Complicity with the Vice: Spectatorship of Crime in Late Medieval and Early Modern English Drama
My paper today draws upon research into money-gathering, as an early form of funding performances at medieval festive events such as church ales, summer fairs and Christmas plays.
Salt mafias and rebellion in medieval China
Salt was big business in Tang China, and for certain individuals the vibrant but illegal trade in contraband salt paved the way for grander, imperial ambitions.
Why Was a Scotsman Working as a ‘Cop’ in 15th-century Bologna?
How can this be, and what does it say about both medieval policing and the movement of people in the Middle Ages?
The Last Duel with Eric Jager
Trial by combat has captured people’s imaginations for centuries, which is exactly why it’s the focus Hollywood’s latest medieval film: The Last Duel. This week, Danièle speaks with Eric Jager, author of the non-fiction book that inspired the film.
A Rotting Cat and a Damaged Penis
Do you know what is the best weapon to attack your drinking pal outside of a tavern? A rotting cat, of course! In today’s episode, Allison Bailey, a PhD candidate in history at the University of Toronto presents her research about the intersection of gender, violence and emotions in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century France.
How to be a medieval thief (and how to catch one)
Have you ever wondered what scams and tricks people thought of in the Middle Ages? The Book of Charlatans is one such guide, and one can read about the ways of thieves. Fortunately, it also gives methods to catch them.
The Corrupt Sheriff: The Story of William Heron
From his base in Newcastle, the wicked Sheriff of Northumberland weaved a web of power and corruption in the thirteenth century.
Jews and Crime in Medieval Europe
Drawing on a variety of legal, liturgical, literary, and archival sources, Ephraim Shoham-Steiner examines the reasons for the involvement in crime, the social profile of Jews who performed crimes, and the ways and mechanisms employed by the legal and communal body to deal with Jewish criminals and with crimes committed by Jews.
Murders in Medieval London
What happens when someone was murdered in the Middle Ages? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle is joined by Peter Konieczny to take a look at the Coroner’s Rolls from 14th century London. These records offer many insights into violent deaths, detailing the who, what, where, when and sometimes why of murders that took place within the city.
Robin Hood – The Man, The Myth, and The History – Part 2: The Outlaws of Medieval England
14th century English outlaw was vastly more violent and cruel than the myths would have us believe
Sex in the Not-City: Bad Behavior in the Medieval English Village
Why was the policing of sexual relationships in these medieval communities thought to be necessary in the first place?
The Sheriff Solution: Medieval Law Enforcement for a Modern World
The Metropolitan Police Service – the first modern police force – was only created in London in 1829. So what were the structures in place for keeping order before that?
Murder by Poison: A Crime from 15th century Valencia
In medieval Europe, arsenic was stocked as a matter of course along with other medicines. As with other medicines, the poisonous nature of arsenic is a matter of dosage and administration.
Sanctuary with Shannon McSheffrey
In the Middle Ages, a person could claim sanctuary to delay or avoid punishment for a serious crime. But what were the rules? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle interviews Dr. Shannon McSheffrey to find out how and why medieval people sought sanctuary, and whether or not a convicted heretic could expect the church to save his life.
Filthy and indecent words: Insults, defamation, and urban politics in the southern Low Countries (1300-1550)
In 1527, the Bruges fishmonger Thomas Haghebaert shouted at the governors of his guild: ‘I will have nothing to do with you or the magistracy. I sh*t on you and on the aldermen and on all those who think they can harm me!’
Too Good Looking to Die: How to get saved from an execution in the Middle Ages
In the Mamluk state there were several ways to avoid being executed, including physical beauty.
Vi et Armis: Londoners and Violent Trespass Before the Common Pleas in the Fifteenth Century
The Londoners who entered pleadings in this court between 1405 and 1415 have left a fascinating glimpse into both interpersonal violence and the world of savvy litigators.
Well-Poisoning Accusations in Medieval Europe: 1250-1500
During the later Middle Ages, a new idea fueled suspicion of minority groups in Europe: a belief
that they might poison wells to cause widespread illness and mortality.
Prisons and Punishments in Late Medieval London
In the history of crime and punishment the prisons of medieval London have generally been overlooked.
Criminalising Animals in Medieval France: Insights from Records of Executions
This article explores compelling and specific cases from France during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in which animals were formally executed for crimes.
Wages of sin: The financial operations of a medieval church court
An overwhelming number of the criminal charges made in the Consistory from the second half of the fourteenth century until the last quarter of the fifteenth, the period for which records are most complete, were sexual in nature.
Digital map reveals medieval London’s homicide ‘hot spots’
First digital map of the murders recorded by the city’s Coroner in early 1300s shows Cheapside and Cornhill were homicide ‘hot spots’, and Sundays held the highest risk of violent death for medieval Londoners.
Five Murders in Medieval Oxford
When trying to understand acts of violence in the Middle Ages, historians often have to turn to government records. Here are five official accounts of murders that took place in the city of Oxford at turn of the 14th century.
Homicide and Suicide in Viking Age Scandinavia
What was the perception and conception of homicide and suicide in the Viking Age Scandinavia, and to what extent is that traceable in the written and archaeological sources?