Where the Middle Ages Begin
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with John Beusterien about elephants and ivory in medieval China and Spain, including how elephants were put into service, and how ivory was used and traded across the world.
What everyday objects did people use in the Middle Ages? From clothing and household necessities to tools for work and warfare, these 25 medieval items were essential to daily life and shaped how people lived, ate, and survived.
Delve into the pivotal figures of the Middle Ages whose enduring legacies shaped the course of history. From visionary leaders and profound scholars to prolific writers and formidable warriors, these individuals left an indelible mark on medieval society.
Discover the 50 most significant events of the Middle Ages, spanning the years 500 to 1500.
Here are seven vivid facts about colour in the Middle Ages
In medieval times, many unique jobs, such as Ale-wife and Groom of the Stool, were essential but have since vanished. Discover these obsolete occupations and how historical changes led to their disappearance.
Are you wanting to talk more like someone from the Middle Ages? We have a list of 30 great sayings and proverbs that you can use in your conversations.
Have you wondered what a medieval king did on a typical day? Thanks to Christine de Pizan, we have an account of what daily life was like for King Charles V of France.
Some of our most popular phrases have a long history, including some that go back to the Middle Ages.
Want to know what kind of jobs there were in the Middle Ages? A unique source from the 15th century gives us some beautiful images of medieval people at work.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with John Beusterien about elephants and ivory in medieval China and Spain, including how elephants were put into service, and how ivory was used and traded across the world.
Discover the meaning of hwæt, the iconic first word of Beowulf, and explore the medieval and modern debates over how it should be translated.
Britain and France agree on historic cultural loan involving the Bayeux Tapestry, Sutton Hoo treasures, and Lewis Chessmen.
Discover 517 real Viking nicknames from the sagas, including bold, funny, and bizarre names like “Butter Penis” and “Fairhair.” Explore what these names reveal about Norse culture and identity.
Tattoos in the Middle Ages? While often associated with criminals or pagans, these marks on the skin could also signal Christian devotion, sacred journeys, and personal identity in unexpected ways.
Discover the final words of medieval kings, popes, saints, and warriors—revealing how people in the Middle Ages faced death with faith, fear, or defiance.
One of the key features of the Renaissance in Italy was a renewed interest in Ancient Rome. So when the perfectly preserved body…
We are doing our annual Summer Sale on Medievalists.net’s online courses through Thinkific. You can save 20% off all our courses – live and self-paced.
A conversation with Alasdair Grant about the captivity and enslavement that many Greeks (Romaioi) experienced in the late medieval period, a period of state collapse during which they were subject to Italian and Turkish raids and attacks.
A man is in serious condition after being injured during a medieval combat re-enactment at Bodiam Castle, a historic site in southern England.
Many people in the Middle Ages shared the same few names—think Margaret, Thomas, or Henry. But why were these names so popular? From…
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Núria Silleras-Fernández about what grief and widowhood were “supposed” to look like, how grief and madness were thought to be intertwined with love, and how the grieving women in the famous Isabella the Catholic’s family shaped the history of Spain and Portugal.
What’s new in medieval studies? Here are ten open-access articles published in June, which range Byzantine cuisine to Viking-Age dogs.
Discover the top 10 medieval castles in Ireland you can visit today, including Norman fortresses, Gaelic tower houses, and dramatic ruins like the Rock of Dunamase.
A new study reveals that in 13th- and 14th-century Catalonia, some grooms brought dowries to their brides, challenging long-held assumptions about gender and wealth in medieval marriage
A new linguistic study reveals that the Huns, including Attila’s dynasty, likely spoke a Palaeo-Siberian language, tracing their origins to Siberia rather than Turkic-speaking Central Asia.
As the Poles, Czechs, and Hungarians established their medieval states, they became deeply entangled with the Holy Roman Empire and other Western European powers. This book explores the complex politics and state-building processes of Central Europe, a region marked by both cooperation and conflict.
MedRen2025, an international conference on medieval and Renaissance music, is taking place this week across three universities in northern England—Northumbria, Newcastle, and Durham—bringing together over 250 scholars and performers from around the world.
This book presents a translation of the annals compiled at Margam Abbey in southern Wales, covering the years 1066 to 1231. While primarily focused on English and Welsh events, it also includes some material on broader international affairs.
Explore how male earrings were viewed in the Middle Ages—from symbols of infamy and foreignness to fashionable adornments—through art, religion, and cultural transformation.
Explore the medieval rules of jousting established by King Alfonso XI of Castile in 1330, offering a rare glimpse into how knights were judged in tournament combat.
In the seventh century, Balthild rose from servitude to become queen of Neustria and Burgundy through her marriage to Clovis II. Following his death, she served as queen regent for their son, Chlothar III, and earned a reputation as a capable and reform-minded ruler—particularly noted for her efforts to end the practice of slavery. This book explores her remarkable life and legacy.
Using computational analysis to solve a 15th-century mystery: Did scribes silence Margaret Paston’s true voice?
Discover how a 15th-century Book of Hours uses vivid imagery from the Vita Adae et Evae to explore apocryphal stories of Adam and Eve, spiritual struggle, and medieval views on sin and redemption.
As the Poles, Czechs, and Hungarians established their medieval states, they became deeply entangled with the Holy Roman Empire and other Western European powers. This book explores the complex politics and state-building processes of Central Europe, a region marked by both cooperation and conflict.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with John Beusterien about elephants and ivory in medieval China and Spain, including how elephants were put into service, and how ivory was used and traded across the world.
A conversation with Alasdair Grant about the captivity and enslavement that many Greeks (Romaioi) experienced in the late medieval period, a period of state collapse during which they were subject to Italian and Turkish raids and attacks.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Núria Silleras-Fernández about what grief and widowhood were “supposed” to look like, how grief and madness were thought to be intertwined with love, and how the grieving women in the famous Isabella the Catholic’s family shaped the history of Spain and Portugal.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Garry Shaw about who was encrypting their manuscripts, the codes they used, and the centuries of attempts to crack the Voynich Manuscript.
A conversation with Ioanna Sitaridou about a Greek language (Romeyka) still spoken in northwestern Turkey, though now endangered, whose grammar retains interesting archaic features.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Eric White about Johannes Gutenberg’s life, his early entrepreneurship, and the invention that changed the world.
