Top 50 Masterpieces of Medieval Literature
This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
About this list
Medievalists.net , 50 Books
Unlock the rich and diverse world of medieval literature with our list of 50 masterpieces. From epic tales of heroism to timeless romances and spiritual writings, these works from the Middle Ages have shaped cultures and influenced storytelling traditions for centuries.
This list explores the greatest literary works from the medieval period, spanning continents and covering a wide range of genres. Whether you’re interested in legendary heroics, philosophical insights, or allegorical tales of love and morality, this guide offers a comprehensive look at the most important works from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and beyond. Each entry includes a brief summary of the work, its significance to the field of medieval literature, and how you can read this in English translation.
This list was originally published in 2024 and was added to this site about 1 year ago.
| Rank | Book | Authors | Year | Country | Language | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | The Divine Comedy | Dante Alighieri | 1308 | Italian | Italian | |
| 1091 | Shahnameh | Ferdowsi | 1010 | Iranian | Persian | |
| 116 | The Canterbury Tales | Geoffrey Chaucer | 1400 | British | Middle english | |
| 802 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | Guanzhong Luo | 1400 | Chinese | Chinese | |
| 669 | Beowulf | Unknown | 1000 | Unknown | Old english | |
| 15736 | Maqamat Al Hariri | Al-Hariri of Basra | 1101 | Arabic | Arabic | |
| 548 | Le Morte d'Arthur | Thomas Malory | 1485 | British | Middle english | |
| 1658 | The Song of Roland | Unknown | 1100 | French | Old french | |
| 563 | Panchatantra | Unknown | -300 | Multiple | Sanskrit | |
| 122 | Decameron | Giovanni Boccaccio | 1353 | Italian | Italian | |
| 1528 | The Consolation of Philosophy | Boethius | 524 | Roman | Latin | |
| 130 | The Tale of Genji | Murasaki Shikibu | 1001 | Japanese | Classical japanese | |
| 7042 | Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | Simon Armitage | 2007 | British | Middle english | |
| 1544 | The Poetic Edda | Unknown | 1270 | Multiple | Old norse | |
| 699 | The Nibelungenlied | Unknown | 1200 | German | Middle high german | |
| 2248 | Roman De La Rose | Guillaume de Lorris, Jean de Meun | 1237 | French | Old french | |
| 14122 | Lais Of Marie De France | Marie de France | 2010 | French | Anglo-norman | |
| 807 | The Book of the City of Ladies | Christine De Pizan | 1405 | French | French | |
| 1410 | Poem of the Cid | Unknown | 1207 | Spanish | Old spanish | |
| 864 | Reynard the Fox | Unknown | 1479 | Multiple | Middle dutch | |
| 16528 | The Book Of Dede Korkut | Unknown | 1400 | Multiple | Oghuz turkic | |
| 1550 | Njal's Saga | Iceland | 1280 | Icelandic | Old norse | |
| 367 | Journey to the West | Wu Cheng'en | 1592 | Chinese | Chinese | |
| 2151 | The Conference Of The Birds | Attar Neyshabouri | 1177 | Persian | Persian | |
| 3933 | Tales from the Kathasaritsagara | Somadeva | 1070 | Indian | Sanskrit | |
| 14937 | Digenes Akritas | Unknown | 1050 | Multiple | Greek | |
| 16670 | Khosrow And Shirin | Nezami Ganjavi | 1180 | Persian | Persian | |
| 1555 | Troilus And Criseyde | Geoffrey Chaucer | 1385 | British | Middle english | |
| 14934 | Piers The Ploughman | William Langland | 1370 | English | Middle english | |
| 14947 | The Tain | Thomas Kinsella | 1969 | Irish | English | |
| 17164 | Barlaam And Josaphat | Gui de Cambrai | 2014 | French | Old french | |
| 2006 | The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter | Unknown | 900 | Japanese | Japanese | |
| 16784 | Kādambarī | Bānabhaṭṭa | 650 | Indian | Sanskrit | |
| 16836 | The Biography Of Ying Ying | Yuan Zhen | 820 | Chinese | Classical chinese | |
| 14877 | Scivias | Hildegard of Bingen | 1151 | German | Latin | |
| 1186 | Tristan | Gottfried von Strassburg | 1210 | German | Middle high german | |
| 14883 | Dulcitius | Hrotsvitha | 990 | German | Latin | |
| 2722 | Revelations Of Divine Love | Julian of Norwich | 1395 | English | Middle english | |
| 3550 | The Improvement of Human Reason | Ibn Tufayl | 1170 | Arabic | Arabic | |
| 16938 | Le Jouvencel | Jean V de Bueil | 1466 | French | French | |
| 16963 | The Romance Of 'Antar | Unknown | 1100 | Multiple | Arabic | |
| 14196 | The Mabinogion | Unknown | 1400 | Multiple | Middle welsh | |
| 17164 | Kallimachos And Chrysorrhoe | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| 17036 | The Tales Of Sendebar | Unknown | -100 | Multiple | Sanskrit | |
| 1151 | The Water Margin | Shi Naian | 1370 | Chinese | Chinese | |
| 14928 | Libro De Buen Amor | Juan Ruiz | 1330 | Spanish | Spanish | |
| 17083 | Epic Of Sundiata | Unknown | 1235 | Multiple | Mandinka | |
| 4795 | Yvain | Chrétien de Troyes | 1177 | French | Old french | |
| 17164 | Huon De Bordeaux | Unknown | French | Old french | ||
| 17148 | Daredevils Of Sassoun | Unknown | 800 | Multiple | Armenian |