According to DeVries, historians (myself specifically included) who argue for the lethal efficacy of the longbow are committing the sin of technological determinism, and indeed ‘have done military history and the history of technology a disservice’…
The Medieval Horse Harness: Revolution or Evolution? A Case Study in Technological Change
March 4, 2012 By
Medieval historians have considered the role of technology for some time; it is perhaps now appropriate to reexamine conclusions reached by early historians of technology.
‘…Men famous in combat and battle…’: Common soldiers and the siege of Bruges, 1127
March 1, 2012 By
The conflict at Bruges illustrates the role of common soldiers and non-combatants in warfare – that they participated in large numbers, and were essential to the conduct of siege operations.
The medieval crossbow as surgical instrument: an illustrated case history
February 26, 2012 By
The crossbow could be carried loaded,required little training or strength,and propelled its quarrel or bolt with frightening accuracy and force for eighty yards on direct aim and double or triple that on extreme range.
The Legend of Kosovo
February 5, 2012 By
The earliest traces of the Kosovo legend can be found in texts dating from the end of the fourteenth century. The legend evolved gradually so that by the end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century it had already taken shape, and in texts of the eighteenth century it can be found in its complete form.
Dancing with the Dance of the Dead : cemetery of the Innocents and the ramifications of the Macabre
January 10, 2012 By
Glaring at us from the pages of illuminated manuscripts, royal sepulchers, and frescoes of Late Medieval churches and cemeteries, macabre cadavers, with their gaping, vermin-infested torsos, emaciated bodies, and grimacing faces, shock and repel.
English Longbow Testing against various armor circa 1400
December 19, 2011 By
The purpose of this research is to determine the effect various medieval arrows have on various medieval armour types. The time period that I tested is around 1400, the time of the English longbow.
Kings and Vikings: On the Dynamics of Competitive Agglomeration
December 18, 2011 By
While we hope our theory is useful in understanding the basic forces driving agglomeration in the face of conflict in a general setting, we shall discuss our theory in terms of a particularly dramatic episode in history: the era of the Viking invasions.
God and the Normans
November 22, 2011 By
David Crouch reconsiders William I and his sons as men of genuine piety – as well as soldiers.
Warfare in the Plain of the Po 1189–1226
November 7, 2011 By
His paper examines the ‘theatre of war’ around Milan, which includes cities such as Cremona, Brescia and Lodi.
HASKINS CONFERENCE: Feudal Prerogatives and Female Vassals: Philip II’s Manipulation of Marriage
November 5, 2011 By
This paper discussed the mutually beneficial relationship between Philip II and women, and their experiences in wielding power during his rule.
The rise and decline of a great power: Venice 1250-1650
October 23, 2011 By
The rise and decline of a great power: Venice 1250-1650 Pezzolo, Luciano (University of Venice) Working Papers, Department of Economics, Ca’ Foscari, University of Venice, No. 27/WP/2006 Abstract This essay outlines the rise and decline of the most powerful Italian republican state between the middle ages and the early modern period. It moreover seeks to […]
Sir Francis Drake in the New World: 1577-1580
October 6, 2011 By
Sir Francis Drake in the New World: 1577-1580 C. Lankins, Katherine Senior Seminar Paper, Western Oregon University, June 3 (2009) Abstract Eighty six years after Spain had claimed the New World for themselves an English Privateer by the name of Francis Drake was becoming a thorn in their side. Called El Draque by the Spaniards, […]
Was there Really Such a Thing as Feud in the High Middle Ages?
September 28, 2011 By
The pull toward the taking of personal vengeance is at least as evident in the medieval West as at other times and in other places. It is, indeed, a staple theme of entertainment literature.
Resources, Roles, and Conflict: Active Resource Management in the Anglo-Norman Kingdom
September 15, 2011 By
Resources, Roles, and Conflict: Active Resource Management in the Anglo-Norman Kingdom By Dolores M. Wilson, M.A. Thesis, University of Houston (2003) Abstract: Contrary to the view that the Middle Ages was simply a time of rapid environmental exploitation and degradation, legal documents of the Anglo-Norman kings who reigned England and Normandy 1066-1135 reveal that medieval landholders […]
Cultural syncretism and ethnic identity: The Norman ‘conquest’ of Southern Italy and Sicily
September 15, 2011 By
Cultural syncretism and ethnic identity: The Norman ‘conquest’ of Southern Italy and Sicily Drell, Joanna H.(Department of History, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York) Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 25, No. 3,(1999) Abstract The culturally syncretic character of medieval Southern Italy and Sicily was never so apparent as under Norman rule in the twelfth century. From the […]
The Justification of the Conquest Chapter 1 of Conquered England: Kingship, Succession, and Tenure 1066-1166
September 14, 2011 By
The Justification of the Conquest Chapter 1 of Conquered England: Kingship, Succession, and Tenure 1066-1166 Garnett, George Abstract The author of the D manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was almost certainly a member of Archbishop Ealdred of York’s household. He was, therefore, probably at the centre of events during 1066, and his testimony deserves to be […]
Rebellion, Combat, and Massacre: A Medieval Mass Grave at Sandbjerg near Næstved in Denmark
September 14, 2011 By
Rebellion, Combat, and Massacre: A Medieval Mass Grave at Sandbjerg near Næstved in Denmark By Pia Bennike Warfare and society : archaeological and social anthropological perspectives, edited by Ton Otto, Henrik Thrane and Helle Vandkilde (Aarhus, 2006) Introduction: Mass graves or individual graves situated outside a cemetery may indicate an unusual preceding event. If the remaining […]
More about Magnus, Count of Wroclaw
September 13, 2011 By
More about Magnus, Count of Wroclaw Skarbek-Kozietulski, Marek Genealogia Mediaevalis Genetica, August 4, (2011) Abstract Twentieth-century German medieval researchers saw Piotr Wlostowic, the famous Palatine of the Polish Duke Wladyslaw II the Exile, as a grandson of Magnus, the Count (Comes) of Wroclaw. They argued this from two sources, the records of Gallus Anonymus’ “Polish […]
The Mercian Connection, Harold Godwineson’s Ambitions, Diplomacy and Channel-crossing, 1056-1066
September 13, 2011 By
The Mercian Connection, Harold Godwineson’s Ambitions, Diplomacy and Channel-crossing, 1056 -1066 VAN KEMPEN,AD F. J. (Tilburg, The Netherlands) History, Volume 94, Issue 313 (2009) Abstract It is supposed that the Vita Ædwardi contains some information about Harold’s dealings with William of Normandy in 1064. This article links these covert references with William of Poitiers’ statements […]
The Civil War of 1459 to 1461 in the Welsh Marches – Part I
September 11, 2011 By
The Civil War of 1459 to 1461 in the Welsh Marches – Part I Hodges, Geoffrey The Ricardian (1984) Abstract The civil war which brought the house of York to the throne in 1461 included two dramatic events in the middle March of Wales, which for various reasons have been somewhat ignored. The first of these, […]
The Civil War of 1459 to 1461 in the Welsh Marches – Part Part II
September 11, 2011 By
The Civil War of 1459 to 1461 in the Welsh Marches – Part II Hodges, Geoffrey The Ricardian (1984) Abstract Recounting the bloodless battle of Ludford is relatively simple, as it is well documented. A large royal army was involved, with a fair amount of material resulting for official records and for the London chroniclers. The […]
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