Avicenna in Ireland: A manuscript discovery with Padraig O’Machain
This month, an exciting connection was made between Islamic and Irish medicine through the discovery of a fragment of Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine bound in a sixteenth-century printed book.
The Measure of Literacy in Late Medieval England: The Case of St. Albans, 1237-1399
In the mid-thirteenth century, the tenants living on the manors of the liberty of St Albans had no use for letters.
Dragomans and Crusaders: The Role of Translators and Translation in the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean, 1098-1291
How did the invading Franks navigate the multifaceted language barrier when they conquered, settled, and ruled Syria in the era of the crusades?
King Alfred, Mercia and London, 874-86: A reassessment
The status of London in the later ninth century has for some time been the subject of enquiry by historians, numismatists and archaeologists
How the borders of Japan changed in the Middle Ages
Three videos taking a look at how Japan evolved during the medieval period.
‘I wanted to make them a little book’: The knight and the book for his daughters
I wanted to make them a little book to read so they might learn and study and understand the good and evil that has already happened, in order to keep them from that which is yet to come.
Augustine and the Master of the Sentences
This begs the question, what were the Sentences exactly, who was Peter Lombard and what did he have to do with Augustine?
Edward III And Philippa Of Hainault’s marriage contract goes up for sale
The 1326 marriage contract between Edward III and Philippa of Hainault will be going up for sale at auction later this month. It is expected to be sold for between £100,000-150,000.
Medieval mystery novels with Candace Robb
Everyone loves a medieval mystery novel, but just how does an author go about creating one that’s true to the period?
Researchers win $1.1 million in funding to study medieval philosophy
What started as a conversation over beers at a local tavern has led, more than a year later, to $1.1 million in research funding for two members of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Historian to examine 13th century music in England
A University of Huddersfield researcher has won an award that will aid her journey into England’s medieval musical past.
The fall of the Angkor was gradual, not dramatic, researchers find
It has long been believed that the medieval Cambodian city of Angkor had an abrupt collapse. Researchers from the University of Sydney believe that it underwent a gradual decline.
The day the sun turned blue: A volcanic eruption in the early 1460s
And the sun has been seen blue many times a day and a cross was spotted in the moon as well as many more miracles in the sky.
Let Us Go Forth Amongst the Fighters: Valkyries, Shield Maidens, and Alt-Right Women
To begin a three-part examination of the concept of the valkyrie and other powerful female figures in Norse literature, this month we’re delving into medieval Scandinavia and the use of Norse symbols and figures by the alt-right.
Medieval Reads: Van Loon’s Lives by Hendrik Van Loon
My personal label for it is this-is-fantasy-fiction-but-it’s-acting-as-fact. Or I could call it a novel about dinner parties with dead people.
How the borders of Russia and Ukraine changed in the Middle Ages
The countries of Russia and Ukraine can trace their history back to the Middle Ages. Here are five videos to explain the development of various medieval states in that region.
Beech Trees in the Bayeux Tapestry: an Ecological Perspective
There are 37 trees or groups of trees on the tapestry and it has been widely noticed that trees are used as scene endings.
Domestic violence against women as a reason to sanctification in Byzantine hagiography
The lives of Matrona of Perge, Mary the Younger and Thomaïs of Lesbos are rare examples of how domestic violence against women could be also interpreted as a reason to sanctify the woman suffered abuses of this sort.
The Thirteenth-Century Cartulary and Archives at the Abbey of Prémontré: Material Practices in the Scriptorium
The cartulary of the Abbey of Prémontré is well-known amongst scholars of the early history of the Premonstratensian Order, as well as those who study the economic, social, and religious history of southern Picardy in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Saints Alive! Rediscovering Chant Manuscripts at McGill
Professor Julie Cumming and a McGill choir bring a 500-year-old chant manuscript to life.
Medieval Jews and the Cairo Geniza in the Digital Age
Recent projects to digitize the contents of the Cairo Geniza—the largest cache of Jewish manuscripts ever discovered—have revolutionized research in the field.
15th-century Christine de Pizan manuscript acquired by the University of Toronto
Christine de Pizan, one of the first women in the West to earn a living by her pen, is increasingly seen as one of the most important thinkers of her time.
15th-century manuscript discovery reveals links between Irish and Islamic worlds
A previously undiscovered 15th-century Irish vellum manuscript has revealed an enchanting connection between Gaelic Ireland and the Islamic world, and illustrates how medieval Ireland was once at the centre of medical scholarship in the world.
Bastards and Priests in the Middle Ages with Sara McDougall
What was it like to be a bastard in medieval Europe? Were you excluded from one of the most important institutions of the time: the priesthood? Danièle is joined by Sara McDougall to talk about bastards, priests, and if you could be both at that same time.
