Representations of English Women and their Pilgrimages in Twelfth-Century Miracle Collections
Drawing on a survey of sixteen miracle collections compiled in twelfth-century England, the study examines the representation of women as pilgrims, and demonstrates that many modern assumptions about female travel in the Middle Ages are not consistent with the miracle accounts.
Terry Jones to give 600th Anniversary lecture at St Andrews University
As well as speaking on ‘Columbus, America and the Flat Earth’ Jones will also be awarded an honorary degree.
Miraculous Healings of Paralysis: A Preliminary Study on Sources
The aim of the present paper has been to explore the medieval evidence on miraculous healings of paralysis and to confront it with modern medical knowledge.
Castle for Sale in Portugal
Also known as Saint Clement’s Castle, this fortress was built between 1599 and 1602 in order to defend the River Mira and town of Milfontes from pirate attacks.
The Pear in History, Literature, Popular Culture, and Art
The history of the pear is traced from antiquity to the present emphasizing its role in popular culture and art.
The Nature of West European Science in the Late Middle Ages (1200-1500)
I will argue that what medieval scholars did with natural philosophy and the role they assigned to it in intellectual life was ultimately more important than what they did with the technical sciences.
The God of History: The Concept of God in the Works of Galbert of Bruges and Walter of Thérouanne
Charles the Good, count of Flanders, was surrounded by assassins and killed by a sword blow to the forehead while praying in an upper chapel of his castral church of Saint Donation in Bruges on March 2, 1127.
Food Representation in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
He uses food and drink as the means to express people’s characters, look, but also mood and situation.
What did Dragons look like for the Vikings?
While the modern image of the dragons often depicts a beast that has four legs, leathery wings and breathes fire, the medieval image of the creature could be very different. In the article, ‘Dragons in the Eddas and in Early Nordic Art,’ Paul Ackey shows that the Vikings and Norse society had their own ideas of what dragons looked like.
Agatha, Clerical ‘Wife’ and Wet Nurse to King John of England, Longtime Companion to Godfrey de Lucy, Bishop of Winchester
Agatha’s life, like that of her mistress Eleanor of Aquitaine, is remarkable in an age when women’s innate inferiority and wives’ subordination to their husbands were almost universally accepted, and discussions of women and marriage in learned treatises, sermons, and vernacular stories were ‘at worst misogynistic and at best ambivalent.’
How Christian Were Viking Christians?
What did the Vikings know of Christianity, how did they appreciate Christian teaching per se and in comparison with their native beliefs, in what way was Christianity enrooted in the minds of pagan Scandinavians?
If the name fits: names in J. R. R. Tolkien’s fiction
The nomenclature within Tolkien’s novels is very carefully done, taking into consideration attributes such as etymology, symbolism, and onomatopoeia. In some instances the author has drawn from Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse, but most of his creations emerged from his own invented languages Quenya and Sindarin, the two main tongues spoken by elves.
Scientific research reveals insights into medieval leprosy
Why was there a sudden drop in the incidence of leprosy at the end of the Middle Ages?
York Minster Revealed shows 2000 years of history
A brand new visitor attraction has opened at York Minster last month.’Revealing York Minster’ tells the story of the last 2000 years at the historic site, from the Romans to its modern day custodians.
Downside Abbey to open its library to the public for the first time
Over 450,000 books and impressive medieval manuscript collection will now be available to the public thanks to a £856,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Story of Richard III inspiring graphic novels
The discovery of King Richard III has inspired comic book artists to take up their pencils to tell the tale of the controversial monarch’s dramatic life and death.
Medieval Dungeon discovered in England
‘In my entire career I’ve never found a dungeon before, so this is a really rare discovery which we estimate dates back to the 14th century.’
Top Ten ‘Medieval’ Commercials
Using the Middle Ages is always a good way to sell stuff! Here are our top ten commercials that have something medieval in them.
Life and death in late ancient and early medieval Egyptian monasteries
Since 2006, Stephen Davis has served as Executive Director of the Yale Monastic Archaeology Project, conducting field work and training graduate students at two sites in Egypt: the White Monastery near Sohag and the Monastery of John the Little in Wadi al-Natrun.
Whitby Abbey raided again, this time by metal detectors
The ruins of Whitby Abbey in northern England are getting an unwanted visitor at night, as metal detectors are sneaking onto the site looking for buried treasures.
Concepts of Contagion and the Authority of Medical Treatises in 14th-16th Century England
In particular, it analyses the history, contents, audience, and codicology of six English tractates, four addressing the plague and two addressing the sweating sickness. The central question asked is whether and how historians’ reliance on medical texts has limited the historiography of contagious disease.
The Borgias get axed – show cancelled after three seasons
After three seasons, the TV series focusing on the nefarious Pope Alexander VI and his wild family is being cancelled. The final episode, The Prince, will air this Sunday on Showtime in the US and Bravo in Canada.
Countess Hodierna of Tripoli: From Crusader Politician to ‘Princesse Lointaine’
This case study of Hodierna (c. 1115 to c. 1161), princess of Jerusalem and countess of Jerusalem, highlights how any given woman’s historical reputation is subject to unpredictable forces, often beyond her control and rarely reflective of her actions in life.
The Participation of the Military Orders in Truces with Muslims in the Holy Land and Spain during the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
Although the military orders’ primary function was to fight against the infidel, warfare in the Middle Ages was never continuous, as armies could not be kept in the field indefinitely, and when there was an imbalance of power between Christians and Muslims it was in the interests of the weaker side to seek truces, even at the expense of concessions.