Ebook: Chess in the middle ages and early modern age: a fundamental thought paradigm of the premodern world

Introduction: "Le beau jeu nottable"; Part I: Chess, Morality, and Politics; Chapter 1. Chess in Medieval German Literature: A Mirror of Social-Historical and Cultural, Religious, Ethical, and Moral Conditions; Chapter 2. Making Chess Politically and Socially Relevant in Times of Trouble in the Schacktavelslek; Chapter 3. Ludus Scaccarii: Games and Governance in Twelfth-Century England; Chapter 4. Defeating the Devil at Chess: A Struggle between Virtue and Vice in Le Jeu des esches de la dame moralisé; Part II: Women On and Off the Chessboard.;Main description: More than a mere pastime, chess was an important pedagogical tool and thought paradigm in the Middle Ages. Much like people today who speak in sports metaphors, the people of medieval Europe related life to chess, making comparisons on and off the board to war, politics, love, and the social order. In this collection of essays, scholars investigate chess texts from various European traditions and make the case for seeing chess as an important key to understanding medieval culture.