Where the Middle Ages Begin
From Greek fire and Damascene steel to the glowing blue of Chartres Cathedral, many medieval inventions remain impossible to reproduce. Discover the lost technologies that continue to puzzle scientists and historians today.
What everyday objects did people use in the Middle Ages? From clothing and household necessities to tools for work and warfare, these 25 medieval items were essential to daily life and shaped how people lived, ate, and survived.
Delve into the pivotal figures of the Middle Ages whose enduring legacies shaped the course of history. From visionary leaders and profound scholars to prolific writers and formidable warriors, these individuals left an indelible mark on medieval society.
Discover the 50 most significant events of the Middle Ages, spanning the years 500 to 1500.
Here are seven vivid facts about colour in the Middle Ages
In medieval times, many unique jobs, such as Ale-wife and Groom of the Stool, were essential but have since vanished. Discover these obsolete occupations and how historical changes led to their disappearance.
Are you wanting to talk more like someone from the Middle Ages? We have a list of 30 great sayings and proverbs that you can use in your conversations.
Have you wondered what a medieval king did on a typical day? Thanks to Christine de Pizan, we have an account of what daily life was like for King Charles V of France.
Some of our most popular phrases have a long history, including some that go back to the Middle Ages.
Want to know what kind of jobs there were in the Middle Ages? A unique source from the 15th century gives us some beautiful images of medieval people at work.
From Greek fire and Damascene steel to the glowing blue of Chartres Cathedral, many medieval inventions remain impossible to reproduce. Discover the lost technologies that continue to puzzle scientists and historians today.
Discover how Emperor Conrad II’s Edictum de Beneficiis transformed power in medieval Italy. Once seen as the birth of feudalism, this 1037 decree reveals a deeper story of politics, land, and loyalty.
A conversation with James Rives on the history of ancient animal sacrifice in the Roman world. We focus on its decline and eventual demise in the third and fourth centuries. Animal sacrifice was caught up in the conflicts between the Roman emperors and the Christian Church, which endowed it with an importance it had not had before.
In 1126, Nizari Assassins struck in Mosul, killing the powerful Seljuk commander al-Bursuqi during Friday prayers. The attack and its bloody reprisals reveal how fear, faith, and politics intertwined in the medieval Islamic world.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Michael Livingston about why the Hundred Years’ War should actually be called the Two Hundred Years’ War, what actually touched off the conflict, and why we should question everything.
In medieval Europe, frogs were both feared and useful — condemned as unclean yet valued in medical recipes and moral tales. A new study explores how this unlikely creature moved from the healer’s toolkit to the storyteller’s page, revealing the many roles of the medieval frog.
A new exhibition at The Met Cloisters in New York invites visitors to reconsider the medieval past through the art of human desire. Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages explores how artists from the 13th to 15th centuries depicted passion, devotion, and identity in ways that were both deeply spiritual and strikingly sensual.
The eight papers in this book were guided by the question: In the eyes of their makers and viewers, how were medieval images understood to assert or to resist forces of power?
Archaeological evidence from Valencia and Granada reveals how the Reconquista transformed medieval Spain’s countryside—reshaping irrigation, farming, and village life as Islamic and Christian cultures met and merged.
An unusually large and remarkably well-preserved silver treasure from the Middle Ages has been discovered near the Swedish capital city of Stockholm. The hoard, weighing around six kilograms, was found while the individual was digging for earthworms near a summer house.
What did people eat in medieval Europe? From papal kitchens to royal courts, two 15th-century sources reveal the favourite foods of Europeans—from cheese soup for the French to liver mash for Hungarians.
Meet the “criers of the dead,” professional mourners who once roamed medieval towns announcing deaths with bells and prayers. Explore how these strange but vital figures shaped the soundscape of mourning in the Middle Ages.
Mieszko I transformed a network of Slavic tribes into the foundations of medieval Poland. Using early chronicles and recent archaeological evidence, this article traces the rise of the Piast dynasty and the emergence of a powerful Central European state.
Explore how playing cards evolved from medieval Mamluk designs to modern games and divination tools.
In 1113, Mawdud of Mosul was assassinated in Damascus by the Nizaris, exposing the deep rivalries between Turkic rulers and the Assassins’ growing influence. This account explores how politics, betrayal, and religious divisions shaped power in medieval Syria.
Explore how to make an omelet, medieval-style, from a 14th-century Egyptian cookbook.
Donatello’s Gattamelata, the celebrated bronze equestrian statue in Padua, has been carefully removed from its pedestal for conservation. Experts are conducting detailed studies to prepare for the restoration of this fifteenth-century masterpiece.
A four-week course exploring the social world of Early Byzantium — where emperors ruled, clergy guided, soldiers fought, and commoners toiled. Explore how religion, law, and the economy shaped identity and mobility, bringing primary sources vividly to life.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Ben Parsons about what medieval people named their pets and working animals, how we know about them, and which animals are still called by their medieval nicknames.
In the Middle Ages, Paris stood at the heart of Europe’s luxury trade. Behind its grand churches and royal palaces was a bustling network of merchants, artisans, and aristocrats whose wealth shaped the city’s rise to prominence.
As the Eternal City’s power waned, enemies closed in. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly delve into two devastating sieges of Rome — one led by the Goths, the other by the Vandals.
When Harold Godwinson marched to Hastings on 14 October 1066 he brought with him thousands of men. Who were these warriors and why did they fight on behalf of their king?
Mathilda of Flanders was the Duchess of Normandy and, following the Norman Conquest, became Queen of England. This book explores her life and achievements as one of the most powerful and influential women of the eleventh century.
Discover the extraordinary life of Qutulun, the Mongol princess who never lost a wrestling match. Explore how this undefeated warrior and daughter of Qaidu Khan shaped politics, warfare, and legend in the Mongol Empire.
The eight papers in this book were guided by the question: In the eyes of their makers and viewers, how were medieval images understood to assert or to resist forces of power?
A conversation with James Rives on the history of ancient animal sacrifice in the Roman world. We focus on its decline and eventual demise in the third and fourth centuries. Animal sacrifice was caught up in the conflicts between the Roman emperors and the Christian Church, which endowed it with an importance it had not had before.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Michael Livingston about why the Hundred Years’ War should actually be called the Two Hundred Years’ War, what actually touched off the conflict, and why we should question everything.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Ben Parsons about what medieval people named their pets and working animals, how we know about them, and which animals are still called by their medieval nicknames.
As the Eternal City’s power waned, enemies closed in. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly delve into two devastating sieges of Rome — one led by the Goths, the other by the Vandals.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Elizabeth Marshall about where we find wolves in medieval sources, how early English writers saw them, and how wolves both add to – and steal – language.
The fourteenth-century is one of the most turbulent periods in European history. Famine, war, plague, royal depositions – you name it, this century’s got it. This week, Danièle speaks with Helen Carr about how England fared in these wild times, what her take is on some famous Plantagenets, and why we need to take a fresh look at this calamitous century.
