Recent reconstructions and computer simulations reveal the operating principles of the most powerful weapon of its time
The Scottish wars of Edward III, 1327-1338
January 13, 2013 By
This thesis deals with the events of the Anglo-Scottish wars of the 1330s and the English military machine that allowed Edward III to win numerous successes against the Scots yet was unable to secure a permanent conquest of any portion of Scotland save Berwick-upon Tweed.
The Use of Gunpowder Weapons in the Wars of the Roses
January 7, 2013 By
During the fourteenth century, while continental gunpowder holdings were largely in local control England’s gunpowder weaponry never fell under a similar local control, but was always exclusively a royal possession.
Early Islamic Maritime Technology
December 30, 2012 By
This paper examines the extent to which the events of the 7th century were actually responsible for alterations to the maritime technology and associated practices of the Mediterranean during the early Islamic period.
The weir and the flowing earthworks of Bedford
December 9, 2012 By
Surprisingly few urban dwellers today know in which direction their local river flows. Which way is upstream and which downstream? Such knowledge, once so crucial, no longer has much significance for town inhabitants. Other flows – of electricity, gas and oil – now provide most of the energy that the town needs.
Medieval Military Technology
December 6, 2012 By
A new edition of Medieval Military Technology, by Kelly DeVries and Robert D. Smith, is now available.
Technological Development in Late Saxon Textile Production: its relationship to an emerging market economy and changes in society
December 2, 2012 By
The process of change from domestic textile production in early Anglo-Saxon England (5th – mid-7th century) to the more commercially based, organised industry of the late Saxon period (late 9th – 11th century) is a long and complex one.
Jewish Lightning Rod: Between Magic and Science
October 21, 2012 By
People learned how to “tie up a portion of lightning” only recently. We have no information aboutany experiments of medieval scientists with lightnings, and even the fundamental dictionary of thehistory of science by Mayerhöfer is silent about it.
Coptic Dress In Egypt: The Social Life Of Medieval Cloth
October 21, 2012 By
Coptic textiles in most collections present a very rich iconography, somewhat derived from classical traditions, which has also attracted the attention of art historians. Very little of their work, however, has made any headway in our understanding of the contemporaneous meanings of Coptic textile images and other decorations.
The Traction Trebuchet: A Reconstruction of an Early Medieval Siege Engine
October 16, 2012 By
Traction trebuchets were medieval rotating-beam siege engines; they were powered by a human team pulling ropes and hurled stone projectiles from a sling.
Building a Model Astrolabe
October 15, 2012 By
This paper presents a hands-on introduction to the medieval astrolabe, based around a working model which can be constructed from photocopies of the supplied figures.
Technologies of authority in the medical classroom in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
October 12, 2012 By
In this paper I would like to explore the strategies developed by the university medical master towards the recognition and establishment of authority for himself and for those contemporary authors who, like himself, worked within the medieval Studia. I would develop this possibility by analysing a uniquely academic product, the medical commentary.
Sailing with the Mu’allim: The Technical Practiceof Red Sea Sailing during the Medieval Period
September 30, 2012 By
The status of the Red Sea as a lane of communication be-tween the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean has beenwidely commented upon…The medieval period was no exception to this. The establishment of Mecca as a centre of pilgrimage and theincreasing importance of Cairo both served to provide further motives for seafaring activity along and across theRed Sea.
Friction and Lubrication in Medieval Europe: The Emergence of Olive Oil as a Superior Agent
September 25, 2012 By
Medieval machines suffered from a variety of internal stresses that were controlled only by the weight of their parts.
Construction Methods and Models of Cistercian Abbeys in North-Western Italy between XII and XIII Century
September 8, 2012 By
Studies on the so-called bernardine plan (plan bernardin, bernhardinischer Grundtypus), a rigid layout without bending elements (transept with squared chapels on the eastern and western sides, and a rectangular pro- jecting church), and the diffusion of this planning choice in the multiform world of the Cistercian architecture made remarkable progress in recent years, thanks to fine job of collecting and classifying examples of this in different European countries
The Talking Brass Head as a Symbol of Dangerous Knowledge in Friar Bacon and in Alphonsus, King of Aragon
September 2, 2012 By
The talking brass heads in Greene’s plays are descendants of two ancient traditions that became intermingled during the Middle Ages
Technology and Military Policy in Medieval England, c.1250-1350
August 31, 2012 By
During this period of intense conflict and growth, virtually every type of armament from the simple arrowhead to large and complex siege engines underwent rapid development.
The personnel of English and Welsh castles, 1272-1422
August 22, 2012 By
In England, the role played on the continent by the castellanies would appear to have been performed by the county castle and the sheriff, a post that remained firmly under the king’s control in all but a few counties. Instead, a more subtle link between the castle community and political power will have to be found. It will be searched for in the appointment of constables to royal castles, and in grants of ownership of castles, royal or forfeited. It may be found in the building activity that was so common in this period, or in the marriage alliances that created many of the great castle owning estates.
The warhorse and military service under Edward III
August 22, 2012 By
How, for example, are we to assess the likely extent and distribution of campaigning profits (and, indeed, costs) in society – or the impact of military service on the workings of shire administration, or the influence of war on the retaining practices of the nobility and gentry – without first establishing the identities of those who served in the king’s armies during this period? There can be few major research undertakings in the field of late medieval English history that would offer such wide-ranging benefits as a full-scale reconstruction of the military community.
Inland water transport in Medieval England—the view from the mills: a response to Jones
August 15, 2012 By
As has been pointed out by several commentators, from early times mills began to have a significant impact, for good or ill, upon inland water transport. They were not the only objects to do so, since fishing weirs could also have a major impact, but mills tended to be mostly permanent structures and, once established, maintained a strong presence on England’s waterways.
The Planning and Building Instruments of Architects in the Late Middle Ages
August 15, 2012 By
The development of building techniques in the architecture of the late Middle Ages, which is considerably different from that of the previous centuries, seems to be the result of a natural evolution of building techniques rather than a continuous search for improvements to apply to better and more logical workmanship.
From Wine to Beer: Changing Patterns of Alcoholic Consumption, and Living Standards, in Later Medieval Flanders, 1300 – 1550
July 23, 2012 By
The basic problem with the ‘hop’ thesis is that the Flemish evidence for the relative shift from wine to beer consumption comes too late. My primary sources are the annual revenues from sales of excise tax- farms on wine and beer consumption recorded in the treasurers’ accounts of two towns: Bruges and Aalst.
The Art of the Science of Renaissance Painting
July 22, 2012 By
During this study we began to examine paintings for the presence of optical artifacts that could serve as supporting scientific evidence for these visual observations. Here we briefly describe some of the scientific evidence contained within three paintings that demonstrate lenses were in use by certain artists to project images as early as c1425. We present only a general discussion here, and refer interested readers to previous publications for details.
Airship and Submarine in the Medieval Imagination
July 12, 2012 By
The king is seen flying aloft, to the amazement of the bystanders, in a metal cage drawn by four griffins; nearby, we see him lowered into the sea in a glass tub.
Cogs, Sails and Longbows: Implications of Naval Tactics and Technology in the Hundred Years War
June 24, 2012 By
There were several naval engagements during the Hundred Years War. The three that will be looked at in this work are the battle of Sluys in 1340, the battle of Les Espagnols-Sur- Mer in 1350, and the capture of a French fleet from La Rochelle. The battle of Sluys is the best known of these, but it can be argued that subsequent engagements are of equal or greater importance. Many historians have downplayed these events.
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