Looking for new research on the Middle Ages without hitting a paywall? Here are ten open-access articles published in February and March 2026, covering everything from Beowulf to “finding” a battlefield.
Every month, we track newly published open-access research in medieval studies. While our Patreon supporters get the full list, here are ten articles that stood out over the past two months.
Extreme weather and economic crisis in the 1430s in England, and the implications for tenurial change
By Mark Bailey
The Economic History Review
This article examines how extreme weather in the 1430s triggered a major economic crisis in England, leading to food shortages, livestock deaths, and widespread disruption. It also shows how these pressures reshaped landholding practices, marking the beginning of a longer downturn known as the ‘Great Slump.’
Consent and Coercion: Forced Marriages in Supplications to the Apostolic Penitentiary, 1484–92
By Charlotte Christensen-Nugues
Journal of Medieval History
This article examines cases of forced marriage brought before the papal court in the late fifteenth century, focusing on petitions to the Apostolic Penitentiary between 1484 and 1492. It reveals how factors such as age, gender, and social status shaped claims of coercion and how the Church evaluated and responded to these disputes.
Mental Distress and Pseudo-Hagiography in Hrafns saga Sveinbjarnarsonar
By Natalie M. Van Deusen
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies/Études Scandinaves au Canada
This article examines Hrafns saga Sveinbjarnarsonar as a complex narrative that blends historical writing with elements of hagiography. It argues that the saga offers important insights into how medieval Icelandic society understood mental distress and sanctity, revealing a more nuanced portrayal of suffering and reputation.
This article examines how Beowulf engages with Christian ideas of the end times, focusing on parallels between the hero’s final speech and biblical prophecy. It argues that these echoes highlight the limits of the poem’s pagan world, where foreknowledge and hope are shaped by uncertainty rather than salvation.
Extending the Reach of State: The Administrative Town in Song China
By Yidan Han and Tuan-Hwee Sng
Journal of Chinese History
This article re-examines the structure of local administration in Song China, arguing that the state’s reach was far greater than previously believed. By highlighting the role of administrative towns staffed by imperial officials, it shows that the Song government maintained a more extensive and sophisticated system of local governance than traditional models suggest.
Between War and Symbiosis in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia’s Position Between Red Sea Sultanates and Mamluk Egypt (1270–1543)
By Andrew Kurt and Ahmed Mohamed Sheir
Histories
This article explores the complex relationship between Christian Ethiopia and its Muslim neighbours between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries, showing how conflict coexisted with cooperation. It argues that trade networks, diplomacy, and external powers such as Mamluk Egypt created a fragile balance in the Horn of Africa, preventing any one side from achieving dominance.
‘What is Caesar’s?’: Canon Law and the Constraint of the Prince in Medieval International Law
By Jacob T McConville
Oxford Journal of Law and Religion
This article examines how canon law shaped ideas of sovereignty and international order in medieval Europe between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. It argues that legal and procedural frameworks developed by canonists helped limit the power of rulers, placing constraints on princes and influencing the conduct of warfare and diplomacy.
Propaganda and Heritage in Hungary: How a Worker Hero Became the “Discoverer” of Mohacs Mass Graves and the Battlefield
By Norbert Pap and Máté Kitanics
Heritage & Society
This article examines how archaeological research at the site of the 1526 Battle of Mohács was shaped by political propaganda during the communist era in Hungary. It shows how a factory worker was promoted as the “discoverer” of mass graves, revealing how heritage and historical interpretation could be manipulated for ideological purposes.
Rocking the cradle of early Polish statehood: a tenth-century construction collapse at Lednicki Ostrów
By Andrzej Pydyn, Mateusz Popek, Konrad Lewek and Andrzej Kowalczyk
Antiquity
This article investigates the collapse of a tenth-century wooden fortification at Ostrów Lednicki, one of the key centres of the early Polish state. It reveals how this structural failure—likely caused by unstable ground—provides rare insights into early medieval construction techniques, including beam-numbering systems and symbolic carvings.
This article investigates the long-term influence of the Cistercian monastic order on European work ethics, testing the idea that medieval religious practices shaped modern economic values. It finds little consistent evidence for such a lasting impact, suggesting that supposed links between Cistercian presence and contemporary attitudes toward work may be overstated or influenced by other factors.
In total, we identified 49 open-access articles in February and 76 in March—far more than we could include here. Our Patreon supporters get access to the full lists each month.
Looking for new research on the Middle Ages without hitting a paywall? Here are ten open-access articles published in February and March 2026, covering everything from Beowulf to “finding” a battlefield.
Every month, we track newly published open-access research in medieval studies. While our Patreon supporters get the full list, here are ten articles that stood out over the past two months.
