Staffordshire Hoard Inspires Contemporary Jewellery Collection
The medieval treasures that came from the Staffordshire Hoard collection have been used as inspiration by students in Birmingham to create unique contemporary jewellery.
‘To Love and Be Loved:’ The Medieval Monastic Community as Family, 400-1300
This thesis expands how the medieval monastic family can be understood to parallel the traditional nuclear family founded upon the heterosexual union of husband and wife for the purpose of procreation.
5 More (Bloody and Gruesome!) Medieval Stories that Would Make Great TV Series
PK called me up last week and we talked about what we thought would make cool medieval-themed TV shows. Naturally, we had different ideas. I liked PK’s picks, but felt that there were other shows that should get to see the light of day so I decided to come up with my 5 contenders.
What Crime Did You Commit in Your Past Life?
Were you bad to the bone? Take the quiz and find out!
Writing about the Middle Ages – what works, what doesn’t
I’ve had ones that have done really well, while others have failed to get even a small audience. Here are examples of what has worked, and what did not work.
Magna Carta Conference Offers New Insights Into The 800-year-old Document
Magna Carta just celebrated its 800th birthday this past Monday. In honour of this incredible milestone, King’s College London, and the Magna Carta Project, hosted a 3 day conference dedicated to this historic document.
Medieval Beekeeping
All about bees and beekeeping from the 10th century.
How Well Do You Know the Ninth Century?
From Alfred the Great to a Giant Buddha – try our quiz about the 9th century.
Poems by a Viking
What was a poem by a Viking like? In his new book, Crimsoning the Eagle’s Claw, Ian Crockatt has translated dozens of poems of one of the most famous poets from the Norse world.
Medieval Faces in Stone
For centuries, medieval people were etching faces and human figures into the stone walls of their churches. Thanks to the work by the Norfolk Graffiti Project Survey these images are being seen again.
Medieval Warfare and the Value of a Human Life
It has always seemed to me illogical and inhumane that the people of our world have frequently decided matters of relatively little importance by sending a large number of their young males out to be killed.
King Stephen’s Siege Tactics
I will describe Stephen’s siege tactics in three general areas: (1) indirect assault, (2) direct assault, and (3) non-weapon engineering.
The Thirteenth Century International System and the Origins of the Angevin-Piast Alliance
The central question of this study is what inspired Charles I and Władysław Łokietek to establish a dynastic marriage in 1320 and in what context it happened.
Having no Power to Return? Suicide and Posthumous Restlessness in Medieval Iceland
The purpose of this study is to examine cultural conceptions of the possible afterlives of suicides in medieval (ca. 1200– 1400) Iceland.
The Medieval Sleeping Beauty
I’ve since read an early version of the Sleeping Beauty story from the actual fourteenth century, and it’s much darker than the modern version, although it does hold an interesting secret for those who love the stories of the Round Table.
Magna Carta and the English Historical Review: A Review Article
As the most venerable of Anglophone historical periodicals, the English Historical Review has carried many new findings on Magna Carta. In what follows, I attempt a survey of this contribution.
Cathar or Catholic: Treading the line between popular piety and heresy in Occitania, 1022-1271
This paper will explain the origins of popular piety and religious reform in medieval Europe before focusing in on two specific movements, the Patarenes and Henry of Lausanne, the first of which became an acceptable form of reform while the other remained a heretic.
Book Review: Drout’s Quick and Easy Old English
It may seem a little incredible that anyone would need a textbook to learn an older version of his or her mother tongue, but learning Old English (Anglo-Saxon) takes some time and effort – and a good textbook.
Who were the scribes that wrote Magna Carta?
It is a conundrum that has puzzled scholars for centuries, but now experts from the Magna Carta Project have established the scribe of at least one and possibly two of the original Magna Cartas of 1215.
Henry III and Magna Carta 1225
Now at the end of 1215 you would have thought this charter was a failure, without a future. Why is that?
Magna Carta: How relevant to Australia and Human Rights?
How was it that this Latin inscribed sheepskin parchment became anything more than a minor foot note in English history? Why is Magna Carta today recognized as the foundational document of English constitutional law and the symbol of liberty and freedom throughout the English-speaking world?
Ragnar Lothbrok and the Semi-Legendary History of Denmark
An investigation into the historical models for the legendary/literary figure Ragnar Lothbrok, including discussion of semi-legendary Danish history from the early sixth to late ninth centuries. Presents an argument for a female model, Lothbroka.
How to travel to the physical and heavenly Jerusalem without leaving home
By the fifteenth century numerous accounts of the holy places circulated in Western Europe, many of them in Latin, a few in various vernaculars such as French and Middle Dutch.
From Alfred to Harold II: The Military Failure of the Late Anglo-Saxon State
Most historians now acknowledge that Hastings was indeed a close-run affair, won more by luck and perhaps generalship than because of fundamental structural or tactical differences in the forces or disparities in their military technologies.
What was the Most Shocking Moment of Game of Thrones – Season 5?
Spoilers!!! Don’t take a look at this unless you have watched every minute of Season 5! If you have, vote on the most shocking scene.