Alienated from the womb: abortion in the early medieval West, c.500-900
Early medieval churchmen, rulers, and jurists saw multiple things in abortion and there were multiple perspectives upon abortion.
‘A fell coniuracioun agayn Robert the douchty king’: the Soules conspiracy of 1318-1320
An anlysis of the plot against Robert I, discovered in 1320, and hitherto dismissed as a scheme led by a desparate minority: this paper argues it was in fact a Balliol plot to dethrone Bruce.
Sex differences in mortality in Lower Austria and Vienna in the Early Medieval period
Based on five Early Medieval cemetery populations from different parts of Lower Austria and Vienna, this work analyses, by applying methods such as mortality profiling, macroscopic examination and stable isotope analysis, other possible contributing factors to these sex differences in life expectancy.
Old English se: from demonstrative to article
Contributing to the ongoing debate about the existence of a definite article in Old English, the present thesis discusses patterns of nominal determination in Old English and their influence on the phenomenon of the emergence of the category ‘article’
Perspectives on the Crusaders’ Armenia: Cilicia from 1071 to 1148
The vast majority of medieval historians writing on the Middle East have focused on Byzantium, the Crusaders, and the Saracens, but there is an abundance of primary materials on Armenian history
Crafting the Merchant’s Wife’s Tale: Historians and the Domestic Rhetoric in the Correspondence of Margherita Datini (1360-1425)
Almost forty years ago, Iris Origo introduced the English-speaking public to Francesco di Marco Datini, the ‘Merchant of Prato’
University of Bradford safeguarding skeletons using 3D digitisation
The University of Bradford has secured almost £750 000 to safeguard skeletons from world-renowned collections based in Bradford and London.
Christmas Cards with medieval images on sale from Bangor University
Cards show a miniature of a bishop consecrating a church, and the decorated opening page of a special Mass celebrated during the Christmas season.
Thirteenth-century Ivory of Virgin and Child sells for $8.5 million
An ivory of the Virgin and Child enthroned, made in Paris between 1250-1280, was sold at auction for $8.547.979 (US) earlier this month, a record price for a medieval art object.
Trobairitz Women Poets from Early Twelfth-Century Southern France
This video was recorded for students in the Fall 2011 GER 160D ‘Eroticism and Love in the Middle Ages’ class.
Robin Hood and the Crusades: When and Why Did the Longbowman of the People Mount Up Like a Lord?
This paper will discuss issues like these in light of the long-lasting Robin Hood tradition. But the most interesting question is simply where this idea of Robin on horseback came from, and where and why the crusades became involved.
Guinevere, the Superwoman of Contemporary Arthurian Fiction
In a perceptive article published in 1987, Elisabeth Brewer explores attempts by early twentieth-century dramatists and more recent novelists to transform Guinevere from a peripheral into a central figure in the Arthurian story.
Prisoners of Love: Medieval Wives as Hostages
This paper deals with a special class of hostages, women who were involved in political marriages.
Khazaria: A Forgotten Jewish Empire
Nicholas Soteri reflects on the early religious controversies of Eastern Europe, focusing in particular on an often overlooked kingdom, the Khazar.
Alfred the Great: The Most Perfect Man in History?
Barbara Yorke considers the reputation of King Alfred the Great – and the enduring cult around his life and legend.
Medieval records of the Church Courts of York now online
From arguments about church taxes on liquorice, roses and pigeon dung, to families disputing wills and inheritance, the records paint a vivid picture of the social, economic, political, religious and emotional world of people living in a period from the 14th to 19th centuries.
Colophoned Hebrew Manuscripts Produced in Spain and the Distributionof the Localised Codices
The mobility of individual Jews, by cholee or by economic necessity, and of entire
communities by forcé, made them agents of cross-cultural contacts and influences
“To all grave and modest matrons”: Practical Midwifery and Chirurgery in De conceptu et generatione hominis (1580)
If previous manuscripts offered helpful remedies to soothe women’s suffering, these new works studied reproduction for theoretical gain, not practical application.
The Exceptional Jewess and the Foolish Jew
In 1555, Pietro Fortini, a Sienese real estate investor, vicar, and paper industry entrepreneur began composing his two-part collection of novellas…
On the Concept of Chernebog and Bielbog in Slavic Mythology
The origin of Slavic cosmogonic and cosmological dualism – that is, dualism as a religio-historical phenomenon – is a controversial issue.
The Vikings in Scotland
Intermittent raids were followed by phases of permanent settlement, and in Scotland this focussed on Northern Scotland, the Western Isles and South-West Scotland.
CATHARISM AND THE TAROT
The idea of heretical origins for the Tarot still attracts attention because the Medieval heresies share two important traits with modern Tarotists.
Examination of Materials, Wicking, and Techniques for Recreating Medieval Candles
In this article, we report on the construction and test burning of a selection of candles using historical materials and construction to varying degrees.
Words and music in communion: an analysis of Guillaume de Machaut’s “Le Lay de la Fonteinne” in cultural context
In this thesis, I shall attempt to define and then analyze the multiple elements present in Guillaume de Machaut’s “Le Lay de la fonteinne,”especially those elements that encapusulate the medieval myth of secular divinity.
A Ready Hatred: Depictions of the Jewish Woman in Medieval Antisemitic Art and Caricature
The medieval mind was not entirely comfortable with the notion of Jesus’ circumcision. On the one hand, it was a well-known fact of his early childhood, and was celebrated as a holiday in the religious calendar.