Medieval News
How to touch, smell and taste a ‘deconstructed’ medieval manuscript
A unique opportunity to experience a medieval manuscript as a sensory experience is currently taking place at the University of Leicester.
Digital Mappa 1.0 now online – new digital resource for medievalists
A new digital humanities resource has been launched by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Pennsylvania, geared to the medieval studies community to create research workspaces, editions, scholarship, collaboration and open access publications.
Going beyond medieval times to explore early worlds
The Early Worlds Initiative—an interdisciplinary research project at the University of Rochester—aims to help faculty, researchers, students, and even the general public delve deeper into this complex and intriguing field.
Volcanic eruptions in the 6th century plunged Eurasia into hunger and disease
A recent study indicates that volcanic eruptions in the mid 500s resulted in an unusually gloomy and cold period, and that the years 536 and 541-544 CE were very difficult for many people.
Call for Papers: Migrants and Refugees in the Law
International conference which will take place in Murcia, Spain, on December 12-14, 2018
Medieval Articles
Theories of the Soul vs. Medical Knowledge: Averroës as an Authority in Thirteenth-Century France
The intellectual florescence of thirteenth-century France, and Paris in particular, was vibrant, yet it confronted scholastic thinkers with a range of both new and continuing problems.
The Legendary Topography of the Viking Settlement of Iceland
This paper focuses on Icelanders’ myth of origin as presented in the various Landnámabók redactions, and explores how a largely fictional medieval text can assert ownership and control over territory, and ultimately contribute to the creation of a legendary topography.
In the Wake of Death: Socioeconomic Effects of the Black Death in Medieval England
In the years following the plague, as peasants and merchants gained more economic freedom, tensions grew between lower and upper classes of society as the upper classes stood to lose their status and way of life.
Maiden warriors in Old Norse Literature
In the Old Norse literature, the term ‘shieldmaiden’ (Skjaldmær in Icelandic) tends to be used with reference to a Viking woman warrior
Imperium et Credo: Frankish-Byzantine Rivalry over Leadership of the Roman-Christian Credo-State in the Ninth Century
The years 869-871 saw the onset of the last major diplomatic dispute between the two great powers of Christendom, the Franks in Western Europe and the Byzantines in the East. Louis
All about the Middle Ages
Vikings – Review of Season 2 Episode 1: Brother’s War
While the first part of this episode shows that Ragnar is a leader of men, the second half reveals how terrible he is with women!
New Medieval Books: Word on the Street
Four books on the Middle Ages, found at Word on the Street
More Witches, Monsters, Beasties: A Day at the National Gallery with the London Drawing Group
Part 2 of Minjie Su’s trip to the National Gallery in London.
The Battle of Culloden in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery – Part 1: Prelude
When day dawned on April 16th, 1746, what would be the final pitched battle on the British soil took place on the field of Culloden near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.
MEDIEVAL BOOKS: Black Friday!
Here are a few recent releases for medievalists hunting for Black Friday books and early Christmas gifts!
The Infamous Military Campaign of 1379
The destruction of an English fleet led by Sir John Arundel in 1379 is reported by most chroniclers to be an unfortunate accident. However, if you read what Thomas Walsingham has to say about what happened, you get a far more horrific version of events.
When Medieval England was Almost Invaded
Froissart enthusiastically notes that many among the French host ‘considered England to be already crushed and devastated, all her men killed, and her women and children brought to France in slavery’.
Medieval Book History Week Lecture: “Practical Latin and Formal English in the 14th-15th Centuries”
This lecture is part of Medieval Book History Week. Renown Professor Jeremy Catto spoke about literacy and language in England during the later Middle Ages at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies at the University of Toronto.
Viking Nicknames
Of all the various cultures of the Middle Ages, it was probably the Norse who had the best nicknames. Ranging from the Eirik the Red to Ivar the Boneless, the Viking Age has hundreds of interesting and strange nicknames.
Five Reasons We’re Still Fascinated by the Templars
What is it about the Templars that makes them so fascinating?
The Romance of the Past? Nineteenth-Century Medievalism and the Tournament
The nineteenth century saw a rebirth of fascination with the Middle Ages, although this interest often had more to do with romance than reality. A perfect medium for the expression of this nineteenth-century medievalism was the tournament.
Why did Vinland fail?
Brigitta Wallace, one of the leading scholars on the Vikings in North America, examines why their settlements failed.
This Week in Medieval Manuscript Images
From Bishop Cat to Blemmyae – over 50 images from Twitter to share with you this week.
BOOK REVIEW: The Butcher Bird by SD Sykes
My review of SD Sykes follow up to “Plague Land”, her latest book, “The Butcher Bird”.
NEW! The Medieval Magazine, No. 109: PILGRIMAGE
We look at medieval and modern pilgrimage in this issue, from the perils of travel, to the popular destinations, to souvenirs and salvation.
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