New Medieval Books: Alexandria
A history of this Egyptian metropolis from its founding by Alexander the Great to our own day. Close to a hundred pages are devoted to the medieval era.
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New Medieval Books: Alexandria
A history of this Egyptian metropolis from its founding by Alexander the Great to our own day. Close to a hundred pages are devoted to the medieval era.
The Siege of Constantinople (1453)
One of the key dates from the Middle Ages is the year 1453. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly discuss how the Ottomans were able to conquer the city of Constantinople and bring an end to the Byzantine Empire.
Medieval Executions: The View from the Scaffold
Let’s take a brief look at what judicial execution was really like in the Middle Ages.
New Medieval Books: The Wars of the Roses: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner
An overview of the civil war in 15th-century England, this book showcases the artwork of Graham Turner, a leading modern-day artist who focuses on recreating historical scenes.
Leadership Lessons from a Medieval Abbot
Abbot Samson of Bury St Edmunds is a good case study of leadership during times of trouble – in this case when a monastery was drowning in debt.
The Battle of Dupplin Moor
James Turner analyses this 14th-century battle in Scotland.
William Marshal and Richard the Lionheart: Two fierce knights in the 12th century
What happens when William Marshall and King Richard I take part in the same siege?
New Medieval Books: The Mongol Storm
This book examines how the medieval Middle East was reshaped by the invasion of the Mongol Empire in the thirteenth century. In this story of war and politics, new groups would emerge while others, including the Crusaders, would lose it all.
The Viking Blood Eagle: Horrific Ritual or Horrific Metaphor?
As described in a number of sagas, the “blood eagle” was a particularly gruesome form of ritual sacrifice of high-status captives to the god Odin. Historians have debated whether this ritual was an actual practice or an invention of thirteenth-century saga writers based on a misunderstanding of an eleventh-century skaldic poem.
From Flails to Scandals: 10 Medieval Studies’ Articles Published Last Month
What’s new in medieval studies? Here are ten articles published in March, which tell us about topics including the Bayeux Tapestry and Louis the Stammerer.
The Art of Medieval Anatomy with Taylor McCall
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Taylor McCall about what medieval people knew about internal medicine, where they learned it, and how they illustrated it.
Archaeologists discover site with medieval and prehistoric past in England
Archaeologists from Newcastle University have unearthed evidence for an evolving sacred landscape spanning centuries in Eastern England.
New Medieval Books: Becoming a Witch
A collection of eleven articles about how witches and witchcraft were depicted in the Middle Ages. Many of the articles focus on the connections between women and magic and how this gradually troubled medieval society.
Early medieval money mystery solved
Byzantine bullion fuelled Europe’s revolutionary adoption of silver coins in the mid-7th century, only to be overtaken by silver from a mine in Charlemagne’s Francia a century later, new tests reveal. The findings could transform our understanding of Europe’s economic and political development.
Richer of Saint-Rémi’s bad medieval road trip
“Those who have ever suffered similar misfortunes can judge from their own experiences how great my agitation and anxiety were at the moment.”
Medieval Child Discovered Buried with an Egg in Germany
In 2014, archaeologists came across an interesting item from an early medieval grave in southeastern Germany. Ten years later they have been able to identify it as a hard-boiled egg.
New Medieval Books: Weird Medieval Guys
A fun book about the Middle Ages, filled with many manuscript images. Half the book deals with medieval daily life while the other half – The Bestiary – focuses on animals and beasts from the period.
How medieval people described solar eclipses
Solar eclipses are one of our most remarkable episodes of natural phenomena. This was true as well in the Middle Ages, which are told in ten accounts from around the medieval world.
40,000 pieces of graffiti discovered in Venice
Historical graffiti, ranging from symbols to dedications, adorns Venice’s columns, entrances, and walls, weaving a rich tapestry of the city’s narrative. Spearheaded by…
New Medieval Books: The Borgarthing Law and the Eidsivathing Law
Translations of two law codes that were made in eastern Norway during the fourteenth century. These law codes focus on rules related to the Christian Church, ranging from baptisms to the paying of tithes.
What are volcanoes? A medieval answer
An explanation of volcanoes and why they erupt from a medieval scientist.
A Medieval Miracle: The Beer Did Not Spill
Was preventing beer spillage significant enough to be deemed a miracle? Surprisingly, for one seventh-century writer, it was!
Byzantium and the early Rus’, with Monica White
A conversation with Monica White about the earliest contacts between Constantinople and the first Rus’-Varangian raiders, traders, and mercenaries to cross the Black Sea. Who were these people, what did they want, and how did contact with East Roman culture change them?
The Battle of Halidon Hill (1333)
Scotland and England are at war again, with the important border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed under siege. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly discuss how the English were able to inflict a quick and devastating defeat on the Scots.
BooksAll posts
New Medieval Books: Alexandria
A history of this Egyptian metropolis from its founding by Alexander the Great to our own day. Close to a hundred pages are devoted to the medieval era.
New Medieval Books: The Wars of the Roses: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner
New Medieval Books: The Mongol Storm
New Medieval Books: Becoming a Witch
New Medieval Books: Weird Medieval Guys
New Medieval Books: The Borgarthing Law and the Eidsivathing Law
New Medieval Books: The Standard Language Ideology of the Hebrew and Arabic Grammarians of the ‘Abbasid Period
New Medieval Books: The Deorhord
Medievalists.net’s Featured Book: The Tale of Thorstein Staff Struck
Places to SeeAll posts
Örebro Castle: History, Secrets, and Romance
For anyone who visits Örebro, it is hard to miss its castle – an ancient-looking fortress made of weathered grey stones that stands on an islet in the middle of the city centre.
The Vasa: Gustav II Adolf’s Glorious and Doomed Warship
On the 10th of August 1628, the Vasa sank in Stockholm harbour, thus ending the career of the most powerful warship that Sweden had ever seen.
Uppsala Slott: 5 Things You Ought to Know About One of Sweden’s Greatest Castles
This strategic location not only makes the castle a majestic sight, but also earns it the reputation as the most modern defence fortress in its time. But, as all ancient buildings, there is always more than meets the eye. Here are the five things that you may not know about Uppsala Castle.
Making Your Mark: Medieval Masons’ Marks at Tarascon
How do you operate a business when you can’t read and your knowledge of math is extremely limited? Making your mark on the…
The Weird, the Wonderful, and the Macabre in the Cathedral of Narbonne
Narbonne is one of those European cities with evidence of its past on every street.
Medieval English Embroidery on Display for the Last Time at the V&A’s Opus Anglicanum Exhibit
The V&A Museum opened its latest medieval exhibit exhibit on Saturday: Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery. I had the opportunity to see it opening day and it was spectacular.