From the lead used in Notre-Dame de Paris to the age at which fosterage began in medieval Ireland, scholars continue to uncover new insights into the medieval world. Here are ten open-access articles published in May 2026 that medievalists can read for free.
In total, we found over 60 open-access articles on medieval studies published last month. Our Patreon supporters can access the full list, featuring research on music, forests, reliquaries of the True Cross, and much more.
Follow the Lead! Tracing the Lead Sources of Notre-Dame de Paris Over the Centuries Using Chemical and Isotopic Analyses
By Maxime L’Héritier, Sandrine Baron, Aurélia Azéma, Diane Daussy and Guillaume Sarah
Journal of Archaeological Science
The devastating fire of 2019 exposed thousands of lead elements from Notre-Dame de Paris, offering researchers a rare opportunity to investigate where the cathedral’s lead originated. Using chemical and isotopic analyses, this study traces the sources of lead used in different phases of the cathedral’s construction and restoration, revealing how procurement strategies changed over the centuries and shedding new light on the history of one of the world’s most famous medieval buildings.
The Castles Project: Reconstructing Chronologies of Castles and Seigneuries in Medieval Italy
By Giovanna Bianchi, Guido Vannini, Richard Hodges, Federico Cantini, Marco Cavalieri, Francesca Grassi, Elena Grifoni Cremonesi, and Alessandra Molinari
Antiquity
This article presents the results of the Castles Project, a large-scale effort to reconstruct the development of castles and lordships across medieval Italy using archaeological evidence. By examining the chronology of fortifications and settlements, the researchers offer new insights into how political power, territorial control, and rural society evolved between the early and later Middle Ages.
Eilmer of Malmesbury is famous for his reported attempt to fly using wings in medieval England, but the exact date of his flight has long remained uncertain. This article re-examines the evidence surrounding Eilmer’s experiment and argues for a more precise chronology, offering new insights into one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of medieval technology and innovation.
She Was Not Spared: Evidence of Interpersonal Violence on a Langobard Female from the Ferrovia Necropolis in Cividale, NE Italy (6th–7th Century CE)
By Paola Saccheri, Valentina Martinoia, Federico Lugli, Sara Bernardini, Angela Borzacconi, Luciana Travan, Caterina Giostra
International Journal of Paleopathology
This study examines the skeletal remains of a woman buried in the Langobard-era Ferrovia necropolis in northeastern Italy, revealing evidence of severe interpersonal violence. Through osteological analysis, the researchers reconstruct the injuries she suffered and explore what her case can tell us about violence, gender, and social conditions in early medieval Europe.
Surviving the Black Death in Medieval England: Recovering from Illness at Warboys, Huntingdonshire
A. T. Brown, Grace Owen, and Barney Sloane
Historical Research
Drawing on archaeological and documentary evidence from the village of Warboys in Huntingdonshire, this article explores what happened to people who survived the Black Death. The authors examine the physical and economic consequences of recovery, revealing how survivors coped with illness and how communities adapted in the aftermath of one of the deadliest pandemics in history.
Drinking the Quran in Medieval Khorasan: Magic-Medicinal Bowls and Ephemeral Practices of Therapeutic Ingestion
By Lyla Halsted
Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World
This article examines a group of medieval ceramic bowls from Khorasan that were inscribed with Quranic verses and used in healing practices. By exploring the relationship between material culture, medicine, and religion, the study sheds light on the widespread belief that sacred texts could be physically ingested as part of therapeutic treatment.
On Wet-Nursing, Fosterage and the Age at Which Fosterage Began in Medieval Ireland
By Aogán Ó hIarlaithe
Irish Historical Studies
Fosterage was a central institution in medieval Irish society, creating bonds that could be as important as family ties. This article investigates the relationship between wet-nursing and fosterage, examining when children typically entered foster care and what these practices reveal about childhood, kinship, and social relationships in medieval Ireland.
Women’s Wage Labour in Rural England, c. 1250–c. 1450: Identifying the Known Unknowns in Manorial Accounts
By Grace Owen and Jane Whittle
Journal of Medieval History
How much work did women perform in the rural economy of medieval England? This article examines manorial accounts to assess the evidence for female wage labour, highlighting both what the records reveal and the significant gaps that remain in our understanding of women’s economic contributions between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries.
The Soul of the Soil: Unearthing a Nation’s Eco-Empathy Through 1200 Years of Persian Poetry
By Isa Esfandiarpour-Boroujeni, Ali Shahriari, Leila Kordbacheh, Zohreh Mosleh, Reyhaneh Nejadasadi, Hosnieh Shahriari, Fatemeh Aliabbasi and Reza Mohajer
People and Nature
Can poetry reveal how people relate to the natural world? This article analyzes more than 1,200 years of Persian poetry to explore changing attitudes toward nature, showing how literary works can provide valuable evidence for understanding environmental values and human–nature relationships across time.
Hunting for Hollanders: The Community Responsibility System, Trade Sanctions, and Public Debt in the Late-Medieval Low Countries
By Jaco Zuijderduijn
The Economic History Review
This article examines how the counties of the late-medieval Low Countries enforced debts and commercial obligations through a system of collective responsibility. By exploring the relationship between trade sanctions, public debt, and local communities, the study offers new insights into the institutions that supported economic growth and long-distance commerce in the medieval Netherlands.
If you want to explore even more recent research, Medievalists.net Patreon supporters can access our complete roundup of over 60 open-access medieval studies articles published in May 2026.
From the lead used in Notre-Dame de Paris to the age at which fosterage began in medieval Ireland, scholars continue to uncover new insights into the medieval world. Here are ten open-access articles published in May 2026 that medievalists can read for free.
