How Thomas Aquinas Influenced Economic Theory and Practice
Views on just prices and marketplace behavior from a thirteenth-century saint.
True Crusader Crime: What Bloody Man is That? Murder, Government and Power
Violence in the crusading period was endemic – and even at the top of society, tragic accidents were suspiciously commonplace.
Angels in Medieval Literature
Angels played many roles in medieval literature: they were defenders of justice, bringers of dire warnings, givers of dark tasks, and bringers of good news.
New Medieval Books: From Manuscripts to Holy Lands
Five new books about the Middle Ages, including two translated texts.
New issue of Medieval World: Medieval people up in arms
Issue 4 of Medieval World: Culture & Conflict looks at how people fought for and protected their towns and communities in the Middle Ages!
Best Medieval Books of 2022
This week, Peter Konieczny from Medievalists.net joins Danièle to talk about their favourite medieval books of 2022.
Festivals in a Medieval English Village
What were the celebrations held in a typical medieval village? Evidence for this can be hard to find, but one article focusing on the villages of Berkshire, England, offers us some clues into the local festivals that were held there in the Middle Ages
New study re-examines the death of Edward the Black Prince
Whatever disease killed Edward the Black Prince—heir apparent to the English throne in the 14th century—is unlikely to have been chronic dysentery, as is commonly believed, according to a study in the journal BMJ Military Health.
Severe drought may have led the Huns to attack the Roman Empire, study suggests
Hunnic peoples migrated westward across Eurasia, switched between farming and herding, and became violent raiders in response to severe drought in the Danube frontier provinces of the Roman empire, a new study argues.
Society for Creative Anachronism Rules Australia/New Zealand Branch Must Continue to Choose Leadership by Combat
Should the SCA be choosing its ‘kings’ and ‘queens’ through combat?
New Medieval Books: From Art to the Art of Discovery
Five new books about the Middle Ages, telling us about magicians, mistresses and more.
What we learned from a medieval Jewish cemetery in Erfurt
Last month we released a study examining the remains of the medieval Ashkenazi Jewish community in Erfurt, Germany. Our research has given us a better understanding of how this community lived in the Middle Ages.
The Scourges of the Desert: The Triumph and Fall of the Qaramita of Bahrayn
In the second part of this look at the Qaramita, it is revealed how they challenged both the Abbasids and Fatimids before ultimately disappearing in the eleventh century.
Leonardo da Vinci, the Last Supper, and the Art of Throwing a Great Dinner Party
This presentation will explore the evolution of the Last Supper in Italian art, beginning with early Christian images through to the late Renaissance, including one of the world’s most famous works of art: Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
Blinding as punishment and enforced disability, with Jake Ransohoff
A conversation with Jake Ransohoff on the practice of blinding in Byzantium. Why and how was it done? Why was it more prominent in some periods rather than in others? And how did its victims cope with this disability that the state had imposed on them for (usually) crimes of treason?
The Mongol Invasions of Japan
In the thirteenth century, aided by suicidal courage, remarkable skill, and unbelievable luck, the samurai dared to resist the Mongol steamroller – and lived to tell the tale.
Two Houses, Two Kingdoms with Catherine Hanley
To see the tangled knots of medieval interpersonal and international relationships, we need look no further than two of the most powerful, long-lasting, and entwined dynasties of the Middle Ages. This week, Danièle speaks with Catherine Hanley about two hundred years of rule by the houses of Plantagenet and Capet.
The Sack of Thessaloniki in 904
It was in the summer of that year that a messenger from the Byzantine emperor Leo VI rushed into town with terrible news: Leo of Tripoli was on his way to attack Thessaloniki.
True Crusader Crime: Murder Below Stairs
Life in the crusader states and their Muslim enemies could be harsh – and the strictures of that life occasionally drove people to murderous violence.
Two early medieval churches discovered in northeastern Africa
Archaeologists working in Eritrea have identified the remains of two Christian churches that were once part of the medieval Kingdom of Aksum. Construction on these churches may date as far back as the fifth century AD.
The Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312)
One of the most important battles within the Roman Empire, the Battle of the Milvian Bridge is also famous as a defining moment…
Scientific Facts about the Black Death
Here are nine scientific facts about the Black Death, ranging from when it started to the role of animals.
The Warlord Missionary: Abu Sa‘id al-Jannabi and the Rise of the Qaramita of Bahrayn
Fierce desert tribesmen, united by a sectarian missionary, emerged in Eastern Arabia in the 9th century. Under the leadership of this warlord missionary, they established a powerful predatory polity in Bahrayn that would terrorize the neighboring regions for 150 years.
The Crusades and Apocalyptic Thought in the Middle Ages
My research is concerned with how medieval perceptions of the end times interface with ideas concerning the brand of pre-modern holy warfare known as the Crusades
