of the Roses (10)
Church - Stories From English History, Part Second   Wat Tyler to Bosworth Field (11)
Morris - Historical Tales: English   The Siege of Calais to The White Rose of England (4)
Abbott - Margaret of Anjou    entire book
Abbott - Richard II    entire book
Abbott - Richard III    entire book
Church - The Chantry Priest of Barnet    entire book
Marshall - English Literature for Boys and Girls   About some Song Stories to The Story of Everyman (17)

Easy Reading Selections

Cambridge Press - Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary   Richard the Lion-Heart to Little Princes in the Tower (10)
Haaren - Famous Men of the Middle Ages   Henry the Second and His Sons to Warwick the Kingmaker (5)
Skae - Stories from English History   Boy Who Would be a King to The Black Prince (2)
Marshall - Stories of Guy of Warwick Told to the Children    entire book



Tudors and Reformation—1485 to 1603

Henry VII Tudor to Death of Elizabeth I


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the English    Two Pretenders to Death of Elizabeth (17)
Marshall - Our Island Story   The Make-Believe Prince to The Queen's Favourite (14)
Synge - The Tudors and the Stuarts   Four Hundred Years Ago to England's Greatness (11)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The Story of England   The Separation from Rome to England under Elizabeth (4)
Church - Stories From English History, Part Second   True or False? to Sir Walter Raleigh (11)
Morris - Historical Tales: English   The White Rose of England to The Story of Arabella Stuart (3)
Wilmot-Buxton - A Book of English Martyrs    (entire book)  
Tappan - In the Days of Queen Elizabeth    entire book
Nesbit - Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare    entire book
Antony - The Angelical Cardinal—Reginald Pole    entire book
Abbott - Queen Elizabeth    entire book
Abbott - Mary Queen of Scots    entire book
Marshall - English Literature for Boys and Girls   How a Poet Comforted a Girl to Raleigh—"History" (17)

Easy Reading Selections

Cambridge Press - Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary   The Battle of Flodden to The Little 'Revenge' (4)
Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   Cardinal Wolsey to Sir Walter Raleigh (3)
Skae - Stories from English History   Singeing the King's Beard (1)
Duncan - The Story of Sir Walter Raleigh    entire book
Elton - The Story of Sir Francis Drake    entire book
Lang - The Faerie Queen    entire book



Stuarts and Civil War—1603 to 1688

First Stuart king to Glorious Revolution


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the English    A Scotch King to James driven out of England (12)
Marshall - Our Island Story   The Story of Guy Fawkes to How London was Burned (9)
Synge - The Tudors and the Stuarts   The Drama of the Stuarts to Charles II (10)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The Story of England   James I, First Stuart King to The Stuart Restoration (5)
Church - Stories From English History, Part Second   A Little Romance to The Window in Whitehall (4)
Church - Stories from English History, Part Third   The Lord Protector to The Dutch in the Medway (6)
Morris - Historical Tales: English   Love's Knight-Errant to Cromwell and the Parliament (4)
Ross - Sir Walter Raleigh    entire book
Abbott - Charles I    entire book
Abbott - Charles II    entire book
Church - With the King at Oxford    entire book
Marshall - English Literature for Boys and Girls   Bacon—New Ways of Wisdom to Dryden—New Poetry (9)

Easy Reading Selections

Cambridge Press - Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary   Charles I and his Children to The Great Fire of London (4)
Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   Oliver Cromwell to Sir Isaac Newton (3)
Baldwin - Robinson Crusoe for Children    entire book
Macgregor - Pilgrims Progress Told to the Children    entire book
Marshall - Through Great Britain and Ireland With Cromwell    entire book



Scotland—1403 to 1707

Macalpine Unifies Scots to Act of Union


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Mitton - Scotland: Peeps at History    entire book
Marshall - Scotland's Story    entire book

Supplemental Recommendations

Lang - The Story of Robert Bruce    entire book
Perkins - The Scotch Twins    entire book
Macgregor - Stories From the Ballads Told to the Children    entire book
Abbott - Mary Queen of Scots    entire book
Lang - Stories of the Border Marches    entire book



Ireland—450 to 1922

Life of Saint Patrick to Irish Independence


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments *

Home - Ireland: Peeps at History    entire book
Towle - Young People's History of Ireland    entire book

Supplemental Recommendations

Chisholm - Celtic Tales Told to the Children    entire book
Stein - Our Little Celtic Cousin of Long Ago    entire book
Birkhead - Tales from Irish History    entire book
Hull - The Boys' Cuchulain    entire book
Colum - The King of Ireland's Son    entire book
Synge - The Reign of Queen Victoria   Ireland and Famine to Irish Affairs (2)
Gaskoin - The Hanoverians   Ireland (1)