Archaeologists explore German castle
When visitors come to Landsberg in eastern Germany, they can see the medieval Chapel of St. Crucis. However, the chapel was once part of a 12th-century castle, and archaeologists are now exploring this site.
New Medieval Books: Social Memory, Reputation and the Politics of Death in the Medieval Irish Lordship
This book looks at what happened in Ireland when someone died an unusual death in Ireland between the years 1257 and 1344.
The Templars in Britain: A Difficult and Ominous Beginning
The Templars went on to achieve great things and a high-profile reputation. But they came from very humble beginnings. In Britain, they got off to a very difficult start.
Medieval Beds: Two Examples from 1488
What should a medieval bed look like? A contract from 1488 gives many details about two custom-made beds.
New Medieval Books: Bioarchaeology of Injuries and Violence in Early Medieval Europe
Bioarchaeology of Injuries and Violence in Early Medieval Europe Edited by Jorge Lopez Quiroga and Luis Rios Frutos BAR Publishing ISBN: 978 1…
Vlad the Impaler may have cried tears of blood, study finds
Vlad the Impaler, the notorious medieval ruler of Wallachia, has many myths and legends associated with him – including being the inspiration for Count Dracula. A new study is only going to add to his mystique, as it suggests that Vlad probably had skin and respiratory conditions that could have left him crying tears of blood.
Medieval Advice from a Mother to a Son
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle catches us up on what’s been happening lately, and reads some advice written by Dhuoda, a Carolingian woman, for her teenaged son.
10 Medieval Curses to Protect Your Books From Thieves
If anyone take away this book, let him die the death; let him be fried in a pan; let the falling sickness and fever seize him; let him be broken on the wheel, and hanged. Amen.
Medieval Taxes: How Much Would You have to Pay?
Did medieval rulers place overbearing taxes on their peasants? A study on late medieval Sweden reveals fascinating details about how much peasants had to pay to the royal government in taxes.
15 Quotes from Medieval Kings and Queens
Medieval kings and queens could say some profound or strange things. Here are fifteen quotes from monarchs of the Middle Ages.
A Medieval Song for the Summer
One of the most famous pieces of music that has survived is a Middle English song about summer: “Sumer is Icumen In”.
Strange burial of 9th-century teenager reveals tragic story
English archaeologists have announced the discovery of the remains of a teenage girl buried in the Early Middle Ages. The circumstances of her burial were very unusual, suggesting she may have led a tragic life.
Prince Hal’s Head-Wound: Cause and Effect
The future King Henry V was hit by an arrow to the face at the Battle of Shrewsbury – how did he survive? Research by Michael Livingston explains what happened in one of the most remarkable cases of battlefield surgery from the Middle Ages.
New source about the Norman Conquest of England discovered
It is rare to find new information about the Norman Conquest of England, but a historian has uncovered a document revealing William I’s relationship with London shortly after 1066.
Amongst the Cornish: The formation of Cornwall and the Cornish identity in the Early Medieval Period
How did this identity emerge? What happened to Dumnonia? And how did the fledgling Cornish survive the eventual rise of England to preserve their own identity, language and culture into the modern era?
The Rediscovery of Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey was built as a royal mausoleum by King Henry I; a great architectural statement made by a king who has been described as the most powerful of his time in Western Europe
Two Welsh medieval churches to be saved from ruin
Two medieval churches in Wales, which date back over 900 years, will be saved from the brink of dereliction by the Friends of Friendless Churches, who have received a grant of nearly £770k as part of the National Heritage Memorial Fund Covid-19 Response Fund.
The 5 Most Common Jobs in a Medieval City
The five most common jobs were farming, carpentry, butchery, shoemaking and Church-related work.
The Most Controversial Books in Medieval Studies
Ten books that caused controversy in the field of medieval studies.
A Medieval Peace Movement: The Bianchi of 1399
Sick and tired of war and violence, many people throughout Italy left their homes and cities to march for peace in the year 1399.
Medieval Advice for Parents
A look at two Middle English texts that deal with advice: How the Goode Wife Taught Hyr Doughter and How the Goode Man Taught Hys Sone.
The evolution of the Black Death pathogen tracked in new study
German and Danish researchers have identified genetic factors that were acquired by the pathogen Yersinia pestis as it evolved from its medieval version to the modern plague pandemic in the 19th century.
Public Toilets in the Middle Ages
Where could a medieval person find public toilet?
The Battle of Othée (1408)
When the citizens of Liege go into revolt, they believe that they can fend off the armies of the nobles. Then they go up against John the Fearless and his professionally-trained Burgundian forces.