From the mysteries of the Voynich Manuscript and the origins of the King Arthur legend to bear-baiting in medieval Europe and DNA evidence preserved on the Shroud of Turin, scholars continue to reveal fascinating new details about the Middle Ages. Here are ten open-access articles published in July 2026 that medievalists can read for free.
In total, we found 75 open-access articles on medieval studies published last month. Our Patreon supporters can access the full list, featuring research on the monuments of Alexandria, Chinese warfare, Beowulf, and much more.
Singulion Structure and the Voynich Manuscript
By Colin Layfield and Lisa Fagin Davis
Digital Medievalist
This article uses computer analysis to investigate the original physical structure of the mysterious Voynich Manuscript. It presents evidence that the manuscript may once have consisted of individual folded sheets known as “singulions”, which were intended to be read in sequence before later being bound into its present form.
This article examines the account of Arthur’s battles in the ninth-century Historia Brittonum, arguing that its structure preserves traces of an earlier oral poem. Its use of ring composition and possible Latin hexameter may indicate that this material originated in the sixth or seventh century.
The Origins of Bear-Baiting: Evidence from Medieval England and France
By Liam Lewis and Hannah O’Regan
Society & Animals
Combining literary, archival, archaeological and visual evidence, the study traces the development of bear-baiting in England and France from the twelfth century onwards. The findings reveal related customs across different levels of society and suggest that the practice became increasingly visible in England following the Norman Conquest.
DNA Signatures Preserved in the Official 1978 Sample Collection of the Shroud of Turin
By Gianni Barcaccia, Nicola Rambaldi Migliore, Giovanni Gabelli, Vincenzo Agostini, Fabio Palumbo, Elisabetta Moroni, Valeria Nicolini, Liangliang Gao, Grazia Mattutino, Andrew Porter, Pawel Palmowski, Noemi Procopio, Ugo A. Perego, Massimo Iorizzo, Timothy F. Sharbel, Pierluigi Baima Bollone, Antonio Torroni, Andrea Squartini, and Alessandro Achilli
Scientific Reports
DNA and metagenomic analyses of samples collected from the Shroud of Turin in 1978 reveal traces left by numerous people, microorganisms, plants and animals. Rather than resolving questions about the cloth’s age or authenticity, the results illuminate the many environments, handling events and conservation conditions it has experienced over time.
‘Our Enemies in the North’: William Rufus’s War Against Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria, in 1095, and the Complexities of Loyalty in the Middle Ages
By William M. Aird
Journal of Medieval History
The 1095 conflict between King William II and Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria, provides a case study of how loyalty operated during a medieval political crisis. By examining the choices facing Mowbray, his relatives and his allies, the study asks whether loyalty was freely given, imposed through social obligations or maintained for practical advantage.
Microbes from Floor and Wall Layers at a Viking Age and Medieval Farm in Iceland Reveal Living Conditions, Human Respiratory Diseases and the Presence of Domestic Animals
By Rannveig Þórhallsdóttir, Emmett Smith, Charles Peck, Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Egill Erlendsson, and Ragnheiður Traustadóttir
Environmental Archaeology
Microbial traces recovered from the floors and walls of an Icelandic farm offer an unusual window into the lives of its Viking Age and medieval inhabitants. The evidence provides information about their living conditions, respiratory illnesses and close contact with domestic animals, demonstrating what microscopic remains can add to archaeological research.
Between Law and the Unseen: Human-Jinn Marriage and the Limits of Legal Personhood in Islamic Jurisprudence
By Yousef Aly Wahb
Islamic Law and Society
Classical Shāfiʿī jurists debated whether a legally valid marriage could exist between a human being and a jinn, an unseen being recognised within Islamic tradition. Their arguments reveal how medieval Islamic law defined personhood, physical embodiment and the boundaries of legal responsibility.
Equal in Death: Ancient Genomic Analysis of Children’s Early Christian Burials
By Maja Krzewińska, Anna Kjellström, Reyhan Yaka, Ricardo Rodríguez-Varela, Zoé Pochon, Vendela Kempe Lagerholm, Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, Torun Zachrisson, Natalija Kashuba, Veronica Sobrado, Thijessen Naidoo, Kıvılcım Başak Vural, Mattias Jakobsson, Gülşah Merve Kılınç, Jan Storå, and Anders Götherström
Science Advances
Genomic evidence from 142 individuals buried at three Swedish sites challenges the assumption that children placed in collective graves were usually interred with close relatives. The findings also suggest that gender influenced burial location from an early age, although extended kinship and other forms of social affiliation remained important.
The Southern Levant in the Global History of Sugar
By Ian W. N. Jones
Levant
Sugar production in the southern Levant is placed within the commodity’s wider movement across the medieval world. Drawing upon archaeological and historical evidence, the study shows how this region participated in the development of an industry that connected agricultural landscapes, specialised technologies and long-distance trade.
The Treatment of Defeated Opponents in England, 1455–71
By Gordon McKelvie
Historical Research
The fate of defeated opponents during the Wars of the Roses depended upon political circumstances rather than a steady escalation of violence. Although executions increased after the Battle of Wakefield and peaked following Edward IV’s victory at Tewkesbury, the treatment of Lancastrian bodies in 1471 also reflected efforts to encourage reconciliation.
From the mysteries of the Voynich Manuscript and the origins of the King Arthur legend to bear-baiting in medieval Europe and DNA evidence preserved on the Shroud of Turin, scholars continue to reveal fascinating new details about the Middle Ages. Here are ten open-access articles published in July 2026 that medievalists can read for free.
