Chapter 5 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But soon it revolted again. The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered. Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined. But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken. Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
Chapter 5 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
surrounded by hostile forces
From this reading “The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered.”
inflected form of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading “Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.”
plural of “fortification” — defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it
From this reading “Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined.”
an association of sports teams that organizes matches for its members
From this reading “Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.”
plural of “lombard” — a member of a Germanic people who invaded northern Italy in the 6th century
From this reading “But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken.”
the capital of Lombardy in northern Italy; has been an international center of trade and industry since the Middle Ages
From this reading “Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.”
past form of “revolt” — make revolution
From this reading “But soon it revolted again.”
past form of “surrender” — give up or agree to forgo to the power or possession of another
From this reading “The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
anew
From this reading But soon it revolted again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered.
surrounded by hostile forces
From this reading The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken.
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But soon it revolted again.
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
inflected form of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined.
the male ruler of an empire
From this reading The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered.
divisible by two
From this reading But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken.
plural of “fortification” — defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it
From this reading Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But soon it revolted again.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined.
an association of sports teams that organizes matches for its members
From this reading Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
plural of “lombard” — a member of a Germanic people who invaded northern Italy in the 6th century
From this reading But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken.
a region of north central Italy bordering Switzerland
From this reading Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined.
the capital of Lombardy in northern Italy; has been an international center of trade and industry since the Middle Ages
From this reading Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined.
on one occasion
From this reading The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
past form of “revolt” — make revolution
From this reading But soon it revolted again.
destroyed physically or morally
From this reading Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined.
in the near future
From this reading But soon it revolted again.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken.
past form of “surrender” — give up or agree to forgo to the power or possession of another
From this reading The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken.
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined.
Chapter 5 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. (John Henry) Haaren holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 5 holds 396 sentences of Famous Men of the Middle Ages, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. (John Henry) Haaren exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. (John Henry) Haaren on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2429 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3725 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3725, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 202 minutes of reading across 486 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Famous Men of the Middle Ages section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Famous Men of the Middle Ages to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Famous Men of the Middle Ages, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
