Top 10 Medieval News Stories of 2016
These last twelve months have seen more discoveries and great research about the Middle Ages. However, in keeping with the theme that 2016 is the worst year ever, our most important story is a depressing tale for medievalists.
The Role Of Ritual And Ceremonial In The Reign Of Edward I
The following paper will explore occasions of ceremony and ritual linked to King Edward I as an arbiter of royal power, as well as consider the means by which he utilized the influence of his position and the majesty of the monarchy to affirm and reinforce his extensive authority.
Medievalists at the Movies: Assassin’s Creed
In between the exciting chases, hand-to-hand combat, and surprisingly well-acted dialogue, the overall film drags with too many flat moments of the lead actors staring into the camera or watching something happening from afar.
A Vision of Baby Jesus from 1344
The story told by Margaretha Ebner is a fascinating one – an intimate experience with the Baby Jesus. In her own words, she describes powerful visions of being with the infant, and even breastfeeding him.
The Medieval Magazine: A Medieval Christmas (Volume 2 Issue 31)
Happy holidays from Medievalists.net! Medieval holiday traditions, the story of how Nicholas became Santa Claus, and some tasty treats for your holiday feast.…
How to Party Like It’s 1399
The holiday season is upon us once again, which means that it’s time to get medieval and party like there’s no fifteenth century!
Historical rise of waterpower initiated the collapse of salmon stocks
We demonstrate that populations declined by up to 90% during the transitional period between the Early Middle Ages (c. 450–900 AD) and Early Modern Times (c. 1600 AD).
The Medieval Monarchy’s Symbols of Power
Even if a king was born into his position, he still needed to maintain that standing among his nobility and his royal peers and that maintenance was through the use of certain symbols and objects.
The Growth of London as a Port from Roman to Medieval Times
Rather than describing a history of the port of London, it seems more appropriate to say PORTS of London, since the locations, vessels, cargoes and waterfront facilities differed as much as the prevalent languages, cultures and currencies.
Leonardo, Rapunzel and the Mathematics of Hair
From Leonardo da Vinci to the Brothers Grimm our fascination with hair has endured in art and science.
Disimpassioned Monks and Flying Nuns: Emotion Management in Early Medieval Rules
What do a monastery and an airplane have in common? Both are closed communities; there is no way out (at least after the plane has started). Both are regulated by rules different from those followed in the world outside.
Orientalism in Assassin’s Creed
On first glance Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed from 2007, the first of a long and popular series, presents itself as yet another example of Orientalism in video games
Semi-fictionalized History as Teaching Aids: Opportunities for learning history in Assassin’s Creed II as a digital game and novel
This study is a hermeneutic content analysis of both a digital video game, in this case Assassin’s Creed II, and the written story based on that game, Assassin’s Creed Renaissance.
‘Nothing is true, everything is permitted’: The Portrayal of the Nizari Isma’ilis in the Assassin’s Creed Game Series
Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed does a remarkable – though not flawless – job in presenting a well-balanced game narrative, which incorporates not only a historically justified representation of the Nizari Isma’ilis, but also implicitly corrects one of the most famous Western legends about the so-called ‘Assassins’
Gaming history: computer and video games as historical scholarship
The video game offers far greater potential for the creation and presentation of history than any other entertainment or interactive media.
Male-biased operational sex ratios and the Viking phenomenon
Conceptually, our hypothesis is related to what is perhaps the oldest explanation for Viking raiding, which was put forward by Dudo of St. Quentin (c. 965–1043). In History of the Normans, he argued that the raids were caused by an excess of unmarried young men.
Ye Olde Pub: A Social and Cultural History of England’s Early Drinking Houses
This talk will guide us through the vibrant social lives of England’s historic watering holes c. 1400-1800.
Community Archaeology and the Black Death
Professor Carenza Lewis talks about her innovative 10-year research programme which has involved thousands of members of the public in new archaeological excavations in their own back gardens, producing finds which reveal exactly where the impact of the Black Death was most and least severely felt
Mass Burial of Black Death victims discovered in England
A mass burial of 48 bodies, known to be victims of the Black Death, has been discovered at the site of a 14th-century monastery hospital at Thornton Abbey in England.
Undercutting the Fabric of Courtly Love with ‘Tokens of Love’ in Wolfram Von Eschenbach’s Parzival
In this article I will focus on two areas in which clothes provide us insights into Wolfram’s complex commentary on constructions of masculinity and femininity, and the discourse of courtly love
Allegories of Sight: Blinding and Power in Late Anglo-Saxon England
The practical necessity of sight to effective participation in Anglo-Saxon life is reflected in the multifaceted depictions of punitive blinding in late Anglo-Saxon literature.
Muscular Medievalism
Our job as medievalists—as humanists—is not to wall off the Middle Ages from public discourse when it’s being misused or mishandled.
Trees as a Central Theme in Norse Mythology and Culture
The continual theme of trees in Norse Mythology is important to our understanding of the cosmology of Norse Mythology.
Talkin’ the Medieval Bob Dylans
On October 4, 2016, the Swedish Academy announced that singer/songwriter Bob Dylan would receive the Nobel Prize in literature.
The Tenth-Century Collapse in West Francia and the Birth of Christian Holy War
This paper will argue that although these two disruptive changes brought major shifts in European society, and fuelled contemporary millennial anxieties, they were also part of a wider context of greater changes.