(Medieval) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Imagining Animals in the Middle Ages
The wild landscape in the medieval imagination is both enchanting and enchanted.
Thoroughly Modern Valkyries: The Shift to Girl Power
From Wagner to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – the modern portrayal of Valkyries.
Medieval Geopolitics: How different are medieval and modern ideas of sovereignty?
Over the last couple of months I have been writing about the disputes between kings and popes over who was more powerful and who held ultimate authority. What is the significance of this string of columns?
Warfare during the Crusades: Usama ibn Munqidh and his Memoirs
Some of the most useful sources on medieval warfare are the ones written by the warriors themselves.
Viking Currency
Buying, selling and trading in the Viking Age, and how hoards are different over the centuries.
Merging history and the fantastic with Guy Gavriel Kay
International bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay is well known for creating literary worlds that often look like the medieval world. It’s been called history with a quarter turn to the fantastic. In this episode of The Medieval Podcast he talks with Danièle about his latest novel, A Brightness Long Ago.
The Treasure Hunters from the 10th century
A 10th century tale of a group of treasure hunters seeking out a castle. Here are the strange things they found.
Byzantine strategy in the East and the key role of Armenia
What were the deeper reasons that drew the super-power of the time, Byzantium, into a protracted and ‘all-out’ conflict with the Arabs of Aleppo in the middle of the 10th century?
Advice from a Werewolf: Arthur and Gorlagon
King Arthur goes on a quest to learn ‘the nature or the heart of a woman’. What did he find out?
So You Want to Be a Medieval Priest
It might seem like one of the more glamorous professions in the Middle Ages – as a priest you could run a church and offer moral leadership to your parishioners. But here are a few drawbacks to being a medieval priest.
‘Dear to Me above a Thousand Others’: Augustine at the Dawn of the Renaissance
Augustine, exponent and champion of Christian faith, displayed such knowledge of the poets in all his writings that there is scarcely a single letter or treatise of his which is not crowded with poetic ornament.
How Well Do You Know the 12th Century?
Here are twelve questions about the people, places and events of the twelfth-century. How many can you answer?
Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse (The Medieval Way)
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle shows how useful medieval history can be in helping us survive the imminent zombie apocalypse.
Medieval Storytime
The Middle Ages are full of amazing tales, both fictional and true. This week, Peter Konieczny joins Danièle to talk about three of their favourite medieval stories.
The First Battle of Lindisfarne: Where History and Legend Meet
Long before Lindisfarne became known as one of the most isolated holy islands in Britain — second perhaps only to Iona — it was an area of great strategic importance.
Join the Navy! The Medieval version
How do you convince men to take a job on a medieval warship?
Medieval Tips to Improve your Hygiene and Manners
The Middle Ages are often portrayed as a time when people were filthy and crude. Did they even care about their appearance and behaviour?
10 Moments in the Invention of Guns and Gunpowder
Here is our list of ten key moments in the development of guns and gunpowder during the Middle Ages.
New Medieval Books: Texts and Translations
Here are five new books offering the texts and translations of medieval sources.
Medieval Geopolitics: John of Paris on why Kings, not Popes or Emperors, Should Rule
In his view, the world was naturally divided into separate kingdoms, like France and England, all of which claimed supreme authority within their borders.
Medieval Reads: The Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander
There are many varieties of fantasy Middle Ages, but they all have this path in common. The nature of those works and the genre of those works give us different visions of the Middle Ages.
The Standing Contest between King Charles and Redbad
Can win a medieval kingdom by being able to stand very still (and with just a little bit of scheming)?
10 Things to Know About the Great Famine
One of the most severe crises to strike medieval Europe was the Great Famine. Beginning in the year 1315, much of northern Europe would face years of bad weather, crop failures and widespread deaths from disease and starvation.
The Rise of the Buyid Brothers
The story of the Buyids in Iran and Iraq is an extraordinary tale of the rise from obscurity of three ambitious brothers to dominate the core regions of the Muslim world.
Not Your Average Maiden King: Ingigerðr, Queen of Ambiguity
Far from being a damsel in distress, the Maiden King is a damsel who creates distress