Come One! Come All! Medieval Tournament Announcements
Tournaments were the big-ticket events in the Middle Ages, attracting people from all walks of life to witness great spectacles of sport and entertainment. But how did tournament organizers spread the word?
When in History Do You Belong?
There are many quizzes about where you belong in history, but they are often surface level. This quiz goes in depth into your personality and worldview to see what time period in the history of Western civilization fits you best.
The Lives of Black Tudors: An Interview with Miranda Kaufmann
Miranda Kaufmann talks about her new book, Black Tudors, which explores the place of Africans in Tudor and Stuart English society.
Medieval Manuscripts: The Book of Felicity
The Book of Felicity features descriptions of the twelve signs of the zodiac accompanied by splendid miniatures; a series of paintings showing how human circumstances are influenced by the planets; astrological and astronomical tables; and an enigmatic treatise on fortune telling.
New game allows students to explore the art of 15th and 16th century Florence
A new course centered around a video game was launched this fall at Texas A&M University. The course uses the video game ARTé: Mecenas, in which students are transported to the 15th and 16th centuries to commission works of art as a Medici banker.
Vikings Against The Academy: Junior Scholars Unite in the Face of Looming Career and Mental-Health Crises
Luke John Murphy tells us about The Network of Early Career Researchers in Old Norse.
The Original Hamlet: The Story of Prince Amleth
Well, everyone knows the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Even though you have never finished the book, you are bound to have seen some version of it, be it excerpts, summarising tales, films, plays, or art works. What may be not so well known, however, is the story of Amleth, the prototype of Hamlet.
York Becomes Home of Medieval Christmas Celebrations
York Becomes Home of Medieval Christmas Celebrations York’s historic Barley Hall is hosting a special exhibition exploring the lost Christmas celebrations of ordinary…
Enclosed Gardens Revealed: The Concept of Virginity in Medieval Jewish Culture
This talk addresses the politics of what shaped the Jewish concept of virginity in the High Middle Ages against the backdrop of Western European culture.
From Academic Article to Fantasy Novel: Medieval Alchemy and The Alchemists’ Council
Cynthea Masson speaks about the relationship between her academic study of alchemy and the writing of her 2016 novel, “The Alchemists’ Council.”
“The quality of women’s intelligence”: female humanists in Renaissance Italy
This thesis examines how the advent of humanism in Renaissance Italy impacted women, namely those who were raised within intellectual families and granted educational opportunities not before afforded to members of their sex.
The Execution and Burial of Criminals in Early Medieval England, c. 850-1150
This thesis seeks to discover where criminals where buried after the Norman Conquest and examines the influences behind the changes in funerary treatment of judicial offenders.
The Experience of Sickness and Health During Crusader Campaigns to the Eastern Mediterranean, 1095–1274
This thesis proposes the reading of medieval chronicles, specifically those of the crusades, for their medical content. The crusades left a mark on the historical record in the form of dozens of narrative sources, but texts such as these are rarely considered as sources for medical history.
The Social Scope of Roman Identity in Byzantium: An Evidence-Based Approach
This contribution concerns a specific point that no one has so far elucidated fully with reference to the evidence found in the sources: What was the social scope of attributions of Roman identity in Byzantine sources?
Fierce, Barbarous, Unbiddable: Perceptions of Norse-Gael Identity in Orkney-Caithness c.1000-1400
The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to analyse the perceptions of Orcadian Norse-Gael identity as they are found in medieval written sources.
The War for Mercia, 942-943
This article examines political and military developments in the midlands during the reign of Edmund I, including the West Saxon king’s campaign in the Five Boroughs, the subsequent attacks by the Viking king of Northumbria, and the treaty between the two in 943.
Multi-Agent Simulation of the Battle of Ankara, 1402
In 1402, at the north of the city of Ankara, Turkey, a battle between Ottoman Empire and Tamerlane Empire decided the fate of Europe and Asia. Although historians largely agree on the general battle procedure, the details are still open to dispute.
Masks of the Dark Goddess in Arthurian Literature: Origin and Evolution of Morgan le Fay
The world of Arthurian legend is one steeped in mythology and magic. Such tales often feature perplexing and seemingly contradictory characters: a primary example of such a character is Morgan le Fay.
When We Were Monsters: Ethnogenesis in Medieval Ireland 800-1366
Ethnogenesis, or the process of identity construction occurred in medieval Ireland as a reaction to laws passed by the first centralized government on the island.
Dante and the “Dead White Dude” Dilemma: Exploring the Complexities of Diversity and Controversy in Medieval Literature
While literature programs should be more diversified, it is still possible to hear from marginalized voices and discuss current controversial issues through older canonical texts. Dante Alighieri does this exceptionally well in his Divine Comedy.
A Lifeʼs Worth: Reexamining Wergild in the Anglo-Saxon Royal Law Codes (c. 600-1035)
In the wide and growing world of Anglo-Saxon scholarship, wergild has an at once ubiquitous and spectral presence.
The Medieval Magazine: (Volume 3: No. 18): Issue 101: Reformation 500
In this issue: 80+ pages of news, books, articles, exhibits, and events, with a focus on the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation!
New Medieval Books: From Manuscripts to Sutton Hoo
Five new books about the Middle Ages, going from Anglo-Saxon England to Fatimid Egypt.
Medieval Manuscripts: Bread in the 15th-century
The manuscript ‘Tacuinum Sanitatis’ shows modern readers how medieval bakers prepared bread.
Historian explores the Viking connection to Frisia
Frisia, the coastal region between the Zwin (near Bruges) and the Weser (near Bremen), was linked to the Viking world around the North Sea more closely in the Viking age (c. 800-1050) than we supposed – particularly to England and Denmark.