In total, we found 75 open-access articles on medieval studies published last month. Our Patreon supporters can access the full list, featuring research on the monuments of Alexandria, Chinese warfare, Beowulf, and much more.
Singulion Structure and the Voynich Manuscript
By Colin Layfield and Lisa Fagin Davis
Digital Medievalist
This article uses computer analysis to investigate the original physical structure of the mysterious Voynich Manuscript. It presents evidence that the manuscript may once have consisted of individual folded sheets known as “singulions”, which were intended to be read in sequence before later being bound into its present form.
Click here to read this article
King Arthur and the Origin of Bardic Verse
By Bernard Mees
Arthuriana
This article examines the account of Arthur’s battles in the ninth-century Historia Brittonum, arguing that its structure preserves traces of an earlier oral poem. Its use of ring composition and possible Latin hexameter may indicate that this material originated in the sixth or seventh century.
Click here to read this article
The Origins of Bear-Baiting: Evidence from Medieval England and France
By Liam Lewis and Hannah O’Regan
Society & Animals
Combining literary, archival, archaeological and visual evidence, the study traces the development of bear-baiting in England and France from the twelfth century onwards. The findings reveal related customs across different levels of society and suggest that the practice became increasingly visible in England following the Norman Conquest.
Click here to read this article
DNA Signatures Preserved in the Official 1978 Sample Collection of the Shroud of Turin
By Gianni Barcaccia, Nicola Rambaldi Migliore, Giovanni Gabelli, Vincenzo Agostini, Fabio Palumbo, Elisabetta Moroni, Valeria Nicolini, Liangliang Gao, Grazia Mattutino, Andrew Porter, Pawel Palmowski, Noemi Procopio, Ugo A. Perego, Massimo Iorizzo, Timothy F. Sharbel, Pierluigi Baima Bollone, Antonio Torroni, Andrea Squartini, and Alessandro Achilli
Scientific Reports
DNA and metagenomic analyses of samples collected from the Shroud of Turin in 1978 reveal traces left by numerous people, microorganisms, plants and animals. Rather than resolving questions about the cloth’s age or authenticity, the results illuminate the many environments, handling events and conservation conditions it has experienced over time.
Click here to read this article
‘Our Enemies in the North’: William Rufus’s War Against Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria, in 1095, and the Complexities of Loyalty in the Middle Ages
By William M. Aird
Journal of Medieval History
The 1095 conflict between King William II and Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria, provides a case study of how loyalty operated during a medieval political crisis. By examining the choices facing Mowbray, his relatives and his allies, the study asks whether loyalty was freely given, imposed through social obligations or maintained for practical advantage.
Click here to read this article
Microbes from Floor and Wall Layers at a Viking Age and Medieval Farm in Iceland Reveal Living Conditions, Human Respiratory Diseases and the Presence of Domestic Animals
By Rannveig Þórhallsdóttir, Emmett Smith, Charles Peck, Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Egill Erlendsson, and Ragnheiður Traustadóttir
Environmental Archaeology
Microbial traces recovered from the floors and walls of an Icelandic farm offer an unusual window into the lives of its Viking Age and medieval inhabitants. The evidence provides information about their living conditions, respiratory illnesses and close contact with domestic animals, demonstrating what microscopic remains can add to archaeological research.
Click here to read this article
Between Law and the Unseen: Human-Jinn Marriage and the Limits of Legal Personhood in Islamic Jurisprudence
By Yousef Aly Wahb
Islamic Law and Society
Classical Shāfiʿī jurists debated whether a legally valid marriage could exist between a human being and a jinn, an unseen being recognised within Islamic tradition. Their arguments reveal how medieval Islamic law defined personhood, physical embodiment and the boundaries of legal responsibility.
Click here to read this article
Equal in Death: Ancient Genomic Analysis of Children’s Early Christian Burials
By Maja Krzewińska, Anna Kjellström, Reyhan Yaka, Ricardo Rodríguez-Varela, Zoé Pochon, Vendela Kempe Lagerholm, Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, Torun Zachrisson, Natalija Kashuba, Veronica Sobrado, Thijessen Naidoo, Kıvılcım Başak Vural, Mattias Jakobsson, Gülşah Merve Kılınç, Jan Storå, and Anders Götherström
Science Advances
Genomic evidence from 142 individuals buried at three Swedish sites challenges the assumption that children placed in collective graves were usually interred with close relatives. The findings also suggest that gender influenced burial location from an early age, although extended kinship and other forms of social affiliation remained important.
Click here to read this article
The Southern Levant in the Global History of Sugar
By Ian W. N. Jones
Levant
Sugar production in the southern Levant is placed within the commodity’s wider movement across the medieval world. Drawing upon archaeological and historical evidence, the study shows how this region participated in the development of an industry that connected agricultural landscapes, specialised technologies and long-distance trade.
Click here to read this article
The Treatment of Defeated Opponents in England, 1455–71
By Gordon McKelvie
Historical Research
The fate of defeated opponents during the Wars of the Roses depended upon political circumstances rather than a steady escalation of violence. Although executions increased after the Battle of Wakefield and peaked following Edward IV’s victory at Tewkesbury, the treatment of Lancastrian bodies in 1471 also reflected efforts to encourage reconciliation.
Click here to read this article
These ten articles highlight the range of research reshaping our understanding of the medieval world, from manuscripts and political conflict to archaeology, religion and environmental history. To explore more of the latest scholarship, visit our Patreon page for the complete list of 75 open-access medieval studies articles published in July 2026.
Top Image: Folio from the Voynich manuscript
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