Crusader sword sells for £163,250
A rare medieval sword, which had been given to the Mamluk rulers of Egypt and then looted from them by the same Crusader king, sold for £163,250 at auction this week, with an entire collection taking in bids over £ 1 million.
Tasting Histories Lecture: “Seasonal and Local Dining in the Middle Ages”
This was a paper given at the University of Toronto by Yale Professor, Paul freedman, on food during the Middle Ages and Early Modern period.
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“Qa’idat al-Mamlakah”: Structural Changes in Taxation and Fiscal Administration during the Reign of al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun
Al-Nasir Muhammad’s reign was defined by his reorganization of the tax system and investment in the agricultural infrastructure of the sultanate in a manner which fundamentally altered the economic structure of the Mamluk state.
The Origins of the Great Schism
One of the more profound of such differences—and one which would shape the course of religious development in the eastern and western worlds—is the nature of the Latin and Greek languages.
Market Failure during the Great Famine in England and Wales (1315-7)
While there can be little doubt that the floods of 1314-6 were the primary harbingers of the crisis, it is, perhaps, worth asking to what extent they were the only factors behind the hardship experienced between 1315 and 1317.
Archaeological dig in Northern Ireland uncovers huge haul of medieval artefacts
Archaeologists have been impressed by the huge treasure trove of artefacts that have been discovered so far during excavations of a crannog in Northern Ireland.
Origins and Consequences of Canossa: the Evolution of Imperial-Papal Relations through the 11th century
The relationship between the German monarchs and the Roman papacy in the Middle Ages was an accepted partnership of mutual interests. The theme and scope of this essay is to explore the historical processes that fashioned such interdependence.
Powerful Women in a Patriarchal Society: Examining the Social Status and Roles of Aristocratic Carolingian Women
The status of aristocratic women hinged on virtue, the ability to manipulate beauty, wealth, marriage status, and Carolingian laws and reforms throughout the ninth century.
An Unexpected Audience: Manner Manuals in Renaissance Europe
Translated into twenty-two languages within the first decade of publication, On Civility in Children was the cultural phenomenon of the day
Imperial Ideology: The Idea of the Universal Christian Empire in Late Antiquity
This paper examines the evolution of Christian universalist ideologies from the year 300 AD to about 800 AD, with a focus on their development in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.
The Geese Book – medieval manuscript now available online
One of the most interesting manuscripts of the late Middle Ages is now available online – The Geese Book, a lavishly and whimsically illuminated, two-volume liturgical book, can now be accessed through a project from the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
Conflicts of Ideology in Christian and Muslim Holy War
The holy wars of Christianity and Islam, crusade and jihad respectively, represent a conflict of ideology between two Abrahamic faiths that would be reignited with the First Crusade in 1096.
Lay Initiative in the Early Peace of God Movement
Mary Skinner argues in her paper that that the laity were fully involved agents that supported the peace councils, and often took the initiative in trying to limit warfare.
Spectacularizing Justice in Late Medieval England
I use the word ritual because in cases of treachery use of a general ‘script’ as ordered by these two accounts emerges with surprising frequency in England in the late 13th and early 14th century.
The Church in Fourteenth-Century Iceland: Ecclesiastical Administration, Literacy, and the Formation of an Elite Clerical Identity
In what follows, therefore, I provide a detailed study of Icelandic clergy and the institutions of the Icelandic Church in the period from 1300 to 1404.
Twelve-year project to research the Chronographia of John Malalas begins
The Chronographia of John Malalas has been considered one of the most important historical sources for the study of Byzantium.
A diplomat in the service of the Kings of Hungary: The activity of the Bishop of Nitra Antony of Šankovce at the end of the Middle Ages
According to this medieval handbook, the work of the diplomat includes: ‘honouring the Church and the Imperial Crown, protecting the rights of the kingdom, strengthening obedience and friendship, agreeing peace, removing the possible causes of future unpleasantness reprimanding tyrants, making rebels obedient…’
Moravian College hosts medieval conference for undergrads
Moravian College will host the seventh annual Undergraduate Conference in Medieval and Early Modern Studies on Saturday, December 1, 2012.
Holy Land, Holy Bones, Holy Image: Byzantine Pilgrimage Art
In Christianity that’s when pilgrimage, sacred bones, holy people and holy places were defined. That’s when the rules were set, and the rules that were sent in those three centuries are the same rules that apply now, and that is same crucible of time and location out of which emerged the icon
“Kid Beowulf” – A New Graphic Novel for Kids!
I had the chance to interview graphic novelist Alexis Fajardo about his new children’s comic book Kid Beowulf!
Nordic Witchcraft in Transition: Impotence, Heresy and Diabolism in 14th-century Bergen
Within the orbit of witchcraft, what is the relationship between sexuality, heresy, and diabolism?
Wormholes from centuries-old art prints reveal history
Wormholes reproduced in wood-printed illustrations dating back to the Middle Ages are offering researchers to track both the ecology of beetles and the spread of printing in Europe.
The Good, the Bad or the Unworthy? Accusations, Defense and Representation in the Case of Ebbo of Reims, 835-882
In 877, a man fell ill. His name was Bernold, and he was a parishioner in the see of Reims. Bernold received the rites of the dying, did not eat for four days and he was so weak that when he wanted to drink, he could not ask for water.
Reading and meditation in the Middle Ages: Lectio divina and books of hours
This article aims to shed light on the practice of reading the book of hours by considering who engaged in this practice, how the book of hours was read, and what the goal of such reading activity was.