The Green Ages : Medieval Innovations in Sustainability

by Kehnel, Annette | European history
Published 07/08/2025 by Profile Books Ltd in the United Kingdom
Paperback | 352 pages, B&W images throughout
129 x 198 x 23mm | 284g

'Surprising and fascinating' GUARDIAN 'A treasure trove' PETER FRANKOPAN'A book of great joy' TELEGRAPH Medieval methods for modern living: a timeless study of the sustainability movement from the Middle Ages to todayFishing quotas on Lake Constance. Common lands in the UK. The medieval answer to Depop in the middle of Frankfurt.

These are all just some of the sustainability initiatives from the Middle Ages that Annette Kehnel illuminates in her astounding new book, The Green Ages. From the mythical-sounding City of Ladies and their garden economy to early microcredit banks and rent-a-cow schemes, Kehnel uncovers a world at odds with what we might think of as the typical medieval existence.

Pre-modern history is full of inspiring examples and concepts that open up new horizons. And we urgently need them as today's challenges - finite resources, the twilight of consumerism, growing inequality - threaten what we have come to think of as a modern way of living sustainably.

This is a revelatory look at the past that has the power to change our future.