In total, we found over 60 open-access articles on medieval studies published last month. Our Patreon supporters can access the full list, featuring research on music, forests, reliquaries of the True Cross, and much more.
Follow the Lead! Tracing the Lead Sources of Notre-Dame de Paris Over the Centuries Using Chemical and Isotopic Analyses
By Maxime L’Héritier, Sandrine Baron, Aurélia Azéma, Diane Daussy and Guillaume Sarah
Journal of Archaeological Science
The devastating fire of 2019 exposed thousands of lead elements from Notre-Dame de Paris, offering researchers a rare opportunity to investigate where the cathedral’s lead originated. Using chemical and isotopic analyses, this study traces the sources of lead used in different phases of the cathedral’s construction and restoration, revealing how procurement strategies changed over the centuries and shedding new light on the history of one of the world’s most famous medieval buildings.
Click here to read this article
The Castles Project: Reconstructing Chronologies of Castles and Seigneuries in Medieval Italy
By Giovanna Bianchi, Guido Vannini, Richard Hodges, Federico Cantini, Marco Cavalieri, Francesca Grassi, Elena Grifoni Cremonesi, and Alessandra Molinari
Antiquity
This article presents the results of the Castles Project, a large-scale effort to reconstruct the development of castles and lordships across medieval Italy using archaeological evidence. By examining the chronology of fortifications and settlements, the researchers offer new insights into how political power, territorial control, and rural society evolved between the early and later Middle Ages.
Click here to read this article
The Date of Eilmer of Malmesbury’s Flight
By James Aitcheson
Notes and Queries
Eilmer of Malmesbury is famous for his reported attempt to fly using wings in medieval England, but the exact date of his flight has long remained uncertain. This article re-examines the evidence surrounding Eilmer’s experiment and argues for a more precise chronology, offering new insights into one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of medieval technology and innovation.
Click here to read this article
She Was Not Spared: Evidence of Interpersonal Violence on a Langobard Female from the Ferrovia Necropolis in Cividale, NE Italy (6th–7th Century CE)
By Paola Saccheri, Valentina Martinoia, Federico Lugli, Sara Bernardini, Angela Borzacconi, Luciana Travan, Caterina Giostra
International Journal of Paleopathology
This study examines the skeletal remains of a woman buried in the Langobard-era Ferrovia necropolis in northeastern Italy, revealing evidence of severe interpersonal violence. Through osteological analysis, the researchers reconstruct the injuries she suffered and explore what her case can tell us about violence, gender, and social conditions in early medieval Europe.
Click here to read this article
Surviving the Black Death in Medieval England: Recovering from Illness at Warboys, Huntingdonshire
A. T. Brown, Grace Owen, and Barney Sloane
Historical Research
Drawing on archaeological and documentary evidence from the village of Warboys in Huntingdonshire, this article explores what happened to people who survived the Black Death. The authors examine the physical and economic consequences of recovery, revealing how survivors coped with illness and how communities adapted in the aftermath of one of the deadliest pandemics in history.
Click here to read this article
Drinking the Quran in Medieval Khorasan: Magic-Medicinal Bowls and Ephemeral Practices of Therapeutic Ingestion
By Lyla Halsted
Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World
This article examines a group of medieval ceramic bowls from Khorasan that were inscribed with Quranic verses and used in healing practices. By exploring the relationship between material culture, medicine, and religion, the study sheds light on the widespread belief that sacred texts could be physically ingested as part of therapeutic treatment.
Click here to read this article
On Wet-Nursing, Fosterage and the Age at Which Fosterage Began in Medieval Ireland
By Aogán Ó hIarlaithe
Irish Historical Studies
Fosterage was a central institution in medieval Irish society, creating bonds that could be as important as family ties. This article investigates the relationship between wet-nursing and fosterage, examining when children typically entered foster care and what these practices reveal about childhood, kinship, and social relationships in medieval Ireland.
Click here to read this article
Women’s Wage Labour in Rural England, c. 1250–c. 1450: Identifying the Known Unknowns in Manorial Accounts
By Grace Owen and Jane Whittle
Journal of Medieval History
How much work did women perform in the rural economy of medieval England? This article examines manorial accounts to assess the evidence for female wage labour, highlighting both what the records reveal and the significant gaps that remain in our understanding of women’s economic contributions between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Click here to read this article
The Soul of the Soil: Unearthing a Nation’s Eco-Empathy Through 1200 Years of Persian Poetry
By Isa Esfandiarpour-Boroujeni, Ali Shahriari, Leila Kordbacheh, Zohreh Mosleh, Reyhaneh Nejadasadi, Hosnieh Shahriari, Fatemeh Aliabbasi and Reza Mohajer
People and Nature
Can poetry reveal how people relate to the natural world? This article analyzes more than 1,200 years of Persian poetry to explore changing attitudes toward nature, showing how literary works can provide valuable evidence for understanding environmental values and human–nature relationships across time.
Click here to read this article
Hunting for Hollanders: The Community Responsibility System, Trade Sanctions, and Public Debt in the Late-Medieval Low Countries
By Jaco Zuijderduijn
The Economic History Review
This article examines how the counties of the late-medieval Low Countries enforced debts and commercial obligations through a system of collective responsibility. By exploring the relationship between trade sanctions, public debt, and local communities, the study offers new insights into the institutions that supported economic growth and long-distance commerce in the medieval Netherlands.
Click here to read this article
If you want to explore even more recent research, Medievalists.net Patreon supporters can access our complete roundup of over 60 open-access medieval studies articles published in May 2026.
Access the full list on Patreon
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