An examination of medieval historican writings through the prism of violence The concept of medieval historiography as usable past is here challenged and reassessed The contributors shared claim is that the value of medieval historiographical texts lies not only in the factual information the texts contain but also in the methods and styles they use to represent and interpret the past and make it ideologically productive Violence is used as the key term that best demonstrates the making of historical meaning in the Middle Ages through the transformation of acts of physical aggression and destruction into a memorable and usable past The twelve chapters assembled here explore a wide range of texts emanating from throughout the francophone world They cover a range of genres chansons de geste histories chronicles travel writing and lyric poetry and range from the late eleventh to the fifteenth century Through examination of topics as varied as rhetoric imagery humor gender sexuality trauma subversion and community formation each chapter strives to demonstrate how knowledge of the medieval past can be enhanced by approaching medieval modes of historical representation and consciousness on their own terms and by acknowledging and resisting the desire to subject them to modern conceptions of historical intelligibility