The emergence and transformation of medieval Cumbria
The Cumbrian kingdom is one of the more shadowy polities of early medieval northern Britain. Our understanding of the kingdom’s history is hampered by the patchiness of the source material, and the few texts that shed light on the region have proved difficult to interpret.
The politics of being Norman in the reign of Richard the Fearless, Duke of Normandy (r. 942–996)
In 966, by the end of the reign of its third duke, Richard I, Normandy had overcome the crises that had beset it in the middle of the century. Much of this success came from the coherence of its ruling group, which expressed itself partly interms of ‘Norman’ identity.
The Modern World of a Medieval Sport
You might think that jousting went extinct after the Middle Ages, but it in fact enjoys a strong modern following.
From The Middle Ages to Modern Times: Egg Tempera in Art History
While it’s been utilised as a medium since the Florentine Renaissance, egg tempera never never completely disappeared from western art.
The English Lyric, Medieval to Early Modern
This talk explores the relationship among the medieval and early modern traditions of the lyric in English to argue for the latter’s creative readings of the former.
Thegns in the Danelaw: a case for Scandinavian usage of the term in the 10-11th century England
This presentation addresses the possibility of the Old English influence upon the Old Norse in the usage of the word ‘thegn’.
England’s best-surviving medieval charnel chapel now accessible through new 3D model
Archaeologists and computer scientists at the University of Sheffield have developed a new 3D model of the most complete remaining charnel chapel in the UK.
Cincinnati Art Museum’s Albrecht Dürer exhibition marks 500 years since the Reformation
‘The Age of Reformation and Renaissance’ follows the development of Dürer’s artistic brilliance from his apprenticeship through the eve of the Reformation.
Historical Jigsaw Puzzle: Digitally piecing together Medieval manuscript fragments
The leading manuscript libraries of Europe and North America have been participating for the last three years in developing the digital research platform Fragmentarium.
The Delectable War between Mutton and the Refreshments of the Market-Place: Rereading the Curious Tale of the Mamluk Era
At some point in XV century, Ahmad Ibn Yahya Ibn Hasan al-Haggar composed a curious narrative titled ‘Kitab al-harb alma suq bayna lahm ad-da’n wa-hawadir as-suq’ (‘The Delectable War between Mutton and the Refreshments of the Market-Place’).
“How Do You Know if it is Love or Lust?” On Gender, Status, and Violence in Old Norse Literature
This article examines attitudes towards behaviour relating to women within Old Norse literature, focusing both on chivalric romances and the legendary sagas.
Defining Constantinople’s Suburbs through Travel and Geography
This paper considers these challenges as they relate to the suburbs of Constantinople and, in doing so, it seeks to offer some reflections on the ways in which various conceptions of geography, space, and spatial practice can inform late antique suburban studies.
Where are the dead of medieval battles? A preliminary survey
Medieval battles have always fascinated historians as well as the general public. We have to admit, however, that battles of this period are difficult to study.
Assets to the Country: Countesses in Fourteenth Century England
Surviving sources can tell us much about medieval noblewomen, even if many earlier historians ignored them. We learn that these women were strong and intelligent, and can answer questions about their childhoods, their abilities to choose marriage partners, their daily and annual schedules, and their experiences during widowhood.
The mark of the Devil: medical proof in witchcraft trials
This thesis will analyze the intersection between medical and religious beliefs in the fourteenth through seventeenth centuries to evaluate the importance placed upon medical evidence by secular and ecclesiastical courts.
The Winter Camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872-3, Torksey, Lincolnshire
This paper provides a fresh perspective on the Viking Great Army and its impact on Anglo-Saxon England, based on new tightly dated and contextualised evidence from Torksey.
Making Modern Migraine Medieval: Men of Science, Hildegard of Bingen and the Life of a Retrospective Diagnosis
This article uses Hildegard as a case study to shift our focus from a polarised debate about the merits or otherwise of retrospective diagnosis, to examine instead what happens when diagnoses take on lives of their own.
Statements in Stone: The Politics of Architecture in Charlemagne’s Aachen
Statements in Stone is an intersectional and preliminary study of the architecture and social aspects of the palatine complex of Aachen Germany during the reign of Charlemagne approximately spanning from the 790s to 814CE.
Inventing Saladin: The Role of the Saladin Legend in European Culture and Identity
Legends can forge cultural identities, yet they can also be the bane of historians. All too frequently legend is mixed with enough fact that it misleads historians and laymen alike.
An Interactive Look at a Printed Masterpiece
Thanks to the British Museum, you can get an up close and personal look at one of the most elaborate prints ever produced.
UCLA to establish Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture
A $5 million grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation will enable UCLA to create the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture.
York Minster unveils restored grotesques
The first collection of new grotesques to be carved for York Minster’s 11 year project to conserve and restore its South Quire Aisle are being returned to the cathedral today.
Black Death spread to sub-Saharan Africa, researcher finds
After three years of work, Gérard Chouin is adamant that the medieval-era bubonic plague epidemic, the Black Death, spread to Sub-Saharan Africa and killed many people there as it did in Europe and the Mediterranean basin in the 14th century.
Archaeologists uncover Anglo-Saxon, medieval items in Suffolk
One of Europe’s largest archaeological digs this year has uncovered a rich tapestry of information about Suffolk’s history during Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval times.
The making of medieval bling
Gold has long been valued for its luxurious glitter and hue, and threads of the gleaming metal have graced clothing and tapestries for centuries.