From a noblewoman caught up in the civil war of King Stephen’s reign and false murder accusations against medieval English clergy to a strange legal case involving a monster, new research offers fresh perspectives on the Middle Ages. Here are ten open-access articles published in August 2026 that medievalists can read for free.
In total, we found 76 open-access articles on medieval studies published last month. Our Patreon supporters can access the full list, featuring research on stones in medicine, monasteries, and glass from Madagascar.
Alice de Condet and Lincoln in the Civil War of King Stephen’s Reign
By Stephen Marritt
Midland History
Alice de Condet was an important figure in the struggles surrounding Lincoln during the civil war of King Stephen’s reign. This study re-examines her life, including her possession of a castle in Lincoln and her possible role as a literary patron. It also challenges the longstanding identification of Alice as the sister of Ranulf II, Earl of Chester, offering a different perspective on women’s political involvement in twelfth-century England.
Weaponizing Death: Harassing the Clergy in Medieval England
By Sara Margaret Butler
Journal of British Studies
In thirteenth-century England, accusations of murder could become a weapon against unpopular clergymen. This article examines how parishioners manipulated the criminal justice system, sometimes inventing murders where deaths had occurred naturally. These accusations could be used to resist ecclesiastical discipline, challenge clerical authority or avoid paying tithes, revealing a surprisingly sophisticated form of opposition to the medieval Church.
A Medieval Chancery Case of Mental Health and a Monster
By Wendy Turner
Culture Unbound
A remarkable medieval English legal record describes an encounter between a man named William and another man, Augustine, who was disguised as a monster. When Augustine refused to reveal his identity and instead continued growling, William killed him. The study uses this unusual case to investigate medieval understandings of mental health, the legal treatment of those with mental health conditions, and what people believed monsters looked and acted like.
Inset Lead Weights: Trade and Identity in 9th- and 10th-century Viking armies in Britain and Ireland
By Dawn Hadley, Julian D. Richards, Mark Randerson and Rebekah Hiett
Internet Archaeology
When Viking armies arrived in Britain and Ireland, they brought new ways of conducting trade using precious metals weighed on balances. This study examines more than 390 lead weights, many decorated with reused objects, dating primarily to the late ninth century. The researchers argue that these objects served purposes beyond commerce, communicating messages about authority, protection and the shared identity of Viking armies.
Cascading continental-scale floods across Europe in 1342–1343
By Andrea Kiss et al.
Nature
Europe experienced an extraordinary series of floods in the early 1340s, with consequences for settlements, agriculture and infrastructure. Drawing on historical documents and environmental evidence, researchers identify 16 major flood events between late 1341 and 1343, including four exceptionally severe episodes. Their findings suggest that the famous Magdalena Flood of 1342 was part of a much larger sequence of disasters affecting medieval Europe.
Hunting in the Ghaznavid State: Courtly Culture, Military Practices and Political Power
By Arslan Durdu
History
Hunting was far more than entertainment for the rulers of the Ghaznavid state, which dominated parts of Afghanistan, Iran and northern India between the tenth and twelfth centuries. This article examines royal hunts involving falcons, cheetahs, hounds and even elephants, showing how hunting helped rulers demonstrate military skill, organise their courts and display political authority. It also explores the specialists responsible for managing these activities.
The Concentration of Personal Names in Late Medieval Florence
By Stefano Ciliberti
Names: A Journal of Onomastics
How did naming practices change in medieval Florence? Using records dating from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, this study investigates the popularity and concentration of personal names. The findings reveal that Florentines increasingly shared a smaller selection of names, a trend that began in the early fourteenth century and accelerated around the time of the Black Death.
Voices, Authorship, and Communication in Women’s Letters from the Cairo Geniza
By Oded Zinger
Jewish Quarterly Review
Thousands of documents preserved in the Cairo Geniza provide evidence of everyday life in the medieval Jewish communities of Egypt and the wider Mediterranean. This article examines letters associated with women, considering questions of authorship, communication and the ways women expressed their wishes and pursued their interests through written correspondence. It offers a perspective on women’s participation in medieval society through their surviving letters.
Pagan Beliefs in Greenland Through the Lens of Sagas
By Annette Lassen
European Journal of Scandinavian Studies
Icelandic sagas frequently portray medieval Greenland as a place where pagan beliefs and magical practices persisted despite the arrival of Christianity. This study questions how accurately these accounts reflect Greenlandic religious life. It argues that the sagas were shaped by the concerns of Christian Icelandic authors, who used depictions of Greenlandic paganism to construct their own understanding of Iceland’s religious past.
Conflict between the Ifat Sultanate and the Solomonic state over trade and power in the medieval Horn of Africa
By Dahir Hussein Addawe and Abdirahman Ibrahim Abdi
Discover Global Society
The medieval Horn of Africa witnessed prolonged conflict between the Muslim Ifat Sultanate and the Christian Solomonic state. Drawing on royal chronicles, Arabic historical accounts and other evidence, this study investigates the political, religious and economic causes of their rivalry. The authors argue that competition over trade routes, particularly those connected to the Red Sea port of Zeila, played a major role in the conflict.
From a noblewoman caught up in the civil war of King Stephen’s reign and false murder accusations against medieval English clergy to a strange legal case involving a monster, new research offers fresh perspectives on the Middle Ages. Here are ten open-access articles published in August 2026 that medievalists can read for free.
