How Much did the Gothic Churches Cost? An Estimate of Ecclesiastical Building Costs in the Paris Basin between 1100-1250
I estimate that over this 150-year period, on average, 21.5 percent of the regional economy was devoted to the construction of these Gothic churches, 1.5 percent of which is directly related to the implicit cost of labor.
Update on the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire – what we know about relics and art work
French officials are providing more details about which items were saved from yesterday’s fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, although some uncertainty exists over the fate of the many relics and art works contained in the cathedral
Massive fire destroys much of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
One of the great monuments of the Middle Ages – Notre Dame de Paris – has suffered severe damages from a fire that has left the cathedral in ruins.
Fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris – special episode of The Medieval Podcast
A special episode of The Medieval Podcast to discuss the tragic fire that has left much of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris destroyed. Danièle talks with Peter Konieczny, Editor of Medievalists.net, to recount what we know about the fire, and our own reactions to this sad disaster
Major fire is destroying Notre Dame Cathederal in Paris
We will give you updates as fast as we can. Early reports suggest it was started in an area where renovations taking place.
The Boy Who Was a Girl: The Romance of Silence
Suppose girls cannot inherit, but your only child is a daughter and you happen to have an enormous inheritance, what will you do?
Who Owned Augustine’s Bones? The Hermits of St. Augustine
Today we will look at the relics of St. Augustine and the tug-of-war that broke out over them in the fourteenth century.
How the borders of the Mamluk Sultanate changed in the Middle Ages
From the years 1250 to 1517 Egypt and parts of the Middle East were ruled by the Mamluks.
Liturgy Matters: Benedictine Women’s Communities in Medieval England
Katie Bugyis is pursuing her current book project, “Liturgy Matters: Benedictine Women’s Communities in Medieval England,” which reclaims the materiality of Benedictine nuns’ liturgical practices by viewing these women as “technologists” who transformed—and were transformed by—their sensual engagement with the objects they created, acquired, handled, and treasured.
The medieval manuscript and its digital image
Three lectures on medieval manuscripts and digitization by William Noel.
The Rocky Road to Assimilation: Converso-Old Christian Intermarriage in the Late 15th Century
Focusing on converso / old Christian intermarriage will I hope shed more light on the social and religious processes in the individual decision making that were involved in the gradual assimilation of a good number of converso families into old Christian society.
Which Game of Thrones Character are You?
Which characters are you? Are you Tywin, maybe a Bran, or Jon, or possibly Cersei? Find out now!
Dealing with flooding in medieval Valencia – blaming garbage instead of God
There is a common perception that when a natural disaster struck in the Middle Ages, the people would just say that this was God’s punishment for their sins. However, this was not always the case – at least when it came to flooding in Valencia.
How Prepared Are You For The New Season Of Game Of Thrones?
Season 8 of Game of Thrones is about to start, and are you ready for it? Here is a quiz to take you back to previous seasons.
Medieval Geopolitics: The Conflict between Pope Boniface VIII and King Philip IV of France
The clash between Pope Boniface VIII and the King Philip IV of France would lead to a consequential geopolitical question: where did the epicentre of supreme political authority lie in Medieval Latin Christendom?
Saving Souls and Cracking Skulls: Warrior Clerics with Craig Nakashian
Episode 15 of The Medieval Podcast – Although it seems to be a fundamental contradiction, some medieval conflicts saw bishops braving the battlefield.
New Medieval Books: People and ideas on the move
Five new books about the Middle Ages, which look at people and ideas that moved around the medieval world.
Has the Renaissance warped our view of the Middle Ages?
“The Renaissance is a great ‘brand’—it’s about rebirth, repackaging, and newness. And everything that’s wonderful and marvelous about it, you emphasize by contrasting it with the awful, smelly, stinky, dangerous Middle Ages,”
Medieval Elements in Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Published in 1831, the classic historical Gothic romance The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is representative for narratology, since the plot is majestically set in medieval Paris and Victor Hugo manages to create a specific Middle-Ages atmosphere
Criminalising Animals in Medieval France: Insights from Records of Executions
This article explores compelling and specific cases from France during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in which animals were formally executed for crimes.
Should medievalists be teaching Game of Thrones?
It’s easy to see why we medievalists would hope that Game of Thrones could be a gateway drug to studying the ‘real’ Middle Ages
Slave, Queen, and Mother of Caliphs: The Story of Khayzuran
During her life and career Khayzuran rose from the status of slave to becoming the caliph, al-Mahdi’s (r. 775-785), favorite concubine, and then his legal wife and a queen in her own right who wielded an immense amount of political power and whose wealth was second only to that of her husband’s in the entire caliphate.
How the borders of Austria and Switzerland changed in the Middle Ages
The history of both Austria and Switzerland date back to the medieval period. Here are some videos looking back at how these states developed.
Ullr: A God on the Edge of Memory
In the Old Icelandic and Norwegian literary sources, Ullr is one of the least frequently occurring gods.