Vatican Library plans to digitize 41 million pages
The Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana has begun the first phase of a massive digitization project and over the next four years will digitize over 3000 manuscripts. The Vatican library hopes to eventually digitize all 82 000 manuscripts in it collection, which covers over 41 million pages.
The Medievalverse from London
We give you an update from London, where we talk about some of the sites we have seen, including Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. We also tell you about a few things coming up on Medievalists.net
Stained Glass: Radiant Art
Readers are treated to an overview of medieval stained glass as an art medium, an academic topic of study, and as a prized portion of the collection of the Getty.
Intermarriage Between Christians and Jews in Medieval Canon Law
Restrictions on contact between Christians and Jews appeared early in Christian history and remained a prominent feature of ecclesiastical law throughout the Middle Ages.
Least of the laity: the minimum requirements for a medieval Christian
This article investigates the minimum level of religious observance expected of lay Christians by church authorities, and the degree to which legislation and procedures attempted to enforce these standards.
Quiz: Know Your Way Around Medieval London
How well do you know your way around medieval London? Try this quiz of various sites around England’s largest city.
Disinheritance: Some thoughts about Jacqueline of Hainault and Anne Neville
In the 15th century, a rich inheritance could be a liability rather than an asset. An unfortunate heiress could be imprisoned by predatory relatives wanting control of her lands. Marriages made for the purpose of enlarging inheritances could become a form of imprisonment. Inheritance conflicts, in or out of court, could drag on or turn violent.
Olivia Remie Constable passes away
The University of Notre Dame has announced the passing of Olivia Remie Constable, Director of its Medieval Institute.
Substitution: Theatrical Sleight of Hand in Medieval Plays
Substitution is concerned with replacing one thing with another. This is straight forward enough. But to what extent is the replacement indistinguishable from the original in order to qualify as substitution?
When was Offa’s Dyke built?
Historians have long believed that Offa’s Dyke was built in the late eighth-century, but new evidence suggests it might be 200 years older.
Time and Clocks in the Middle Ages
York, England, is a particularly convenient place to study the ways medieval people measured and thought about time.
Teaching the Middle Ages to K-12
Daniele Trynoski reports on Teaching the Middle Ages to K-12: Sites of Encounter in the Medieval World: The History Blueprint Approach
The death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus in medieval Christian anti-Muslim religious polemics
Christians and Muslims argued, of course, and continue to argue about key issues of theology such as the nature of God (i.e., Trinity), revelation, the incarnation and divinity of Jesus, scripture, and the role of prophecy
The Place of the Organ in the Medieval Parish Church
A list of eight hundred existing parish churches with a priori evidence of organs has been drawn up, forming the basis for exploration of medieval churches for physical evidence of liturgical musical arrangements, including organs.
Jesus Christ’s sufferings and death in the iconography of the East and the West
The image of God sufferings, Jesus Christ crucifixion has received such wide spreading in the Christian world that is hardly possible to count up total of the similar monuments created throughout last one and a half thousand of years.
Call for Papers: Pre-modern Queenship and Diplomacy in Europe
Call for Papers: Pre-modern Queenship and Diplomacy in Europe Canterbury Christ Church University on 12-13 September 2014 (Deadline for CFP, 30 April 2014). This…
Why did Medieval Slave Traders go to Finland?
The demand for blonde girls and boys was so lucrative that slave traders would hunt for these people as far away as northern Finland, a recent study finds.
The Battle of Winchelsea
By early August, Edward received news that forty Castilian ships had gathered at Sluys and there were plans to attack England.
The Medieval Academy of America Annual Meeting – A Recap
Want to know what a medieval conference is like? Our correspondent, Danielle Trynsoki, attended the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, which was held this month in Los Angeles, California. She reports back about the papers, the people and the food at one of this year’s most important events for medievalists.
Database of UK surnames has reached 45,000 entries dating back to the Middle Ages
The ‘Family Names of the United Kingdom Project’, which is being carried out by a team at University of the West of England – Bristol, has reached a key milestone with the completion of the first phase of the database with 45,000 surnames researched and explained.
Ten Thoughts on Game of Thrones, Season 4 Episode 2: The Lion and the Rose
This week’s episode of Game of Thrones gives many viewers what they have been hoping to see for a very long time…
Byzantine monastery discovered the Negev Desert
An impressive Byzantine monastery dating to the late sixth-century has been discovered in the northern part of the Negev Desert in Israel.
Viking and Ancient boats discovered in Ireland
Archaeologists in Ireland have discovered the remains of boats dating back to the Bronze and Iron Age, including one from the 11th century that may have belonged to Viking raiders.
Physical Disability and Marriage in Later Medieval (c. 1200–1500) Miracle Testimonies
In September 1470, a man called Laurencius Rawaldi from Linköping in Sweden was struck by a severe condition in his eyes. The illness left him blind for three years, during which he—according to his own testimony—was useless for both himself and others.
How Well Do You Know the First Crusade?
Here is our quiz on the First Crusade. Eight questions to test how well you know some of the key people and events of the 11th century invasion of the Holy Land.