Banish the January doldrums with our latest issue featuring Sirens, the Bayeux Tapestry, Joan of Arc, and a trip to Ireland.
Mercantile Arithmetic in Renaissance Italy: A Translation and Study of Selected Passages from a Vernacular Abbaco Work
January 19, 2018 by
This essay is a study of a Renaissance Italian manuscript which has been published under the title Arte Giamata Aresmetica (‘The Art Called Arithmetic’).
Cardinals and the War of Ferrara
January 11, 2018 by
The bestowal of a red hat can turn even the most humbly born cleric into an ecclesiastical prince, but whereas few cardinals of the modern era have been born princely, most of those created in the Renaissance period could claim to be of noble lineage.
Linking the Mediterranean: The Construction of Trading Networks in 14th and 15th-century Italy
January 11, 2018 by
When the Mediterranean Sea is discussed historically, it is never a simple question of geography. Its meaning remains somewhat indeterminate. It refers to intellectual journeys that do not circumnavigate any one particular region; it indicates periods that splash over.
Medieval Castle for Sale in Italy: Torre di Fiume
January 7, 2018 by
Located on the border of Tuscany and Umbria, this eleventh-century castle has recently been restored.
A Medieval Man’s New Year’s Resolutions
December 29, 2017 by
In the diary of Gregorio Dati, an Italian merchant born in the fourteenth century, we can see resolutions tied to this urge to face a new year as a better man in an entry dated January 1, 1404.
Social Perception of Infertility and Its Treatment in Late Medieval Italy: Margherita Datini, an Italian Merchant’s Wife
December 18, 2017 by
This article seeks to elucidate the common social perception of infertility and its treatment in late medieval Europe by analyzing the case of Margherita Datini, an Italian merchant’s wife who lived in the 1400s.
The One about Michelangelo and the Onions: Jokes and Cultural Anxiety in the Early Sixteenth Century
December 18, 2017 by
This article investigates the texture of relationships within elite circles in Rome and Florence in the early sixteenth-century, and shows how visual and verbal humour at this time acted as a means through which to express anxieties about the pace of social change.
Castle for Sale in Tuscany
December 11, 2017 by
Located in the Tuscan hills near the town of Montalcino, Castel Verdelli dates back to the 14th century.
The Bolognese Societates Armatae of the Late 13th Century
November 29, 2017 by
The Bologna archives preserve the bye-laws of 24 „armed societies”, dating from between 1230 and the early 1300s, written in good notary Latin. Though known to exist in other Italian city-states, only few non-Bolognese armed society bye-laws are preserved.
Income and working time of a Fencing Master in Bologna in the 15th and early 16th century
November 29, 2017 by
Since ancient times, the master-at-arms profession has always been considered essential for the education of the nobility and the common citizenship, especially in the Middle Ages. Yet, we know nothing about the real standard of living of these characters.
Piety and Poor Relief: Confraternities in Medieval Cremona, c. 1334-1499
November 6, 2017 by
This dissertation focuses on confraternal piety and poor relief in the northern Italian city of Cremona between the mid-fourteenth century and the end of the fifteenth century.
Bankers and Banking in Medieval Italy
August 10, 2017 by
Banks as we have come to know them in today’s world owe their origins to the innovative credit mechanisms developed in medieval Italy.
Living with Books in Renaissance Ferrara
August 8, 2017 by
The growth of private libraries was one of the most remarkable aspects of the history of the medieval book during the 14th and 15th centuries.
Joanna II of Anjou-Durazzo, the Glorious Queen
August 8, 2017 by
This short essay reflects on Queen Joanna as a test case of both the difficulties and the potential that always reside in communication and confrontation between disciplines, even when they are as closely related as history and art history.
The Walk to Canossa: The Tale of an Emperor and a Pope
August 4, 2017 by
Ever since it happened people have been debating what took place at Canossa. Some have called it a brilliant masterstroke by Emperor Henry IV, while others have termed it his humiliation.
The Evil That Kings Do: Kingship, Tyranny and William I in Hugo Falcandus
July 9, 2017 by
A study of the presentation of William I of Sicily in the work of the pseudo – Hugo Falcandus, with particular attention to the author’s views on the entirety of the Hauteville dynasty and kingship in Sicily through the lens of his reign.
Death of a Renaissance Record-Keeper: The Murder of Tomasso da Tortona in Ferrara, 1385
May 4, 2017 by
Beginning with a description of the murder of an Italian record-keeper at the hands of an angry mob in the late fourteenth century, this essay explores the historical background of official records destruction during the Renaissance
The Medieval Magazine (Volume 3, Issue 7)
April 23, 2017 by
In our latest issue: Being lovesick was a real disease in the Middle Ages! Judaism, War, and Chivalry: Why is this Knight Different than Other Knights? Travel Tips: San Lorenzo’s Medici Crypt! Crusade in Europe
Failed Censures: Ecclesiastical Regulation of Women’s Clothing in Late Medieval Italy
April 11, 2017 by
Churchmen in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries tried to regulate the costume of Italian women. These efforts failed, and regulation was largely left thereafter to civic authorities.
The Medieval Magazine: Celebrating International Women’s Day (Volume 3, Issue 4)
March 2, 2017 by
We’ve just released our latest issue of the Medieval Magazine in celebration of International Women’s Day!
Cesare Borgia in a Nutshell: Book Tour and Giveaway!
November 15, 2016 by
This is an exciting week for book lovers at Medievalists.net. We’re hosting two book tours and giveaways! Today, we’re featuring author Samantha Morris’ Cesare Borgia in a Nutshell, and running an international contest to give away a copy of the book.
How to Defeat a Tyrant: The Florentines against the Duke
October 9, 2016 by
In a time of crisis the Republic of Florence turned to a brash noble to lead their city. He soon turned into a disgraceful tyrant. Could the Florentine citizens overthrow him before a plot to murder hundreds of people could be carried out?
80-Room Medieval Italian castle to be sold for first time in its history
August 4, 2016 by
Castel Valer, a lavishly decorated medieval castle in northern Italy, which has been owned by the same family who obtained the estate in the fourteenth century, is set to be sold at auction on 8th September 2016.
Book Talk: A Conversation with Guy Gavriel Kay
August 4, 2016 by
Set in a parallel Renaissance world, two major religions, the Jaddites who worship the sun, and the Asharites who worship the stars, struggle amidst the backdrop of court politics, murder, espionage, faith and family.
How you can Follow Us!