Leadership Lessons from a Medieval Abbot
Abbot Samson of Bury St Edmunds is a good case study of leadership during times of trouble – in this case when a monastery was drowning in debt.
The Battle of Dupplin Moor
James Turner analyses this 14th-century battle in Scotland.
William Marshal and Richard the Lionheart: Two fierce knights in the 12th century
What happens when William Marshall and King Richard I take part in the same siege?
New Medieval Books: The Mongol Storm
This book examines how the medieval Middle East was reshaped by the invasion of the Mongol Empire in the thirteenth century. In this story of war and politics, new groups would emerge while others, including the Crusaders, would lose it all.
The Viking Blood Eagle: Horrific Ritual or Horrific Metaphor?
As described in a number of sagas, the “blood eagle” was a particularly gruesome form of ritual sacrifice of high-status captives to the god Odin. Historians have debated whether this ritual was an actual practice or an invention of thirteenth-century saga writers based on a misunderstanding of an eleventh-century skaldic poem.
From Flails to Scandals: 10 Medieval Studies’ Articles Published Last Month
What’s new in medieval studies? Here are ten articles published in March, which tell us about topics including the Bayeux Tapestry and Louis the Stammerer.
The Art of Medieval Anatomy with Taylor McCall
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Taylor McCall about what medieval people knew about internal medicine, where they learned it, and how they illustrated it.
Archaeologists discover site with medieval and prehistoric past in England
Archaeologists from Newcastle University have unearthed evidence for an evolving sacred landscape spanning centuries in Eastern England.
New Medieval Books: Becoming a Witch
A collection of eleven articles about how witches and witchcraft were depicted in the Middle Ages. Many of the articles focus on the connections between women and magic and how this gradually troubled medieval society.
Early medieval money mystery solved
Byzantine bullion fuelled Europe’s revolutionary adoption of silver coins in the mid-7th century, only to be overtaken by silver from a mine in Charlemagne’s Francia a century later, new tests reveal. The findings could transform our understanding of Europe’s economic and political development.
Richer of Saint-Rémi’s bad medieval road trip
“Those who have ever suffered similar misfortunes can judge from their own experiences how great my agitation and anxiety were at the moment.”
Medieval Child Discovered Buried with an Egg in Germany
In 2014, archaeologists came across an interesting item from an early medieval grave in southeastern Germany. Ten years later they have been able to identify it as a hard-boiled egg.
New Medieval Books: Weird Medieval Guys
A fun book about the Middle Ages, filled with many manuscript images. Half the book deals with medieval daily life while the other half – The Bestiary – focuses on animals and beasts from the period.
How medieval people described solar eclipses
Solar eclipses are one of our most remarkable episodes of natural phenomena. This was true as well in the Middle Ages, which are told in ten accounts from around the medieval world.
40,000 pieces of graffiti discovered in Venice
Historical graffiti, ranging from symbols to dedications, adorns Venice’s columns, entrances, and walls, weaving a rich tapestry of the city’s narrative. Spearheaded by…
New Medieval Books: The Borgarthing Law and the Eidsivathing Law
Translations of two law codes that were made in eastern Norway during the fourteenth century. These law codes focus on rules related to the Christian Church, ranging from baptisms to the paying of tithes.
What are volcanoes? A medieval answer
An explanation of volcanoes and why they erupt from a medieval scientist.
A Medieval Miracle: The Beer Did Not Spill
Was preventing beer spillage significant enough to be deemed a miracle? Surprisingly, for one seventh-century writer, it was!
Byzantium and the early Rus’, with Monica White
A conversation with Monica White about the earliest contacts between Constantinople and the first Rus’-Varangian raiders, traders, and mercenaries to cross the Black Sea. Who were these people, what did they want, and how did contact with East Roman culture change them?
The Battle of Halidon Hill (1333)
Scotland and England are at war again, with the important border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed under siege. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly discuss how the English were able to inflict a quick and devastating defeat on the Scots.
New Medieval Books: The Standard Language Ideology of the Hebrew and Arabic Grammarians of the ‘Abbasid Period
This open-access book examines the connections between Hebrew and Arabic in the Middle Ages when it comes to language. it offers a look at how people learned from each other even though they came from different backgrounds and religions.
Tips for Travelling to Medieval Jerusalem
During medieval times, Christian pilgrims embarked on journeys across Europe and the Middle East to visit churches, holy sites, and shrines. The pinnacle of these pilgrimages was a visit to Jerusalem, necessitating thorough preparation. Hopefully, pilgrims could benefit from the travel advice provided by William Wey, a writer from the 15th century.
Mary of Egypt with Sonia Velazquez
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Sonia Velázquez about St. Mary of Egypt, why she caught the medieval imagination, and how her beauty, age, and holiness spoke to generations of artists and the faithful.
Life in a Medieval Town
What was life like in a medieval town? Read some stories of daily life from a fourteenth-century chronicler in Germany.
The Holy Foreskin: The Story of Christianity’s Strangest Relic
When I first heard about the Sanctum Praeputium I thought it was a joke thought up by some medievalist. However, in the Middle Ages there was much debate if a little piece of Jesus Christ remained on Earth.