Ten Medieval Reasons a Man should not Marry
It sounds like a joke from a men’s magazine, but this list of ten reasons not to get married was created in the Middle Ages, by a man who became a Pope.
Study explores gender bias in witchcraft accusations in early modern England
By the end of the Middle Ages, accusations of witchcraft were being made to mostly women. A new study finds another reason why this was the case in early modern England.
Contracts as Weapons: Notarial Power and Jewish Agency in the Late Medieval Crown of Aragon
Contracts as Weapons: Notarial Power and Jewish Agency in the Late Medieval Crown of Aragon Paper by Sarah Ifft Decker Given at The…
People could live the ‘American Dream’ in Tang Dynasty China, study finds
The Middle Ages are not typically seen as a time when ordinary people could have upward social mobility. However, new research focusing on China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) reveals that men could rise to better careers as if they had lived in the United States during the 1960s.
Medieval chronicle reveals massive charitable bequest
A recently translated medieval chronicle has detailed the story of a huge charitable bequest that took place in the Italian city of Florence.…
Justice, Politics, and Death in Medieval Ireland with Joanna MacGugan
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Joanna MacGugan about how the justice system worked in Ireland under medieval English rule, how communities shaped justice, and what this meant when a person was faced with capital punishment.
How rich medieval people spent their money
If you were a noble in the Middle Ages, you were most likely very rich. What did you do with your money?
A Medieval Case of Sexual Harassment
A look at a case of sexual harrassment from the 15th century.
‘Holy Inappropriate’: Secular uses of the Medieval Parish Church
While the church was of course the holiest of places, ecclesiastical property was not often considered an entirely separate and sacred world—but rather a domain where the secular and sacred crossed paths.
Medieval Wedding Dresses: A Guide
If you are a bride wanting to have a medieval look on your wedding day, what should you wear? While evidence about medieval wedding dresses is scattered in the sources, there are a few details we can learn. They reveal the brides would wear a lot of colour and several kinds of accessories.
Partying in the Middle Ages (and Party-Crashing)
Are you looking for fun and excitement? A medieval book gives you all the best secrets for how to get into parties, even…
The Gift of Narrative in Medieval England
This book places medieval narratives in dialogue with theories and practices of gift and gift exchange.
Did people in the Middle Ages take baths?
It was said that the Middle Ages was ‘one thousand years without a bath.’ However, a closer look shows that baths and bathing were actually quite common in the Middle Ages, but in a different way than one might expect.
Medieval Insults
If you are looking for ways to hurl insults at your enemies, then the medieval world has some interesting examples for you.
New Medieval Books: Inked
This is a sad tale of how the government of the Song Dynasty created and maintained a military force using the lower-class populations of medieval China. Millions of Chinese people were subjected to this system, which included tattooing.
How to Make a Monster
Ideas about monstrosity were fundamental to ancient and medieval debates about the nature of humanity, and the rhetoric of monstrosity was widely used to dehumanize certain groups in medieval Europe.
Chivalry and Courtesy with Danièle Cybulskie
This week on The Medieval Podcast, guest host Peter Konieczny interviews Danièle about her new book Chivalry and Courtesy: Medieval Manners for a Modern World.
Privacy in the Middle Ages
Is privacy is a relatively new idea?
A Medieval Dream
A pregnant woman in medieval London dreams of a log of wood and a slab of marble. What does it mean?
Medieval letter about ‘Voluntary enslavement’ discovered by historian
Could ever a person want to become a slave? A remarkable letter written over a thousand years ago reveals how a group of ten men were seriously considering doing just that, as they hoped to escape terrible prison conditions.
Gallows with Kenneth Duggan
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Kenneth Duggan about capital crime in medieval England, how the community was involved in the justice system, and some of the unexpected events that might happen at a gallows.
The Beheaded Banker of Barcelona
Was a medieval banker in Catalonia executed for going bankrupt?
The earliest use of the F-word
An English historian has come across the word ‘fuck’ in a court case dating to the year 1310, making it the earliest known reference to the swear word.
Medieval Advice from a Mother to a Son
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle catches us up on what’s been happening lately, and reads some advice written by Dhuoda, a Carolingian woman, for her teenaged son.
A Medieval Peace Movement: The Bianchi of 1399
Sick and tired of war and violence, many people throughout Italy left their homes and cities to march for peace in the year 1399.