In total, we found 76 open-access articles on medieval studies published last month. Our Patreon supporters can access the full list, featuring research on stones in medicine, monasteries, and glass from Madagascar.
Alice de Condet and Lincoln in the Civil War of King Stephen’s Reign
By Stephen Marritt
Midland History
Alice de Condet was an important figure in the struggles surrounding Lincoln during the civil war of King Stephen’s reign. This study re-examines her life, including her possession of a castle in Lincoln and her possible role as a literary patron. It also challenges the longstanding identification of Alice as the sister of Ranulf II, Earl of Chester, offering a different perspective on women’s political involvement in twelfth-century England.
Click here to read this article
Weaponizing Death: Harassing the Clergy in Medieval England
By Sara Margaret Butler
Journal of British Studies
In thirteenth-century England, accusations of murder could become a weapon against unpopular clergymen. This article examines how parishioners manipulated the criminal justice system, sometimes inventing murders where deaths had occurred naturally. These accusations could be used to resist ecclesiastical discipline, challenge clerical authority or avoid paying tithes, revealing a surprisingly sophisticated form of opposition to the medieval Church.
Click here to read this article
A Medieval Chancery Case of Mental Health and a Monster
By Wendy Turner
Culture Unbound
A remarkable medieval English legal record describes an encounter between a man named William and another man, Augustine, who was disguised as a monster. When Augustine refused to reveal his identity and instead continued growling, William killed him. The study uses this unusual case to investigate medieval understandings of mental health, the legal treatment of those with mental health conditions, and what people believed monsters looked and acted like.
Click here to read this article
Inset Lead Weights: Trade and Identity in 9th- and 10th-century Viking armies in Britain and Ireland
By Dawn Hadley, Julian D. Richards, Mark Randerson and Rebekah Hiett
Internet Archaeology
When Viking armies arrived in Britain and Ireland, they brought new ways of conducting trade using precious metals weighed on balances. This study examines more than 390 lead weights, many decorated with reused objects, dating primarily to the late ninth century. The researchers argue that these objects served purposes beyond commerce, communicating messages about authority, protection and the shared identity of Viking armies.
Click here to read this article
Cascading continental-scale floods across Europe in 1342–1343
By Andrea Kiss et al.
Nature
Europe experienced an extraordinary series of floods in the early 1340s, with consequences for settlements, agriculture and infrastructure. Drawing on historical documents and environmental evidence, researchers identify 16 major flood events between late 1341 and 1343, including four exceptionally severe episodes. Their findings suggest that the famous Magdalena Flood of 1342 was part of a much larger sequence of disasters affecting medieval Europe.
Click here to read this article
Hunting in the Ghaznavid State: Courtly Culture, Military Practices and Political Power
By Arslan Durdu
History
Hunting was far more than entertainment for the rulers of the Ghaznavid state, which dominated parts of Afghanistan, Iran and northern India between the tenth and twelfth centuries. This article examines royal hunts involving falcons, cheetahs, hounds and even elephants, showing how hunting helped rulers demonstrate military skill, organise their courts and display political authority. It also explores the specialists responsible for managing these activities.
Click here to read this article
The Concentration of Personal Names in Late Medieval Florence
By Stefano Ciliberti
Names: A Journal of Onomastics
How did naming practices change in medieval Florence? Using records dating from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, this study investigates the popularity and concentration of personal names. The findings reveal that Florentines increasingly shared a smaller selection of names, a trend that began in the early fourteenth century and accelerated around the time of the Black Death.
Click here to read this article
Voices, Authorship, and Communication in Women’s Letters from the Cairo Geniza
By Oded Zinger
Jewish Quarterly Review
Thousands of documents preserved in the Cairo Geniza provide evidence of everyday life in the medieval Jewish communities of Egypt and the wider Mediterranean. This article examines letters associated with women, considering questions of authorship, communication and the ways women expressed their wishes and pursued their interests through written correspondence. It offers a perspective on women’s participation in medieval society through their surviving letters.
Click here to read this article
Pagan Beliefs in Greenland Through the Lens of Sagas
By Annette Lassen
European Journal of Scandinavian Studies
Icelandic sagas frequently portray medieval Greenland as a place where pagan beliefs and magical practices persisted despite the arrival of Christianity. This study questions how accurately these accounts reflect Greenlandic religious life. It argues that the sagas were shaped by the concerns of Christian Icelandic authors, who used depictions of Greenlandic paganism to construct their own understanding of Iceland’s religious past.
Click here to read this article
Conflict between the Ifat Sultanate and the Solomonic state over trade and power in the medieval Horn of Africa
By Dahir Hussein Addawe and Abdirahman Ibrahim Abdi
Discover Global Society
The medieval Horn of Africa witnessed prolonged conflict between the Muslim Ifat Sultanate and the Christian Solomonic state. Drawing on royal chronicles, Arabic historical accounts and other evidence, this study investigates the political, religious and economic causes of their rivalry. The authors argue that competition over trade routes, particularly those connected to the Red Sea port of Zeila, played a major role in the conflict.
Click here to read this article
These ten articles highlight the range of research being carried out on the Middle Ages, from English political and legal history to Viking commerce, medieval religion, warfare and environmental disasters. To discover more recent scholarship, visit our Patreon page for the complete list of open-access medieval studies articles published in August 2026.
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