Medieval castle repaired in England
Repairs have been completed at Merton Castle. The ruined 12th-century fortification was at risk of collapse, but thanks to £288,840 in funding the site has been stabilized.
New Medieval Books: The Art of Anatomy in Medieval Europe
There is a myth that medieval Europeans did not understand human anatomy and did not perform human dissections. Taylor McCall’s new book definitively disproves that and has the images to back it up.
Beyond the chessboard: Adventures in Abbasid literature and historiography
An exploration of the ways in which the Abbasid court made sense of the past and, in general, of what ‘historiography’ means in a medieval Arabic context.
How to de-colonize Byzantine Studies, with Ben Anderson and Mirela Ivanova
A conversation with Ben Anderson and returning guest Mirela Ivanova on their co-edited volume of papers on the question Is Byzantine Studies a Colonialist Discipline? Toward a Critical Historiography. We talk about how colonial, imperialist, or exploitative practices and ideologies have marked the history of our field, whether by making it complicit in them or by colonizing it.
How Often Do You Think About the Crusades?
In light of the TikTok trend asking, “how often do you think about the Roman Empire?” Danièle discusses how to gently correct misguided assumptions about history in the people we love.
How England’s oldest joke book answers your questions
What cannot freeze? What came first: the chicken or the egg? You can find out the answers to these questions from England’s oldest joke book.
Archaeologists discover site where Otto the Great died
One of the most important medieval rulers of the 10th century, Otto I (936-973) founded the Holy Roman Empire in central Europe. Archaeologists believe they have found the site where this king and emperor died.
New Medieval Books: The Emperor and the Elephant
A book on medieval diplomacy, it is a case study of Carolingian relations with the Islamic world, particularly the Abbasids in the Middle East and the Umayyads in Iberia. It is a fascinating account of political relations revealing a more complex situation than has previously been thought.
Inks and Skins: Investigations into the Materiality of the late-medieval Gaelic Manuscript
A series of papers dealing with medieval manuscripts from Ireland.
The Power of Medieval States – A Report from 1423
What was the wealth and military power of states in the Middle Ages? It is a question that the Venetian government tried to figure ou
How Medieval Kings Paid for War
In 1242 Henry III of England raised a large army to protect his lands in France. It cost £40,000, roughly the same as the normal annual income of the crown. So how could such a sum be met?
Did Women defend Castles?
It is the seventh Q&A episode of Bow & Blade, with Michael and Kelly answering listener questions. Here they talk about the women defending castles, the Italian banks supporting Edward III, mustering troops from specific regions, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), and where were the windmills in the Middle Ages.
New Medieval Books: City of Echoes
This book intertwines the history of Rome and the history of the Papacy, to show how each influenced the other and the legacy they created together.
New Medieval Exhibition at Dutch museum to focus on the year 1000
This month, the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden) is going back in time over a thousand years with the exhibition ‘The Year 1000’. Over 400 items from the Netherlands and beyond will be on display.
From Bread to Mechanical Women: 10 Medieval Studies’ Articles Published Last Month
What is new in medieval studies? Here are ten articles published in September, which tell us about topics including riddles, droughts, gunshot wounds and more.
Book of the Month: Templars: The Knights Who Made Britain
Examines the Knights Templar and their activities in the British Isles. The military order was an important player in the Crusades of the 12th and 13th centuries, but their role in England, Scotland and Ireland is a story of politics, fundraising and managing an international organization.
Project maps murder cases in medieval London, Oxford and York
A project mapping medieval England’s known murder cases has now added Oxford and York to its street plan of London’s 14th-century homicides, and found that Oxford’s student population was by far the most lethally violent of all social or professional groups in any of the three cities.
Jobs on a Medieval Manor
A medieval nobleperson needed employees to run their manor. Who were these people and what jobs did they do?
New Medieval Books: Registrum Coquine: A Medieval Cookbook
A collection of over 80 recipes written in the first half of the 15th century, by a cook who worked in the service of Pope Martin V (1417-31).
Two arrested for cutting down historic tree at Hadrian’s Wall
Two males have been arrested after the Sycamore Gap Tree was cut down earlier this week. The famous tree located on Hadrian’s Wall in northern England was viewed as an iconic landmark.
Traffic Problems in the Medieval City
The medieval city was seen as a crowded, bustling place, with people, horses, carts and wagons all moving around. Just as in our modern city, this would all lead to inevitable traffic problems.
61 Medieval Manuscripts digitized and available online
One of the largest databases of medieval manuscripts has added 61 new items to its collection. They include manuscripts from the Franciscan order as well as fragments dating back to the eighth century.
Leading the Rebellion with Jason Kingsley
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with CEO and YouTube sensation Jason Kingsley about living a chivalrous life in the modern world.
16th-century Bathhouse restored as a museum in Istanbul
After twelve years of meticulous renovation work, the Zeyrek Çinili Hamam in Istanbul is now reopening to the public. While much of the site will now be a museum, visitors to the hamam will be able to enjoy steam baths beginning next year.