King Richard III: Politics, Power and People – Annual Symposium coming in October
The Richard III Foundation has announce the schedule for its 2016 annual symposium, which is under the theme: ‘King Richard III: Politics, Power and People’.
Fighting to Win: The Art of Sword Combat in The Early Modern Period
By Danièle Cybulskie Usually, writing about the Early Modern Age isn’t my deal, but it was definitely an interesting time. This was the…
The Emergence of “Regnal” Sovereignty at the Turn of the Fourteenth Century
By Andrew Latham Introduction As the 13th century ended, two basic models of sovereignty – understood as the supreme authority to command, legislate…
The Life of Saint Euphrosyne of Połack
Saint Euphrosyne (c. 1105-1167) was the granddaughter of the famous prince of Polack, Usiaslau (Vseslav) whose long reign (1044-1101) and many exploits – in particular his determined struggle against Kiev – made such an impression on his contemporaries that they refused to believe him to be an ordinary mortal
The sons of Eadmund Ironside, Anglo-Saxon king at the court of Saint Stephen
Eadmund Ironside died shortly after his agreement with Canute, King of Denmark, deciding the boundaries of his realm. His decease took place on 30th November 1016.
The Modern Invention of the Medieval Executioner
We all know the hooded, ominous figure of the medieval hangman, but in fact that image owes much more to nineteenth-century imaginations than to any historical reality.
The Statutes of the Teutonic Knights: A Study of Religious Chivalry
The purpose of this study is to examine the role of the religious military orders, and of the Teutonic Knights in particular, within the process of change in developing the concept of a religious and a Christian warrior during the Crusades, or, in other words, how the existing Latin ideal of religious retreat was adapted, blended and attached to the chivalric image of Western Europe in the Holy Land, as reflected in the statutes of the Teutonic Knights.
From Ringwork to Stone Fortification: Power and the Evolution of Anglo-Norman Castles in North-Eastern Ireland
It focuses on two key and archaeologically well-explored castles: Trim and Carrickfergus, and their supporting fortification networks.
Book fastenings and furnishings: an archaeology of late medieval books
Throughout the late medieval period, books were an integral part of religious monastic life, and yet such objects have received little attention from an analytical archaeological perspective, despite the significant quantity of metal book fittings recovered from archaeological sites.
The Western presence in the Byzantine Empire during the reigns of Alexios I and John II Komnenos (1081-1143)
Contacts between Byzantium and the West increased during this period, which witnessed significant events like the First Crusade and the expansion of the Italian trading communities.
Augustine of Hippo and the Art of Ruling in the Carolingian Imperial Period
This thesis investigates how the political thought of Augustine of Hippo was understood and modified by Carolingian-era writers to serve their own distinctive purposes.
Call for Papers: Special on Sessions Medieval Equestrianism at IMC 2017
Following the success of Medieval Equestrianism Sessions at the IMC Leeds 2016, we invite papers for special sessions on medieval equestrian history for the International Medieval Congress at Leeds in 2017.
The Medieval Magazine (Volume 2 Issue 23)
Collaborative team projects yield Gold-Medal-worthy results, joust with champions at Hampton Court Palace, take a tour of the Getty Museum’s new manuscript exhibit “Things Unseen,” and watch Viking experts test out a new game!
BOOK REVIEW: A Million Years in a Day – Greg Jenner
Want to know how daylight savings time started? Who really invented the modern toilet? Were the Vikings really filthy Barbarians? Did Early Modern people think bathing was dangerous? This book aims to answer these questions (and many more!) as Greg Jenner takes us from sun up to sun down, through a million years in one day.
Hy-Brassil: Irish origins of Brazil
The name Brazil is probably the sweetest sounding name that any large race of the Earth possesses
Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon genomes from East England reveal British migration history
British population history has been shaped by a series of immigrations, including the early Anglo-Saxon migrations after 400 CE. It remains an open question how these events affected the genetic composition of the current British population.
The Florentine Archives in Transition: Government, Warfare and Communication (1289–1530 ca.)
Focusing on the important case of Florence, the administrative uses of records connected to government, diplomacy and military needs will be discussed, and evidence will be provided that such documentary practices accelerated significantly during the so-called Italian Wars (from 1494 onwards).
Medical Practice, Urban Politics and Patronage: The London ‘Commonalty’ of Physicians and Surgeons of the 1420s
Medical practice in fifteenth-century England is often seen as suffering from the low status and unregulated practice of which Thomas Linacre later complained.
Did Henry VIII Suffer from Head Trauma?
How did the champion of the church become the killer of queens? Researchers from the Yale School of Medicine think it may have been traumatic head injury.
Book Review: A Palace for Our Kings
When I first picked it up, I prepared myself for what I imagined might be a dry read – after all, wasn’t it just going to be a list of comings and goings? But Wright has put together an enjoyable, extremely readable history of a palace that held an important place in medieval history.
Horse-fights: the Brutal Entertainment of the Icelanders in the Middle Ages
For medieval Icelanders, horses were among the most important animals. It should come as no surprise, as they were used for transport, in pagan rites, eating, and also for sports.
‘Do You Not Know I am a Healer?’ Royal Authority and Miracles of Healing in High Medieval Lives of Kings
Today I’d like to place in comparative perspective the reputations for miraculous healing achieved by two high medieval royal saints: Edward the Confessor of England and Óláfr Haraldsson of Norway.
Powerful Patens in the Anglo-Saxon Medical Tradition and Exeter Book Riddle 48
This article discusses Exeter Book Riddle 48 in light of its proposed solutions.
Soldiers to Warriors: Renegotiating the Roman Frontier in the Fifth Century
There has been a presumption that only the poorest soldiers remained in very small numbers by the end of the Roman period, c ad 410, if not withdrawn completely at the command of an emperor or usurper; but there are no documentary sources that validate this, and there is a considerable amount of archaeological evidence that disproves it.