How Medieval England looked 200 years ago
Here are fifteen beautiful images of castles, abbeys, cathedrals and other medieval sites around England created around the start of the 19th century
The Viking Age in Ireland – An Overview
The Irish sometimes referred to them as Lochlannach, meaning ‘men from the land of lakes’. This probably refers back to their native Scandinavia and its famous landscape, but it could equally refer to Scotland and northern England where the Vikings had also settled.
The Wages of Sin: Kinship and Forgiveness in the ‘Herlechin’s Hunt’ of Orderic Vitalis
In Book VIII of this lengthy chronicle of Norman affairs, Orderic paused in his description of the political struggles between the sons of William the Conqueror to tell a ghost story.
Robert of Courtenay (1221-1227): an idiot on the throne of Constantinople?
Among scholars who have discussed Robert’s reign – however superficially – there appears to exist a relative consensus, with few exceptions, that the misfortunes that befell the empire of Constantinople during this period are largely to be attributed to his personal and utter incompetence. In this contribution I would like to challenge that view.
Containing Contagion: Perception and Prevention of Plague in the Late Middle Ages
When the Black Death, one of the world’s deadliest epidemics, struck the European continent, the people afflicted with plague looked to those already respected in the medical field.
Medieval couple holding hands for 700 years
In the 14th century a medieval couple were laid to rest holding hands. After 700 years, archaeologists have discovered the pair during a dig to uncover a long lost chapel in Leicestershire, England.
Were medieval monks obese?
The modern image of the medieval monk, as often depicted in Robin Hood’s Friar Tuck, is of the overweight man who indulges in food. How accurate is this stereotype?
New Books in Medieval Studies
Hundreds of books are published each year in the field of medieval studies – we just want to highlight six recent publications that you might be interested in
Odorico from Pordenone and his encounter with China (1318-1330)
Odorico from Pordenone was a Franciscan Friar, who made a journey from Venice to Peking in the first half of the fourteenth century
I Heart Art
What I love about King Arthur stories is that they give authors the opportunity to explore the complexities of kingship and relationship without any of the personal knowledge of actually being king.
Marjorie Bruce, Princess of Scotland and mother of the Stewart dynasty of Kings of Scots
Marjorie Bruce, Princess of Scotland, was the only child of the first marriage of King Robert I the Bruce with Isabella of Mar. Marjorie would suffer greatly through the Scottish Wars of Independence, surviving to marry and become the mother of the child who would go on to found the Stewart dynasty of Kings.
Quiz: Medieval Popes
Can you guess who this Pope from the Middle Ages is?
Nine blows to the head killed Richard III, study finds
Richard III’s final fight at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 left him with 11 wounds, three of which would have been fatal, a new study published the Lancet has found.
The last man standing : causes of daimyo survival in sixteenth century Japan
Regional magnates, or daimyo, came to dominate the political landscape of Japan, each controlling territory on their own authority. These military strongmen established control over local warriors and cultivators and then began to challenge one another for supremacy. The result was a period of protracted civil war lasting for almost 150 years.
Byzantine Military Advice
‘General, when the enemy acts boldly, entice him into premature, reckless action and useless maneuvers. If he is on timid side, hit him hard with constant and rapid attacks. You must know the disposition of the enemy general and employ your own stratagems accordingly.’
12th-century Byzantine manuscript returned to Greece
After being stolen from a monastery over fifty years ago, a 12th-century Byzantine manuscript has been returned to Greece by the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Learning from the past: using original techniques to conserve a twelfth-century illuminated manuscript and its sixteenth-century Greek-style binding at the Monastery of St Catherine, Sinai
This paper describes the conservation treatment at the Monastery of St Catherine, Sinai of an illuminated manuscript preserved in an important but severely damaged sixteenth-century Greek-style Sinai binding.
This Week in Medieval Manuscript Images
Fifteen beautiful, unusual and fascinating medieval manuscript images we found on Twitter this week
Quiz: Medieval Church Architecture
Here are ten questions based on Jon Cannon’s new book Medieval Church Architecture, which offers a guide on how to understand the design of churches in medieval England
Public Toilets in the Middle Ages
Where should you go to find a public toilet in the medieval city?
The Lewd, the Crude and the Downright Rude: Heterosexual Sex in Medieval Western Europe
If one has never really considered thinking about sex in the Middle Ages, it is useful to pause and think of what images pop up when one does.
Medieval and Modern Concepts of Race and Ethnicity
In fact, while the language of race in the Middle Ages may often seem primarily concerned with descent groups, a closer look shows that this genetic component was often overshadowed by considerations of a different order.
Not Dead Yet: Monty Python and the Holy Grail in the Twenty-first Century
The destruction of film tradition, if not film as a medium, begins in Monty Python and the Holy Grail with the famous mobile credits.
The Second Scottish War of Independence, 1332-41: a national war?
While there is no doubt that the second war began in 1332 there is more uncertainty as to when it ended. Unlike the first war, there was no peace treaty between Scotland and England bringing the armed conflict to an end.