A Medieval Autobiography
The autobiography of Opicino de Canistris is both very mundane and very strange.
Latest Posts
A Medieval Autobiography
The autobiography of Opicino de Canistris is both very mundane and very strange.
Thor with Declan Taggart
He’s a comic book hero. He’s a movie star. He’s Earth’s mightiest Avenger, and a day of the week. He’s the god of thunder… or is he? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Declan Taggart about Thor.
Rome and Byzantium in Heavy Metal music, with Jeremy Swist
A conversation with Jeremy Swist on why some heavy metal bands write music about Roman and Byzantine history. Expect “good” and “bad” emperors to be reversed here!
10 Medieval Places That Don’t Exist
There were some strange lands and places that medieval people thought were real.
New Medieval Books: Egypt and the Mediterranean World
A collection of fifteen essays that look at Egypt’s history between the years 500 to 1000, as it transitions from being under Byzantine rule to Islamic rule.
Education in the Middle Ages
Let’s have a five-minute look at medieval education.
Henry II’s Court from Hell
You might think your job is bad, but if you heed the words of Walter Map, it must be worse to work in the court of England’s King Henry II.
13 Magic Tricks from the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages are thought to be an age of wizards and magic. While stories about Merlin might just be literature, medieval people did know magic tricks – many of which are very similar to modern ones.
Book of the Month: Matthew of Edessa’s Chronicle, Volume 2
Our Book of the Month for June will be volume 2 of Matthew of Edessa’s Chronicle, translated by Robert Bedrosian.
Episode 200: A Celebration
This week, Danièle celebrates 200 episodes of The Medieval Podcast. Find out whose episodes listeners voted the most surprising, most entertaining, and most uplifting, as well as who had the best voice and best chemistry with Danièle. Which episode will reign supreme?
Medieval comedy performance discovered in 15th century manuscript
‘By me, Richard Heege, because I was at that feast and did not have a drink.’
Did Jousting Give King Edward III Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)?
Could one of the greatest warrior kings of medieval England have secretly suffered from a very modern seeming aliment and if so, was his lifelong and ardent devotion to the chivalric cult to blame?
The Myth of the Flat Earth
If they didn’t think it was flat, what did they think? And why are we all convinced otherwise?
25 Great Medieval Quotes
Our list of inspiring and amusing quotes from the Middle Ages.
True Crusader Crime: Petty Crime and Petty Quarrels
High-profile crime might be plastered across the chronicles, but it was just the visible end of a much bigger problem. Criminality was everywhere.
New Medieval Books: The Bones of Birka
Aimed at younger readers, this book takes a look at the story of Bj 581, the grave in Birka where a female Viking warrior was buried.
10 Little Details in the Bayeux Tapestry You May Have Missed
The designer of the Bayeux Tapestry also included little details that the casual viewer might miss. Here are ten images to take a second look at.
Fashion Trends from the Middle Ages
How did fashion change during the Middle Ages? Using images from medieval manuscripts, we can track some of the changes in fashion over the centuries.
Brother vs brother in 15th-century Castile: The Battle of Olmedo in 1467
During the mid-fifteenth century, the Kingdom of Castile was involved in a bloody set of three large battles to determine whether its king would prevail over the nobles in a kind of Spanish Wars of the Roses.
Did people drink water in the Middle Ages?
One of the oddest myths about the Middle Ages is that people did not drink water.
Medieval Myth-Busting at the Movies
Here are five of the most common myths about the Middle Ages, busted.
Codex Manesse added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register
The Codex Manesse, created in the 14th century and known for its 134 beautiful images, has been included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. It’s one of 14 medieval documents that have been just added to this list of documentary heritage.
Gunpowder, Cannons, and Military History with Cliff Rogers
During the Late Middle Ages, warfare began to change with the rise of gunpowder weapons. But is every medieval gunpowder recipe actually effective? This week, Danièle speaks with Clifford J. Rogers about his gunpowder experiments at West Point Military Academy, how small variations might affect each recipe, and why a modern military academy needs a medievalist.
‘While the cat’s away, the mouse is seen scurrying about’: 25 Medieval Proverbs
Here are 25 of our favourite medieval proverbs from The Well-Laden Ship.
BooksAll posts
New Medieval Books: Egypt and the Mediterranean World
A collection of fifteen essays that look at Egypt’s history between the years 500 to 1000, as it transitions from being under Byzantine rule to Islamic rule.
Book of the Month: Matthew of Edessa’s Chronicle, Volume 2
New Medieval Books: The Bones of Birka
New Medieval Books: The Cambridge History of the Polar Regions
New Medieval Books: The Other Renaissance
New Medieval Books: Minstrels and Minstrelsy in Late Medieval England
Book of the Month: Matthew of Edessa’s Chronicle, Volume 1
New Medieval Books: Making a Medieval Stained Glass Window
New Medieval Books: Empires of the Normans
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.