Write For Us! The Medieval Magazine

Image from a manuscript depicting hedgehogs, collecting fruit on their quills; from a bestiary, England (Salisbury?), 2nd quarter of the 13th century, Harley MS 4751, f. 31v. (British Library).
Image from a manuscript depicting hedgehogs, collecting fruit on their quills; from a bestiary, England (Salisbury?), 2nd quarter of the 13th century, Harley MS 4751, f. 31v. (British Library).

This is a paid writing opportunity! We’re looking for articles that range between 750-1500 words (maximum) in length. Please include a brief bio and photo (if you wish), and any links you may want our readers to be aware of, such as a personal website, links to published work, and social media accounts.

Take a look at our editorial schedule for 2018 and if anything strikes your fancy, please email:

[email protected]
[email protected]

EDITORIAL SCHEDULE

April 13 (F): Pilgrimage

  • Medieval pilgrims: who were they? Why did they intake this journey?
  • Pilgrimage sites
  • Reliquaries
  • Attitudes towards pilgrimage
  • Modern vs medieval pilgrimage
  • Crusaders as pilgrims

April 30 (M): The Rise of the Medieval City

  • Merchants, guilds
  • Hanseatic League
  • Foreigners in medieval cities, issues of citizenship, belonging, otherness.
  • Daily life in medieval cities
  • Law, punishment, crime

May 10 (TH) Hagiography

  • Saint’s lives
  • Hermits, early Church Fathers
  • Hagiography/Martyrdom in Late Antiquity/Early Medieval period
  • Anchorites, visionaries, mystics
  • Cult of Saints
  • Reliquaries, the “big business” behind relics

May 28 (M) The Peasant’s Revolt

  • The Peasant’s Revolt 1381
  • Events leading up to the revolt
  • Peasant’s lives in the 14th century
  • Economic conditions in the 14th century
  • Other Peasant revolts (Stellinga Uprising 841, German Peasant’s Revolt 1524, Jack Cade 1450, Carinthian Peasant Revolt 1478 etc…not limited to this list, as there are so many)

June 14 (TH) Summer Solstice

  • Summer solstice
  • Medieval summer activities
  • Summer traditions and holidays
  • Major events that happened in Summer

June 30 (S) Castle Edition

  • Travel: Castles to visit
  • Major events, battles, that occurred at a castle
  • Architecture of castles
  • Famous castles
  • Hidden gems/off the beaten path
  • Interesting facts about castles

July 15 (SU) Byzantium

  • The East-West Schism 1054
  • Ottomans
  • Byzantine art
  • Byzantine culture
  • Byzantium at war
  • Daily life in the Byzantine Empire
  • Famous historic figures of Byzantium
  • Byzantium then and now

July 30 (M) Medieval Travel

  • Travel in the Middle Ages: how dangerous was it?
  • Who was “the medieval traveller”
  • Trade routes, merchant travel
  • Famous medieval travel “bloggers’: Preston John, Ibn Battuta, Gerald of Wales, Antoine de la Sale etc..

Aug 15 (W) Medieval Fashion

  • Medieval fashion from the early to the late Middle Ages
  • Sumptuary laws – controlling who wears what
  • Fashion variety – what was fashionable in Italy, vs Germany, vs. France? Who was considered to be at the “forefront” of fashion in the Middle Ages
  • Who popularized fashion shifts? Who were the trendsetters of the day?
  • Silly fashion: Demonstrating that our love of ridiculous, impractical attire goes back centuries
  • Clothes makers – technical aspects in creating and recreating medieval, and renaissance clothing

Aug 30 (TH) Back to (Medieval) School!

  • Town vs Gown: Medieval universities
  • Education in the Middle Ages – what was taught? Did certain regions prioritize different things?
  • Creation of the universities, patronage and power
  • Medieval education then and now
  • Impact of universities on medieval cities

Sept 16 (SU) Hello Fall!

  • Autumnal equinox
  • Harvests, agricultural activities to prepare for winter
  • Feudalism, the Manor House
  • Fall festivals, holidays
  • Fall food

Sept 30 (SU) Folklore

  • Myths, legends, and superstitions
  • Regional tales from around the medieval world
  • Myths medieval and modern: What has stayed with us today?
  • Medieval belief – an introspective

Oct 14 (SU) Halloween

  • Ghosts, vampires, monsters, witches, and werewolves – stories about the fantastical
  • Medieval Halloween practices, history of Halloween
  • Medieval murder: looking at notorious criminals and their heinous crimes (Elizabeth Bathory, Gilles de Rais etc…)

Oct 31(W) The Black Death

  • Impact of the Black Death in Europe: How Did it Change the Economic and Social landscape?
  • New findings: Black Death Research
  • History of the Black Death
  • Strange tales: Superstition, and weird stories that circulated during the Black Death
  • Medicine: how medieval physicians combated the Black Death

Nov 15 (TH) The Crusades

  • A look at the Crusades – coinciding with the preaching of the First Crusade on November 27, 1095
  • Crusaders: who were they?
  • Military Orders
  • Other Crusades: Baltic Crusades etc…
  • Stories from the Crusades, myths, legends, weird and wonderful tales.
  • The Other Side: Muslim and Jewish perspectives on the Crusades

Nov 30 (F) The Food Issue

  • Medieval recipes: Christmas, Hanukkah, winter warmers – recreating the Medieval kitchen at home
  • Food history – what did Medieval people eat?
  • Social history and food; manners, utensils, customs

Dec 16 (SU) Christmas

  • A look at Christmas in the Medieval and Renaissance period
  • Medieval traditions
  • Religious practices

Dec 30 (SU) The Carolingians

  • Charlemagne and his legacy
  • Carolingian Renaissance
  • Impact of the Carolingians on the later medieval period
  • Carolingian minuscule