Islamic Astronomy in Medieval China
In 1271, Kublai Khan founded the Bureau of Islamic Astronomy in Peking, which operated alongside the long-established Chinese Astronomical Bureau.
The Sermon of Urban II in Clermont and the Tradition of Papal Oratory
The speech that Pope Urban II delivered at Clermont in 1095 to launch the First Crusade is probably one of the most discussed sermons from the Middle Ages.
The Jewish Physician in Medieval Iberia: New Directions
We are thus in a far better position to capture the range and characteristics of those Jews who engaged in medical practice in medieval Iberia.
The Eyes Have It: Blindness and Vision in Matthew Paris’s Estoire de seint Aedward le rei
La Estoire de seint Aedward le rei (The History of Saint Edward the King) is extant in only one manuscript—and it is stunning
The hero on the edge: Constructions of heroism in Beowulf in the context of ancient and medieval epic
Whatever else he may be, though — and he may be any or all of these things — Beowulf is a hero.
Frankish involvement in the Gregorian mission to Kent
This article re-examines the primary documents relating to the sixth century Gregorian Mission to Kent in light of the modern historiographical tradition which claims Frankish hegemony existed over the Kentish Kingdom under Aethelberht’s rule.
Medieval Studies in Northern Ireland
Here are university and college programs about medieval studies located in Northern Ireland
Piracy in Late Roman Britain: A Perspective from the Viking Age
In contrast to Romano-British studies, the scholar of the Viking Age is well served by detailed discussions of piracy, in large part driven by the considerable number of primary historical sources.
Scotland and the Isle of Man, c.1400-1625
Although Scottish during much of the medieval era, the Isle of Man was under British control during the late medieval and early modern historical period.
What caused the Viking Age?
The author develops the theory that a bulge of young males in Scandinavia set out to get treasure to underpin their chances of marriage and a separate domicile.
The Origins of the Arthurian Legend
I believe the ‘historical Arthur’ quest has, in practice, been misguided. Historians in search of him have committed themselves to a certain mode of approach. They have tried to strip away legend and isolate hard evidence
The ‘New’ Monty Python and the Holy Grail trailer
Imagine Monty Python and the Holy Grail not as a comedy, but as a serious historical epic! This would be its trailer.
Medieval Studies in Wales
Here are university and college programs about medieval studies located in Wales
Byzantine golden treasures discovered in Jerusalem
Archaeologists working at the foot of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have discovered a large haul of treasure from the remains of a Byzantine-era building
The Battle of Flodden
It’s the year 1513 and King James IV of Scotland is in a real bind.
The Storie of Asneth and its literary relations: the Bride of Christ tradition in late Medieval EnglandThe Storie of Asneth and its literary relations: the Bride of Christ tradition in late Medieval England
This is a study of the fifteenth-century, “Storie of Asneth,” a late-medieval English translation of a Jewish Hellenistic romance about the Patriarch, Joseph, and his Egyptian wife, Asneth (also spelled Aseneth, Asenath).
The Anna Selbdritt in late medieval Germany : meaning and function of religious image
The Anna Selbdritt in late medieval Germany : meaning and function of religious image Virginia Nixon Doctor of Philosophy, Concordia University, School of…
Scotland and England mark 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden
Memorials were held in both Scotland and England yesterday to mark the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden, where over 14000 men lost their lives, including King James IV of Scotland.
The minority of King James V, 1513-1528
The thesis is a detailed study of Scottish central government institutions, personnel and policies during the long and politically complex minority of James V 1513-1528.
A Tale of the Rise of Law: Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The History of the Kings of Britain
Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The History of the Kings of Britain is a tale of the rise of law, suggesting that there can be no Britain without law – indeed, that Britain, like all nation-state constructs, was law or at least a complex network of interrelated processes and procedures that we might call law.
Medieval Animal Trials
Why were animals put on trial – for murder or for eating crops – in the Middle Ages?
Girls Gone Wild: Medieval Spain Edition
Since its publication in 1499 at the evening of the medieval era and the dawning of the early modern one critics have poured over the pages of this seminal text, hoping to shed more and more light on its various intricacies and complexities.
Ganymede/Son of Getron: Medieval Monasticism and the Drama of Same-Sex Desire
The subject of this essay is a late-twelfth-century St. Nicholas play called Filius Getronis (The Son of Getron) that has been little studied, and never in this context
Rulers of Jorvik
From 866 until 954, York was part of a Viking kingdom ruled, mostly, by the descendants of Ragnar Lothbrok; the city seems to have been the capital of the Viking kingdom from which power was exercised.
Alexander and the Mongols
The association of Alexander the Great with the Mongols begins with the identification of the latter with the peoples of Gog and Magog.