New Medieval Books: No Return
Usury—the practice of lending money at interest—became a major social flashpoint in western Europe during the Middle Ages. This book traces how resentment of usury fuelled hostility that, in many places, escalated into the expulsion of Jewish communities and other Christian moneylenders.
Military Education in Early Medieval Europe: Learning from Books
Discover how early medieval commanders were trained using books, manuals, and historical texts—revealing the role of reading in preparing leaders for war, sieges, and logistics.
New Medieval Books: The Forsaken 14th Century
Covering every region of the world, this book introduces readers to the many states and cultures that existed through an era of sweeping change and major catastrophes.
Online Course: The Normans in Europe
Explore the development of the Normans in Normandy, England, and the Mediterranean and learn about their political and cultural achievements. The five-week course starts February 7th.
Rules of a Medieval Library
No stealing, no talking, no women – the rules you had to follow in a medieval library!
New Medieval Books: Twenty-Five Women Who Shaped the Italian Renaissance
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Italian women left a clear imprint as rulers, writers, artists, and intellectuals. This book profiles 25 of them, tracing their lives, work, and the worlds they moved through.
Talking Templars: Assassins versus Templars
The Assassins and the Knights Templar have become two of the most iconic groups of fighters from the period of the Crusades. In recent times, they have been popularised through the video game and movie franchise, Assassin’s Creed. But who were they really and how did they interact in the Holy Land?
From Holy War to Heritage: Places to Visit if You Want to Understand the Baltic Crusades
Stone castles, brick churches, and orderly new towns still line the Baltic coast—evidence of how the Baltic Crusades remade a medieval frontier. Aleksander Pluskowski traces the routes of conquest and conversion through the sites you can visit today.
New Medieval Books: The Florentine florin
This open-access book traces the rise of the Florentine florin, the gold coin first minted by Florence in the mid-thirteenth century. More than a merchant’s currency, it became a monetary powerhouse sought after by traders, kings, and popes alike.
Reading in Byzantium: Literacy, Books, and a World of Texts
In Byzantium, reading wasn’t just private study—it was performed aloud in churches and monasteries, woven into government, and preserved in precious manuscripts. Zoe Tsiami explores who could read, what they read, and how texts shaped everyday life.
New Medieval Books: Old High German Poetry
Old High German was spoken between the eighth and eleventh centuries, and a small but significant body of its literature has survived. This anthology brings together editions and translations of about a dozen poetic works, spanning subjects from religious devotion to historical narrative.
Montaillou to ICE: The Medieval Roots of Snitching
Historian Joëlle Rollo-Koster explores how denunciation and “snitching” helped power the medieval Inquisition, and why similar dynamics of reporting and surveillance still matter today.
Hattin and the Templars’ Last Stand
A look at the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and the Templars’ last stand—desperate charges, the collapse of the crusader army, and Saladin’s revenge.
New Medieval Books: Mongol Invasion against Europe (1236-1242)
The 27 articles in this collection explore the lead-up to, course of, and aftermath of the Mongol campaigns into Rus and Eastern Europe in the mid-13th century, examining one of the period’s most consequential military and political upheavals.
Women Beyond the Cross: Power, Myth, and Agency in the Viking World
Explore how women in the Viking world exercised power and agency through myth, law, and daily life—challenging the idea that medieval society universally confined women to subordinate roles.
The Battle of Dupplin Moor (1332)
Scotland’s in turmoil in the 1330s—and Edward III spots an opening. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly break down the Battle of Dupplin Moor, where tactics, terrain, and timing turn chaos into catastrophe.
New Medieval Books: The Horse in History
This collection of 11 essays focuses on the equipment used by people with their horses—from saddles to spurs—while honouring the scholarship of John Clark. Its chapters range widely in time and place, exploring not only gear but also training, folklore, and the meanings attached to horses.
When Was Violence Legitimate? Feuds and Just War in Early Medieval Germany
When was violence acceptable in the early Middle Ages? Examining feuds, just war, and how early medieval Germany defined legitimate and illegitimate conflict.
New Medieval Books: Joan of Arc
Even within her short lifetime, Joan of Arc was already becoming a legend. This book traces how her story has been continually retold—casting her at different times as hero, monster, and saint—and shows why, six centuries on, she remains a powerful icon, especially in France.
When were the Middle Ages?
Medieval historians have debated for generations about when the Middle Ages began and ended. Was there a single year that launched the medieval period—and another that closed it?
New Medieval Books: Ming-Dynasty China and the World Along the Silk Road
Across sixteen essays, the author examines the Ming dynasty’s diplomatic and commercial networks, tracing how the “Silk Road” linked China with regions far beyond its borders.
Crusader Frontiers: Mapping the Medieval Holy Land
Mapmaker Dr Adomas Klimantas reveals how he created a detailed map of the Crusader States in the 12th-century.
Medieval Maps of Britain
Explore 10 medieval maps of Britain—from early mappae mundi and Ptolemaic charts to portolans, the Gough Map, and the Catalan Atlas—revealing how England, Scotland and Wales were drawn in the Middle Ages.
New Medieval Books: A Demon Spirit
Abū Nuwās is widely regarded as one of the great poets of the Middle Ages. This book brings together more than a hundred poems attributed to him—each with an English translation—focused on hunting.
