Dunluce Castle: History and Archaeology
Dunluce Castle, dramatically positioned on cliffs that plunge straight into the sea, was for centuries at the centre of a maritime lordship encompassing north Ulster and the Western Isles of Scotland.
Book Review: Medievalisms: Making the Past the Present
In the book Medievalisms: Making the Past the Present, Tison Pugh and Angela Jane Weisl recognize the enduring influence of the Middle Ages and address how medievalisms are interpreted and represented in modern culture.
Viking poetry of love and war – new book by Judith Jesch
They are most famous for being violent invaders of foreign shores but a new book by a University of Nottingham Viking expert shows they were also poetry lovers with a wicked sense of humour!
BOOKS: Happy St. Patrick Day! New reads to celebrate Medieval Ireland!
BOOKS: Happy St. Patrick Day! New reads to celebrate Medieval Ireland!
Thomas Hatfield: Bishop, Soldier, and Politician
Thomas Hatfield (c. 1310–81) rose from origins amongst the Yorkshire gentry to become a valued royal servant under King Edward III.
A History of Everyday Life in Medieval Scotland, 1000 to 1600
This book examines the ordinary, routine, daily behaviour, experiences and beliefs of people in Scotland from the earliest times to 1600.
An Environmental History of the Middle Ages: The Crucible of Nature
John Aberth focuses his study on three key areas: the natural elements of air, water, and earth; the forest; and wild and domestic animals.
The Rise of Alchemy in Fourteenth-Century England
However the alchemical source of the early fourteenth century also explicitly maintained that knowledge of the secret of secrets involved an understanding of the hidden forces within the earth, and this in turn would bring earthly power. The most obvious manifestation of this interest in alchemical secrets lay in the belief that controlled experimentation with mercury and sulphur could effect transmutation of base metals into gold.
Ransoming prisoners of war became widespread in the Hundred Years War, new book finds
‘There is widespread evidence to suggest that during the 15th century the practice of ransom is increasingly extended to commoners, not just kings or chivalrous knights.’
Unmarriages: Women, Men, and Sexual Unions in the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages are often viewed as a repository of tradition, yet what we think of as traditional marriage was far from the only available alternative to the single state in medieval Europe.
The Archaeology of Knowth in the First and Second Millennia AD
Knowth, Ireland is the site of one the country’s most important archaeological sites: from a large neolithic grave mound to medieval and post-medieval settlements, this place offers a huge amount of evidence on Irish history.
Fleas, Flies, and Friars: Children’s Poetry from the Middle Ages
In Fleas, Flies, and Friars, Nicholas Orme, an expert on childhood in the Middle Ages, has gathered a wide variety of children’s verse that circulated in England beginning in the 1400s, providing a way for modern readers of all ages to experience the medieval world through the eyes of its children.
The Pope Who Quit
What led him to make that decision and what happened afterward would be shrouded in mystery for centuries.
INTERVIEW: Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths
An interview with author Nancy Brown on her latest medieval offering: “Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths”.
Medieval Cures from The Alphabet of Galen
Use green mint to stop hiccups, radish to relieve aching joints and donkey dung as toothpaste! Some medieval cures from the Alphabet of Galen, the pharmacy handbook of the Middle Ages.
Medieval Military Technology
A new edition of Medieval Military Technology, by Kelly DeVries and Robert D. Smith, is now available.
“Kid Beowulf” – A New Graphic Novel for Kids!
I had the chance to interview graphic novelist Alexis Fajardo about his new children’s comic book Kid Beowulf!
Hot Holiday Reads!
Put down those turkey left-overs and check out some of these hot holiday reads!
New Book on ‘The Book of Kells’ launched
This new publication, presented in a cloth-bound slipcase, features 84 full-size reproductions of complete pages of the manuscript, while enlarged details allow one to relish the intricacy of elements barely visible to the naked eye.
John Lydgate and the Poetics of Fame
Read our interview with Mary C. Flannery about her new book
Liber Confortatorius: The Book of Encouragement and Consolation, by Goscelin of St. Bertin
Goscelin’s Liber Confortatorius is extraordinary both as an example of high-medieval spiritual practice and as a record of a personal relationship.
Hugh Kennedy of Ardstinchar: Joan of Arc’s Scottish Captain
Priest, soldier, pillager, diplomat, counsellor to kings, Archdeacon of St Andrews… and mentioned in the birth of Scottish golf. You couldn’t make this man up.