Book of the Month: The Animal Let Live: Marie de France’s Bisclavret and Milun
Our Book of the Month for November is The Animal Let Live: Marie de France’s Bisclavret and Milun, translated by Katherine Margot Toohey.
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Book of the Month: The Animal Let Live: Marie de France’s Bisclavret and Milun
Our Book of the Month for November is The Animal Let Live: Marie de France’s Bisclavret and Milun, translated by Katherine Margot Toohey.
Nearly 500,000 Dirhams were buried in Viking-Age Scandinavia, study finds
A new study reveals that silver coins from the medieval Islamic world were incredibly prevalent in Viking-Age Scandinavia. In fact, Scandinavian museums possess almost 500,000 dirhams, more than any other place in the world and shows that the Norse had an intense desire for silver.
Medieval skeleton with prosthetic hand discovered in Germany
Archaeologists working in southern Germany have found a man with an iron prosthesis on his arm in a grave. The prosthesis likely dates from the second half of the 15th cenetury.
Seven Things to Look for in Medieval Manuscripts
A guide to some of the interesting things you can look for in these manuscripts from the Middle Ages.
New Medieval Books: Medieval Monstrosity
An examination of monster theory and how it applies to the Middle Ages, this book covers the way people looked at the monsters of literature and imagination (dragons, werewolves, revenants and monstrous races) and how they made monsters out of the other (women, children with disabilities, non-Christians).
The Pagan and Christian Origins of Halloween
With roots in Europe’s Christianization, Halloween is something of a hybrid holiday strongly influenced by ancient pagan beliefs, and for this reason, its celebration has long been somewhat controversial within the Christian faith.
Maps: Europe in the Year 1000
Our latest map of the medieval world details Europe in the year 1000.
“I cannot get enough books”
Do you think you have too many books? Is your library overflowing? If this worries you, consider the words of Petrarch, the great medieval Italian poet.
Decoding Divine Enterprise: The Domestic Affairs of 13th Century Canterbury Cathedral
In understanding the domestic affairs of Canterbury, we shall be able to witness the bustling day-to-day life of those who lived and breathed in the 13th century.
British Templars at War – The Doomed Band of 1185-1187
The British Templars were not just bankers, diplomats and estate managers – many were swept up in the disastrous events unfolding in the Holy Land in 1187
New Medieval Books: Art of the Grimoire
A global history of magic, from ancient to modern. The focus of this book is often on the materials used to record magic, including scrolls, manuscripts and printed books.
Medieval Horror, Epistemic Fear, and the Cloud of Unknowing
Examines ideas about the horror genre through the late 14th-century Middle English work, The Cloud of Unknowing.
When this medieval English queen died, 68,000 people were fed
The death of a medieval queen was often an occasion for great sorrow throughout their own country – even more so when the…
10 Ways Healthcare improved in the Middle Ages
Ten medieval medical advances, including hospitals, pharmacies, surgeries and dental care.
British Library digitizes its entire Chaucer manuscript collection
The British Library has made available online its entire collection of manuscripts related to Geoffrey Chaucer. Users can now freely access over 60 items, which include many versions of The Canterbury Tales.
American Vikings with Martyn Whittock
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Martyn Whittock about Vikings and their influence on American culture.
The Invention of Homicide: Crime, Honor, and Spectacular Justice in Late Medieval Flanders
How people thought about homicide in fifteenth-century Flanders, and how changes in the perception of killing over time impacted judicial practice.
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.
Charles the Wise may have killed himself trying to stop prophecy of his own death, study finds
Did Charles V, King of France (1364-80), die from an attempted poisoning, committed 23 years early? Or was his death caused by his own attempts to stop his physician’s warning? A new study weighs in on the case of the ‘weeping fistula’.
The Battle of Adrianople (378)
In what could be considered the first battle of the Middle Ages, the Roman Emperor Valens goes to war against the Goths in southeastern Europe. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly discuss about the battle and why the Romans suffered such a massive defeat.
Natalie Zemon Davis passes away
Many of our readers will be saddened to learn that Natalie Zemon Davis, one of the leading historians of the pre-modern world, has passed away. She was 94 years old.
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.
Byzantium and Balkan national identities, with Diana Mishkova
A conversation with Diana Mishkova about how the national historiographies of Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania cope with Byzantium — how they try to appropriate, incorporate, circumvent, or abjure it, and so always reinvent it in the process.
William Marshal – Templar and Crusader?
Doubts have been raised about William Marshal’s career as a crusader – but what was the truth behind the claims?
BooksAll posts
Book of the Month: The Animal Let Live: Marie de France’s Bisclavret and Milun
Our Book of the Month for November is The Animal Let Live: Marie de France’s Bisclavret and Milun, translated by Katherine Margot Toohey.
New Medieval Books: Medieval Monstrosity
New Medieval Books: Art of the Grimoire
New Medieval Books: Inked
New Medieval Books: Beowulf: Translation and Commentary
New Medieval Books: Wolves of Winter
New Medieval Books: Corruption, Protection and Justice in Medieval Europe
New Medieval Books: The Story of Attila in Prose
New Medieval Books: The Art of Anatomy in Medieval Europe
Places to SeeAll posts
Örebro Castle: History, Secrets, and Romance
For anyone who visits Örebro, it is hard to miss its castle – an ancient-looking fortress made of weathered grey stones that stands on an islet in the middle of the city centre.
The Vasa: Gustav II Adolf’s Glorious and Doomed Warship
On the 10th of August 1628, the Vasa sank in Stockholm harbour, thus ending the career of the most powerful warship that Sweden had ever seen.
Uppsala Slott: 5 Things You Ought to Know About One of Sweden’s Greatest Castles
This strategic location not only makes the castle a majestic sight, but also earns it the reputation as the most modern defence fortress in its time. But, as all ancient buildings, there is always more than meets the eye. Here are the five things that you may not know about Uppsala Castle.
Making Your Mark: Medieval Masons’ Marks at Tarascon
How do you operate a business when you can’t read and your knowledge of math is extremely limited? Making your mark on the…
The Weird, the Wonderful, and the Macabre in the Cathedral of Narbonne
Narbonne is one of those European cities with evidence of its past on every street.
Medieval English Embroidery on Display for the Last Time at the V&A’s Opus Anglicanum Exhibit
The V&A Museum opened its latest medieval exhibit exhibit on Saturday: Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery. I had the opportunity to see it opening day and it was spectacular.