Silence through schism and two Reformations: 451-1500
The significance of the threeway split in Christianity after the Council of Chalcedon (451). The purposeful Chalcedonian forgetting of Evagrius Ponticus and the contribution of an anonymous theologian who took the name Dionysius the Areopagite.
Islamic Monuments and National Patrimony in Modern Spain
In Spain, the Islamic past usefully differentiates Iberia from the rest of Europe, and its monuments—particularly the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alhambra—are a source of pride. However, the Islamic past is treated as ‘distant.’
Secret histories of illuminated manuscripts: the MINIARE project
Secret histories of illuminated manuscripts: the MINIARE project From the University of Cambridge An innovative project at the University of Cambridge will uncover…
Jan Hus: The 15th Century Czech Reformer
Neil Fowler performs as Jan Hus (c.1369 – 1415) and depicts his life and teachings.
Conservation at Ani Cathedral and the Church of the Holy Savior
Ani, a dramatic, windswept archaeological site in eastern Turkey, was once a thriving medieval city on the trade route through Central Asia.
The Conquest of Wales (1282)
That was when an English king, Edward the First, sent an army along this route I’m travelling now. He conquered Wales, he built castles as symbols of his power, and he shipped in English settlers to exploit this land. And the Welsh became second-class citizens in their own country.
The man who lost at Stirling Bridge
The Battle of Stirling Bridge, fought on September 11, 1297, is remembered as one Scotland’s greatest military victories and the high point in the career of William Wallace. A new article now explores the other side of that battle, seeking to understand how the English lost that day.
Ten papers to look forward to at the 48th International Congress on Medieval Studies
Western Michigan University has released a sneak preview of the schedule for this year’s International Congress on Medieval Studies.
The Great Age of Books: The 14th and 15th Centuries
In this video, Hobbins discusses his research on the tremendous changes in book production in the late Middle Ages, before the advent of print.
The Elder Edda Revisited: Past and Present Performances of the Icelandic Eddic Poems
What first struck me when I started my research on the Elder Edda is that, during the past four decades, several theatre practitioners have experimented with presentations of some of the poems and demonstrated that they can be highly effective in dramatic performance.
A Burgundian Death: The tournament in Le Chevalier Délibéré
Le Chevalier Délibéré (1483) by Olivier de la Marche (c. 1425-1502) is a poem of great literary value. But it was also conceived and received in a historical context. Its central theme, the tournament of Atropos (Death), reflects the spectacle of choice for the Burgundian Nobility of the fifteenth century: the tournament, specifically the Pas d’Armes.
British government temporarily halts export of 700-year-old painting
An early 14th-century painting by Pietro Lorenzetti will not be allowed to leave the United Kingdom, at least temporarily, while an attempt is made to raise over £5 million to purchase the art-piece.
On The Move: A Brief Overview of the Mobile Homes of the Middle Ages
The shape people most often associate with the Middle Ages is the pavilion. Circular with a conical roof ending in a point, these tents began to appear in western European artworkin the 13th century.
Aethelred the Unready
Calling Aethelred ‘Unraed’ could mean he was given bad counsel, he did not take advice from his counselors or that he himself was unwise. Perhaps all were true. Let’s look at the story and see.
Dealing with rubbish in a medieval town: a ceramic case study
How was rubbish perceived or categorized?
Dating medieval English charters
Developing a computer program that can automatically date medieval manuscripts.
Anaphrodisiac Charms in the Nordic Middle Ages: Impotence, Infertility, and Magic
This essay, however, looks to explore, not this seductive form of charm magic, but rather its opposite, ie charm magic that prevents the consumption of a relationship, or that makes a fruitful union impossible.
Blood-brothers: a ritual of friendship and the construction of the imagined barbarian in the middle ages
My reflections are part of a broad stream of inquiries into the world of medieval rituals which has proved to be very fertile during the last two decades, but which also has its limits. For more than twenty years now, medievalists have discovered and analysed the importance of personal relationships for the organization of societies before the existence of states in a modern sense of the word.
Musical Characteristics of the Songs Attributed to Peter of Blois (c. 1135-1211)
Toward the end of the twelfth century, moral conflict was rampant in the Catholic Church regarding the conduct (and misconduct) of all levels of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, though especially at the two extremes on the scale of power. Music and literature from the period have immortalized the mischievous and impious escapades of certain members of the lower orders of clergy, termed satirically the ordo vagorum.
The patronage of the Templars and of the Order of St. Lazarus in England in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries
The religious revival of the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries saw the rise of a host of new orders ranging from the Cistercians and Carthusians to the Augustinian and Premonstratensian canons. In addition, it also saw the development of the Military Orders which originated in the Holy Land after the capture of Jerusalem in 1099, and fulfilled a mixture of military, hospitaller, religious and political functions.
Is truth more interesting than fiction? The conflict between veracity and dramatic impact in historical fiction
I do not wish to enlist, on either side, in the battle between historians and novelists. What I would like is to suggest a foray which may at first glance seem a minor skirmish, but which may significantly affect the way in which a writer portrays people who once lived, particularly famous people.
Liverpool University Press acquires Medieval, Classics and History lists from University of Exeter Press
The acquisition includes the following book series: Exeter Medieval Texts and Studies, Exeter Studies in Medieval Europe, Exeter Studies in History, Exeter Maritime Studies and titles under the Bristol Phoenix Press imprint
Scottish saints cults and pilgrimage from the Black Death to the Reformation, c.1349-1560
This thesis will question this premise and provide the first indepth study of the cults of St Andrew, Columba of Iona/Dunkeld, Kentigern of Glasgow and Ninian of Whithorn in a late medieval Scottish context, as well as the lesser known northern saint, Duthac of Tain.
The Beginning of Card Games
Records of card playing begin to appear in Europe about the year 1300. The cards in use in the preceding century were in the
hands of the wandering gypsies who came across the mountains of southern Europe, from whence no one knew.
New DNA test can determine eye and hair colour from people who lived in the Middle Ages
A team of researchers from Poland and the Netherlands have developed a system that is able to answer what the hair and eye colour is from individuals who lived over 800 years ago.