The report of friar John of Plano Carpini: analysis of an intelligence gathering mission conducted on behalf of the Papacy in the mid thirteenth century
During the course of the Council, Innocent IV sent three separate embassies to the Mongols: two Dominican missions under Andrew of Longjurneau and Friar Ascelin respectively, and a Franciscan mission under Carpini.
Surtshellir: a fortified outlaw cave in west iceland
The name Surtshellir means, variously, the ‘Black Cave’ or the ‘Cave of Surtur’,a powerful fire giant according to norse mythology. Surtshellir is mentioned several times in icelandic medieval literature and seems to have been well-known as a threatening place, inhabited by giants or outlaws.
An Unknown Female Martyr from Jerusalem
In the present article we edit the fragment of a text related to an unnamed female new martyr from Jerusalem from the time of John XIII.
Images of the Medieval City
What did medieval cities look like? Here are 15 images of the urban world from the Middle Ages.
The two swords: using the symbol of the battle of Grunwald (1410) in the 19th and 20th century Poland
It would be difficult to find an event in the Polish history which imprinted more influence on common social imagination or the actions of modern Polish social and political leaders that would be comparable to the battle of Grunwald.
Medieval Movie Review: The Physician
It’s a brilliant film and one well worth your medieval Saturday night in!
An Introduction to the Mechanical Arts in the Middle Ages
A brief overview of where these “mechanical arts” fit into the scholastic world. The thesis of the “Dark Ages” often suggests that there was a discontinuity in knowledge between Antiquity and the Renaissance, and perhaps nowhere so obviously as in the mechanical arts. This is certainly false…
Medieval Prisons: Between Myth and Reality, Hell and Purgatory
When were medieval prisons founded? What was life inside them like? How did contemporary observers perceive them?
Copycat: The Life of a Medieval Scribe
Here’s a five-minute look at the process by which a book came to be copied.
Memorial to Athelney Island, Home of Alfred the Great
Alfred was forced to flee with his family to safety in the woods and eventually made his way to the island of Athelney in the marshes of Somerset.
Book Review: The Rhyme of King Harold
The Rhyme of King Harold is an entertaining way to learn more about the flip side of the Bayeux Tapestry and getting in touch with your Saxon roots.
Protecting the Battlefield of Hastings from today’s battles
Dr Glenn Foard — one of the world’s leading battlefield archaeologists — is developing a unique project designed to unearth whatever genuine material survives from 1066.
The Carolingian Army and the Struggle against the Vikings
There have been many previous studies of the Carolingian army, but none examining the ninth-century armies which faced the Viking invasions.
The Influence of Humanist Culture on Sephardi Scholars Active in Medieval Italy
This talk will set the context by introducing three generations of the Iberian Shohams, a late 14th-mid-15th century Sephardic family moving from Sicily to Apulia and Calabria.
Early Medieval Ireland: New Perspectives
Finbar McCormick examines the archaeological research being carried out in Ireland, including early medieval burials, monastic sites and ringforts.
‘Vikings’ protest inside the British Museum over BP sponsorship
One person was arrested during a protest held inside the main court of the British Museum on Sunday.
What the tomb for Richard III will look like
Leicester Cathedral has announced the final design of the tomb that will house Richard III’s remains.
Pope vs State: The Medieval Catholic Church as an International Governmental Organization
The object of this thesis is to understand the nature of these power struggles and to demonstrate that the medieval Church functioned in many ways like a prototype IGO.
Tomb of Vlad the Impaler may have been found in Italy
Researchers from Estonia believe that the remains of Vlad III, better known as Vlad the Impaler, are buried in a church in Naples, Italy.
Merovingian Movies Mania, Part 3: The Good King Dabogert 1984 or why remakes are never as good as the original
It took 6 hours including breaks when a miffed TS Morangles almost slammed the key-board to complete watching this atrocity.
How the Saxons helped Charlemagne become Emperor
What role did the Saxons have in Charlemagne’s imperial coronation?
Dreams in medieval Saints’ lives: Saint Francis of Assisi
How do medieval descriptions of dreams or visions reflect spiritual growth? What images are used as rhetorical or hagiographical means? And what can we learn from the interpretation of these spiritual images in a late medieval literary context?
Top 10 Medieval Castles in Ireland
Ten great medieval castles from Ireland and Northern Ireland
Battle of the Nations 2014 – Day 4
Watch the final day of competitions from the World Championship on Historical Medieval Battle