Medieval manuscripts: Easter in the Book of Hours of Henry IV of France
On the occasion of the Easter holiday, we present a set of exceptional miniatures from the Book of Hours of Henry IV of France
How were medieval churches affected by the 2016 Umbrian earthquake?
In 2016, earthquakes in the Italian region of Umbria caused the collapse of several medieval churches, resulting in the destruction of local architectural and cultural heritage. A recent article investigates the cause of this problem and what may be done about it.
Reading Recommendations for a Marvellous Medieval Summer
In preparation for summer reading, Natalie Anderson shares some of her favourite works of medieval historical fiction.
Noble warriors: the military elite and Henry VIII’s expeditions of 1513 and 1544
This thesis is concerned with identifying and understanding the typical behaviour of the early Tudor nobility, particularly in relation to military activity.
Survival at the frontier of Holy War: political expansion, crusading, commerce and the medieval colonizing settlement at Biała Gora, North Poland
In the southern Baltic, episodes of colonisation were accompanied by processes of military conquest, political subjugation and religious conversion.
Pope Clement VI: attempts to resurrect the papal monarchy
The papacy of Clement VI (1342-1352) was distinguished by its political activism, its attempt to resurrect the impetus for crusading, and its efforts to attract the best and brightest talents to Avignon.
Creating Holy People and Places on the Periphery
Holy people have been venerated in various forms by all religions and ideologies throughout history. Christianity is no exception with the development of the cults of saints beginning shortly after its formation.
Image and Art on Medieval Coinage
There is no question that coinage was a major part of the visual material world of the Middle Ages. Whether that qualifies it as a major art form, or an art form at all, begs the distinction between material culture and art.
Medieval Bodies: Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages
In Medieval Bodies, art historian Jack Hartnell uncovers the complex and fascinating ways in which the people of the Middle Ages thought about, explored and experienced their physical selves.
Five Reasons to Hug a Medievalist
On March 31, we celebrate the annual International Hug a Medievalist day, a day on which we can all show our appreciation for the medievalists in our midst.
Nomads were setting food trends along the Silk Roads
‘Nomadic groups likely had access to a wider variety of foods. Through their mobility, they promoted far-reaching networks along the Silk Road, and therefore had great potential to influence trends and cultural changes’
Who Were the Alans? Searching for an Early Medieval People
The Early Middle Ages saw many peoples migrating throughout Eurasia. In a talk given earlier this month at the University of Oxford, a Russian archaeologist offered new insights into the Alans.
How the borders of the British Isles changed during the Middle Ages
Here are three videos showing the rise and fall of states in the British Isles during the Middle Ages, along with a fourth bonus video.
10 things you might not know about British cathedrals
Discover 10 curious facts you might not know about Great Britain’s most famous cathedrals.
A Diet of Tournaments: Maximilian at Worms, 1495
In 1495, during the political negotiations surrounding the imperial diet in Worms, Maximilian I still found time to compete against a famous Burgundian knight in a tournament that was to reach legendary proportions.
Medieval Forensics: Investigating the Death of a Byzantine Emperor
John II Komnenos (1087-1143) was an accomplished and successful medieval ruler whose death has long been the subject of scholarly discussion. While out hunting, John was allegedly poisoned by an arrow – but was this really the cause of the emperor’s death?
How the borders within Asia changed during the Middle Ages
Here are six videos to show the rise and fall of kingdoms, states and empires on the continent of Asia, including during the medieval period.
How the borders within Europe changed during the Middle Ages
One interesting way of looking at the past is to see how much the borders of the world have changed. In these videos, a reconstruction has been made to show the rise and fall of European kingdoms, states, and empires over the years, decades and centuries.
How a volcanic eruption influenced Iceland’s conversion to Christianity
Memories of the largest lava flood in the history of Iceland, recorded in an apocalyptic medieval poem, were used to drive the island’s conversion to Christianity, new research suggests.
The family or the farm: a Sophie’s choice? The late medieval crisis in the former county of Flanders
The county of Flanders provides an interesting test case with which to verify the neo-Malthusian Duby-Postan thesis about the so-called late medieval crisis.
Reformist Hagiography: The Life of St Roding of Beaulieu and the Struggle for Power in Early Eleventh-Century Lotharingia
This paper explores an example of ‘reformist’ hagiographic production in early eleventh-century Lotharingia by focusing on the Life of St Roding of Beaulieu, a small monastery in the diocese of Verdun.
Textile entrepreneurs and textile workers in the medieval city
What made the southern Low Countries in the Middle Ages unique in a European perspective was the weight of the region as an export-oriented industrial area.
On Learning How to Teach the Black Death
Plague science is a rapidly developing field, as is paleogenetics more generally. Increasingly, too, developments in climate science will likely be able to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the role of changing climatic conditions and major outbreaks of plague.
Reframing the Conversation on Medieval Military Strategy
This question of the history of strategy is a question of intellectual history: did medieval writers generate and transmit derivative and/or original ideas about how to wage war?
Viking Age Animal Art as a Material Anchor? A New Theory Based on a Head Motif
Within research history, there have been repeated attempts to establish a connection between the figurative language of skaldic poetry and the pictorial language of animal art.