Myrc was a clergyman writing in England in the early fifteenth century, and his long poem was created to help priests who were not particularly learned remember all the most important parts of their work.
Medieval Parenting Advice
October 16, 2014 By
For as long as there have been children, there has been parental advice. This week, let’s take five minutes to look at two Middle English texts that deal with advice
Five Ways to get Noticed by Historians
October 1, 2014 By
There are a few things that medieval people did that increased their odds of their names surviving, and they happen to be things moderns can do if they want to be remembered, too.
The Sophistication of The Consolation
September 25, 2014 By
‘In spite of the variety and difference of opinion, still all men agree in loving and pursuing the goal of good.’
I Heart Art
September 18, 2014 By
What I love about King Arthur stories is that they give authors the opportunity to explore the complexities of kingship and relationship without any of the personal knowledge of actually being king.
A Private Matter
September 11, 2014 By
I thought it might be worth taking five minutes to address just one of these statements: privacy is a relatively new idea.
Five Medieval Books recommended by the Five-Minute Medievalist
August 27, 2014 By
Here are just a few of the non-fiction books I’ve read and enjoyed. They reflect my interest in the UK and France (especially the fourteenth century), as you’ll see.
Medieval DIY: Five Easy Projects
August 21, 2014 By
I thought I’d bring you five simple medieval do-it-yourself projects you can try out to impress your friends.
A Good Day for a Trebuchet, Part II: The Siege of the Sandpit
August 6, 2014 By
The fact that you can build a trebuchet out of found materials and still have it manage to function consistently and accurately speaks to the genius of the original design.
The Tablet, Medieval-Style
July 17, 2014 By
Wax tablets have been around since ancient times, and now that I’ve made one, I can see why. They’re easy to make, use, and reuse; they’re light and durable; they’re portable; and they have lots of room for making mistakes.
A Good Day for a Trebuchet
July 9, 2014 By
You know you’re a medieval nerd when you walk into a toy store with the intention of getting toys for actual children, and walk out with a build-your-own-trebuchet kit for yourself.
Got Kids? Get Medieval
June 26, 2014 By
If you have kids or know kids who you’d like to expose to the Middle Ages, here are a few books you might like to explore over the summer holiday.
The Wonderful Wonders of the East
May 22, 2014 By
The Wonders of the East is an author’s attempt to not only introduce readers to strange sights they may never see with their own eyes (since most people did not travel extensively), but also to make sense of some things they might see every day.
MOVIE REVIEW: ‘A Knight’s Tale’
May 19, 2014 By
Staying home on a Sunday night? Looking for a fun medieval movie to watch? Here is my review of ‘A Knight’s Tale’ for your Sunday night selection!
Five Things to Love About A Knight’s Tale
February 27, 2014 By
Was it really just a sports movie set in the past? Yes. Was it edited until the plot seems a little less-than-coherent? Yes. But are there things we can love about it? Absolutely.
Oh, Baby!
February 20, 2014 By
Like most things in the Middle Ages, the process of giving birth was mired in both superstition and religion.
Love in the Time of Plague
February 12, 2014 By
When I first started writing this blog, I wanted to tell a medieval love story. It is the story of the dashing Black Prince of Wales, and his Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent.
Is There a Doctor in the Castle?
February 5, 2014 By
To picture medieval medicine is to picture screaming patients being bled or cauterized, perhaps biting some sort of leather belt or other. While bleeding and cautery were definitely part of the medieval medical tradition, there were many other remedies to be found, some surprisingly modern.
Tempus Fugit
January 23, 2014 By
If you needed to know the time between bells, there were several ways to find out.
The Beauty of the Bestiary
January 16, 2014 By
Bestiaries were encyclopedias of animal life, complete with descriptions of the animals, their places in the world, and often their symbolic relationships to Christianity.
Where Did You Get That Idea?
January 9, 2014 By
No matter which dates you use to define it, the medieval period was a very long time ago. Most of the people who existed during that time lived and died anonymously – at least as far as history is concerned. So how is it that we know anything about this period at all?
Lancelot Can Keep His T-Shirt
January 2, 2014 By
If t-shirts had been all the rage in the Middle Ages, you can bet there would have been ‘Team Lancelot’ ones selling like hotcakes. You can also bet that I wouldn’t have owned one.
Let the Drama Begin
December 26, 2013 By
Unlike in many of today’s performances, audiences were encouraged to participate in the action, heckling the ‘bad guys’ and cheering for the ‘good guys.’
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