Our list of the most important events in the medieval world, between the years 500 and 1500 AD.
Before Dracula: The Rise and Fall of Whitby Abbey
April 22, 2018 by
But in addition to Bram and Dracula, Whitby Abbey has more stories to tell; and they are much more ancient than the immortal Count.
5,000,000 words: How St. Augustine’s works made it into the Middle Ages
April 21, 2018 by
This is the first in a series that will look over the shoulder of medieval readers to discover how they shaped Augustine’s legacy, and created an image of the man that has endured to our times.
The Codex Faenza and the Tradition of Improvisation
April 21, 2018 by
Laura Osterlund lecture on, and performance of, the music in the Codex Faenza.
How Law Was Taught at a Medieval University
April 21, 2018 by
Jason A. Brown focus on a medieval manuscript to show how law was taught in medieval universities.
10 New Youtube Videos for Medieval Lovers: From an Old Norse ‘Hello’ to heckling a knight
April 21, 2018 by
Ten new videos on Youtube for your watching pleasure!
Can you Solve these 10 Medieval Riddles?
April 20, 2018 by
Here are 10 riddles from the Middle Ages. How many can you answer?
New Medieval Books: Suger and Blood
April 17, 2018 by
Looking for something medieval to read? Here are five new books about the Middle Ages to check out…
How to touch, smell and taste a ‘deconstructed’ medieval manuscript
April 16, 2018 by
A unique opportunity to experience a medieval manuscript as a sensory experience is currently taking place at the University of Leicester.
Digital Mappa 1.0 now online – new digital resource for medievalists
April 16, 2018 by
A new digital humanities resource has been launched by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Pennsylvania, geared to the medieval studies community to create research workspaces, editions, scholarship, collaboration and open access publications.
Going beyond medieval times to explore early worlds
April 16, 2018 by
The Early Worlds Initiative—an interdisciplinary research project at the University of Rochester—aims to help faculty, researchers, students, and even the general public delve deeper into this complex and intriguing field.
Theories of the Soul vs. Medical Knowledge: Averroës as an Authority in Thirteenth-Century France
April 14, 2018 by
The intellectual florescence of thirteenth-century France, and Paris in particular, was vibrant, yet it confronted scholastic thinkers with a range of both new and continuing problems.
The Legendary Topography of the Viking Settlement of Iceland
April 14, 2018 by
This paper focuses on Icelanders’ myth of origin as presented in the various Landnámabók redactions, and explores how a largely fictional medieval text can assert ownership and control over territory, and ultimately contribute to the creation of a legendary topography.
In the Wake of Death: Socioeconomic Effects of the Black Death in Medieval England
April 14, 2018 by
In the years following the plague, as peasants and merchants gained more economic freedom, tensions grew between lower and upper classes of society as the upper classes stood to lose their status and way of life.
Maiden warriors in Old Norse Literature
April 14, 2018 by
In the Old Norse literature, the term ‘shieldmaiden’ (Skjaldmær in Icelandic) tends to be used with reference to a Viking woman warrior
Medieval Geopolitics: The Medieval “Military Revolution”
April 14, 2018 by
From the late 1200s onward, royal warmaking capabilities underwent profound changes – changes that made them decisively less feudal and decidedly more state-like.
Murderous Mermaid: Why Siren Is More Medieval Than You Think
April 13, 2018 by
In medieval bestiaries, the Sirens are portrayed as deadly seducers who use their seductive songs to lure the sailors to sleep, and then attack them with sharp teeth and tear open their flesh.
Imperium et Credo: Frankish-Byzantine Rivalry over Leadership of the Roman-Christian Credo-State in the Ninth Century
April 12, 2018 by
The years 869-871 saw the onset of the last major diplomatic dispute between the two great powers of Christendom, the Franks in Western Europe and the Byzantines in the East. Louis
Volcanic eruptions in the 6th century plunged Eurasia into hunger and disease
April 12, 2018 by
A recent study indicates that volcanic eruptions in the mid 500s resulted in an unusually gloomy and cold period, and that the years 536 and 541-544 CE were very difficult for many people.
Call for Papers: Migrants and Refugees in the Law
April 11, 2018 by
International conference which will take place in Murcia, Spain, on December 12-14, 2018
Spoliation and disseisin: possession under threat and its protection before and after 1215
April 11, 2018 by
Each of the two great law-making events of 1215, Magna Carta and the Fourth Lateran Council, included provisions relating to dispossession (spoliation, disseisin) and how to remedy some of its previous deficiencies.
Medieval swimming – from the Good to the Scared
April 10, 2018 by
The extent of summer swimming in medieval Europe is a fairly open question. We know that some people certainly could swim, although the skill was rare enough to be remarked.
“You will all be killed”: Medieval Life in War-Torn Paris
April 10, 2018 by
During the Hundred Years’ War, the city of Paris was captured and ruled by the English for sixteen years. The story of this violent and terrible period is vividly recounted by an anonymous writer, known as the Bourgeois de Paris.
Wild animals and medieval towns
April 7, 2018 by
In the year 1166, the town of Carmarthen in southern Wales was attacked by a rabid wolf, which bit 22 people.
Five Things to Know About Gerald of Wales
April 7, 2018 by
Gerald of Wales, or Giraldus Cambrensis, was a twelfth-century cleric who wrote a whole raft of influential works on clerical reform, kingship, and history.
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