Extreme weather and economic crisis in the 1430s in England, and the implications for tenurial change
By Mark Bailey
The Economic History Review
This article examines how extreme weather in the 1430s triggered a major economic crisis in England, leading to food shortages, livestock deaths, and widespread disruption. It also shows how these pressures reshaped landholding practices, marking the beginning of a longer downturn known as the ‘Great Slump.’
Click here to read this article
Consent and Coercion: Forced Marriages in Supplications to the Apostolic Penitentiary, 1484–92
By Charlotte Christensen-Nugues
Journal of Medieval History
This article examines cases of forced marriage brought before the papal court in the late fifteenth century, focusing on petitions to the Apostolic Penitentiary between 1484 and 1492. It reveals how factors such as age, gender, and social status shaped claims of coercion and how the Church evaluated and responded to these disputes.
Click here to read this article
Mental Distress and Pseudo-Hagiography in Hrafns saga Sveinbjarnarsonar
By Natalie M. Van Deusen
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies/Études Scandinaves au Canada
This article examines Hrafns saga Sveinbjarnarsonar as a complex narrative that blends historical writing with elements of hagiography. It argues that the saga offers important insights into how medieval Icelandic society understood mental distress and sanctity, revealing a more nuanced portrayal of suffering and reputation.
Click here to read this article
Expecting the Worst: Beowulf and the End Times
By Amy Faulkner
The Review of English Studies
This article examines how Beowulf engages with Christian ideas of the end times, focusing on parallels between the hero’s final speech and biblical prophecy. It argues that these echoes highlight the limits of the poem’s pagan world, where foreknowledge and hope are shaped by uncertainty rather than salvation.
Click here to read this article
Extending the Reach of State: The Administrative Town in Song China
By Yidan Han and Tuan-Hwee Sng
Journal of Chinese History
This article re-examines the structure of local administration in Song China, arguing that the state’s reach was far greater than previously believed. By highlighting the role of administrative towns staffed by imperial officials, it shows that the Song government maintained a more extensive and sophisticated system of local governance than traditional models suggest.
Click here to read this article
Between War and Symbiosis in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia’s Position Between Red Sea Sultanates and Mamluk Egypt (1270–1543)
By Andrew Kurt and Ahmed Mohamed Sheir
Histories
This article explores the complex relationship between Christian Ethiopia and its Muslim neighbours between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries, showing how conflict coexisted with cooperation. It argues that trade networks, diplomacy, and external powers such as Mamluk Egypt created a fragile balance in the Horn of Africa, preventing any one side from achieving dominance.
Click here to read this article
‘What is Caesar’s?’: Canon Law and the Constraint of the Prince in Medieval International Law
By Jacob T McConville
Oxford Journal of Law and Religion
This article examines how canon law shaped ideas of sovereignty and international order in medieval Europe between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. It argues that legal and procedural frameworks developed by canonists helped limit the power of rulers, placing constraints on princes and influencing the conduct of warfare and diplomacy.
Click here to read this article
Propaganda and Heritage in Hungary: How a Worker Hero Became the “Discoverer” of Mohacs Mass Graves and the Battlefield
By Norbert Pap and Máté Kitanics
Heritage & Society
This article examines how archaeological research at the site of the 1526 Battle of Mohács was shaped by political propaganda during the communist era in Hungary. It shows how a factory worker was promoted as the “discoverer” of mass graves, revealing how heritage and historical interpretation could be manipulated for ideological purposes.
Click here to read this article
Rocking the cradle of early Polish statehood: a tenth-century construction collapse at Lednicki Ostrów
By Andrzej Pydyn, Mateusz Popek, Konrad Lewek and Andrzej Kowalczyk
Antiquity
This article investigates the collapse of a tenth-century wooden fortification at Ostrów Lednicki, one of the key centres of the early Polish state. It reveals how this structural failure—likely caused by unstable ground—provides rare insights into early medieval construction techniques, including beam-numbering systems and symbolic carvings.
Click here to read this article
Are we all Cistercians now?
By Nina Sonntag
Review of Regional Research
This article investigates the long-term influence of the Cistercian monastic order on European work ethics, testing the idea that medieval religious practices shaped modern economic values. It finds little consistent evidence for such a lasting impact, suggesting that supposed links between Cistercian presence and contemporary attitudes toward work may be overstated or influenced by other factors.
Click here to read this article
In total, we identified 49 open-access articles in February and 76 in March—far more than we could include here. Our Patreon supporters get access to the full lists each month.
Join us on Patreon to access the full lists
Top Image: Cistercians at work in a detail from the Life of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, illustrated by Jörg Breu the Elder (1500)
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