http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1797.html

is a paper which attempts to reconstruct seven continent's temperatures during the last 1-2 thousand years.  It is found that during that time there was a gradual cooling trend, but it converted in about 1880 to a warming trend.  The overall temperatures and the total temp increase rate during 1971-2000 were both greater than at any time during the last 1400 years.
The so called  "Medieval Warm Period" and "Little Ice Age" are shown to have been more regional than worldwide events.