Lacklustre “Last Knights” – Movie Review
My review of this disappointing venture featuring Clive Owen and Morgan Freeman.
Genghis Khan: Barbarian Conqueror or Harbinger of Democracy
The world has generally viewed Genghis Khan as a barbaric conqueror whose troops raped and murdered hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people and pillaged and often destroyed villages, towns, and cities throughout Asia and Europe. However, several popular writers have recently portrayed him as an advocate of democracy, international law, and women’s rights.
Western Balts in the 10/11th – first half of the 13th centuries: After the Vikings and just before the Crusades
The questions of trans-regional contacts in the area of South-Eastern Baltic, comparative analysis of the statistical data of the Western Balts ornaments, arms, horse harness, ceramics, different tools and imported goods with some general features of burial rite, cemeteries based on social structure, contact zones and trade routes are described in the study.
The neglected reconquest: Portugal as a European frontier (1064-1250)
In 1064 King Fernando I of Leon-Castile (1037-1065) laid the foundations of the county of Portugal by securing the strategically vital Mondego River; by 1250 the independent kingdom of Portugal had established borders that have remained largely unchanged until the present day.
Why learning numbers was so hard in medieval Europe
Most history books gloss over the introduction of numbers, but a recent article explains that ‘the uptake of the new numerals was slow, problematic, and spasmodic’
The Dangers of Eating Pears, according to a 12th-century writer
Pears have been a popular fruit since ancient times, but the medieval scholar Alexander Neckam raised some warnings about the eating this food (especially without wine).
The Viking Coloring Book – Kickstarter project gets funding
It took only three days for Dayanna Knight’s idea of creating a Viking Coloring Book to reach its funding goal of $3000 on Kickstarter.
A Felonious State of Mind: Mens Rea in Thirteenth- and Fourteenth-Century England
This dissertation explores the role of mens rea, or guilty mind, as a factor in jury assessments of guilt and innocence during the first two centuries of the English criminal trial jury, from the early thirteenth through the fourteenth century.
Restauratio and Reuse: The Afterlife of Roman Ruins
As sustainability becomes ever more critical to the architectural profession, it is worth noting that the practice of recycling has a long history.
Gleanings from the 1253 Building Accounts of Westminster Abbey
Between 1220 and 1266, Salisbury Cathedral was built at a cost of £28,000.
Five (In)famous Medieval Break-Ups
The other day, a friend put me on to the very funny It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Break-Ups in History by Jennifer Wright, a modern and cheeky look at some truly awful splits from Emperor Nero to Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher (and Elizabeth Taylor).
10 Free Medieval Studies Online Courses you can take in 2016
Here are ten free MOOCs (Massive open online courses) that you can enroll in during the first three months of 2016
Excavating Past Population Structures by Surname-Based Sampling: The Genetic Legacy of the Vikings in Northwest England
The method of historical surname-based ascertainment promises to allow investigation of the influence of migration and drift over the last few centuries in changing the population structure of Britain and will have general utility in other regions where surnames are patrilineal and suitable historical records survive.
Is woman just a mutilated male? Adam and Eve in the theology of Thomas Aquinas
In this chapter I propose to deal directly with some of the contested passages and argue that their meaning is not always what it seems to be at first sight: their textual and theoretical context, developments in Aquinas’s thought and the historical background offer clues for alternative readings.
The Apotropaic Function of Celtic Knotwork in the Book of Kells
Early Irish ornament very rarely occurs without interlace, in either of its two different varieties, which are the plait and the knot. Such ornamental knotwork and interlace patterns as they appear in the full-page portraits and illustrations of the Book of Kells will be the concrete object of study of the following pages, their possible apotropaic function, their particular focus.
What is an Irish clan?
This paper looks at the discussion to date of these terms by Irish historians and compares the data to some of the Scottish clan structures in the medieval period.
How the death of a Queen led to 68,000 people being fed
Here lies the distinguished Queen Matilda the second,
who surpassed both young and old in her time.
Pattern of morals, life’s adornment,
she was for all.
Daughter of Destiny, by Nicole Evelina
Before queenship and Camelot, Guinevere was a priestess of Avalon. She loved another before Arthur, a warrior who would one day betray her.
Reclaiming Guinevere for the 21st Century
It’s my hope that as women continue to claim their power in modern society, they will learn from Guinevere’s mistakes, emulate her strengths, and claim her as the heroine and role model she should be.
So Bad, it’s Good: Movie Review – The Magic Sword
So bad, it’s good. If you’re looking for a medieval movie to watch and a laugh, The Magic Sword might be for you!
Who Were You In Medieval Times?
For the ladies – are you a princess or an assassin? Take the quiz to find out!
Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales in Middle English
Watch and listen to parts of The Canterbury Tales read in Middle English
Castle for Sale: Château de la Chezotte
This 15th century castle rises 17 metres (56 feet) into the sky and comes with three floors, two round towers and a partial moat.
Danish ferocity and abandoned monasteries: the twelfth-century view
Apart from brief accounts of attacks on Lindisfarne and Donemutha in the 790s, there are almost no accounts of Viking attacks on Anglo-Saxon monasteries in contemporary sources. There are however many in twelfth century sources, most of them fictive or largely so. This article tries to explain why twelfth-century authors found it so important to invent stories of Viking brutality towards monks and nuns and what ideas and material they used to create their stories