King Richard’s pall – a work of art and history
King Richard III’s embroidered funeral pall was revealed at a reception service for the monarch at Leicester Cathedral on Sunday.
Thousands witness King Richard III’s final journey
More than 35,000 people lined the streets of Leicester and Leicestershire yesterday to mark the final journey of King Richard III.
The Homily of the Archbishop of Westminster on Richard III
Here is the Homily give by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, at the Reception of the Remains of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral on Sunday 22 March 2015
Richard lll arrives at Leicester Cathedral
Update – you can read the Order of service for Compline and Reception of Richard III at Leicester Cathedral today. This includes full…
Medieval cesspit in Jerusalem reveals 15th century diseases
Analysis of a latrine in Jerusalem that dates back over 500 years finds human parasites common in northern Europe yet very rare in Middle East at the time, suggesting long-distance trade or pilgrimage routes and shedding light on prevalent infectious diseases of the age.
What do we really know about King Richard III? Explore his history this Saturday at the University of Leicester
Factual and fictional portrayals of the last Plantagenet King explored at public open day on Saturday 21 March
Researchers create genetic map of the British Isles
Many people in the UK feel a strong sense of regional identity, and it now appears that there may be a scientific basis to this feeling, according to a landmark new study into the genetic makeup of the British Isles.
Historian discovers evidence of malaria from the Early Middle Ages
In his paper, ‘Malaria and Malaria-Like Disease in the Frankish Empire, c.450-950, Timothy Newfield examines over fifty references to illnesses which appear in Merovingian and Carolingian sources
Richard III placed in coffin ahead of burial
The remains of Richard III have been placed in a coffin last Sunday, in preparation for his reinterment at Leicester Cathedral on March 26th.
Environmental Crusading: The Teutonic Knight’s Impact After the Baltic Crusades
Environmental archaeologist and Professor of Archeology at Reading, Dr. Aleks Pluskowski, examined Malbork and several other sites across Eastern and Northern Europe in his recent paper, The Ecology of Crusading: The Environmental Impact of Holy War, Colonisation, and Religious Conversion in the Medieval Baltic. Pluskowski is keenly interested in the impact the Teutonic Knights and Christian colonisation had on the region. His ambitious 4 year project on the ecological changes in this area recently came to a close at the end of 2014.
Millions of people are descended from Genghis Khan and 10 other Asian dynastic leaders, researchers find
Geneticists from the University of Leicester have discovered that millions of modern Asian men are descended from 11 powerful dynastic leaders who lived up to 4,000 years ago – including Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan.
Salisbury Cathedral opens Magna Carta exhibit
Salisbury Cathedral – home to one of the four original copies of Magna Carta – has opened a new exhibition to highlight the 800th anniversary of the charter.
Crowdfunding project to restore medieval prayer book closes in on goal
In less than two weeks a crowdfunding campaign to restore a 600 year old manuscript has already raised three-quarters of €25,000 it is asking for.
Marking the spot of an old Viking ‘parliament’
The site of one of the earliest known Assemblies or ‘parliaments’ in the UK has been officially put on the map after years of work by a scientist from The University of Nottingham.
Up to 5 million archaeological sites in North Africa and the Middle East in danger of being destroyed
The archaeological heritage of the Middle East and North Africa, which is of international significance for all periods, is under increasing threat from massive and sustained population explosion, agricultural development, urban expansion, warfare, and looting.
Knight buried at Hereford Cathedral may have had jousting injuries, archaeologists find
The remains of over 700 individuals were discovered at the graveyard of England’s Hereford Cathedral between 2009 and 2011. Archaeologists are now revealing more details about some of the people that were buried here during the Middle Ages.
Lady in the Lead Coffin revealed
A mysterious lead coffin found close to the site of Richard III’s hastily dug grave at the Grey Friars friary has been opened and studied by experts from the University of Leicester.
Medieval Mass Grave discovered in Paris
Archaeologists in the French capital have discovered more than 200 skeletons on what was once the site of a medieval hospital. It is believed that the remains date between the 14th and 16th centuries.
Capital and Corporal Punishment may have been rare in Anglo-Saxon England, researcher suggests
A long standing belief about early medieval justice was that many offenders would be executed for serious crimes, or face punishments such as amputations for lesser offences. However, an examination of archaeological data suggests that these kinds of punishments were rare in Anglo-Saxon England.
14th century English church awarded funds for conservation project
St Mary’s Church in the English village of Cowbit has received £8,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a project to conserve and communicate the heritage of the 14th-century building and its clock.
Rowallan Castle in Scotland to be turned into a hotel
Historic Scotland is transferring control of Rowallan Castle, which dates back to the Middle Ages, back to its owner, who who will be converting it into a hotel as part of a golf course development.
How Climate Change in Asia brought the Black Death to Europe
A group of Norwegian and Swiss researchers have uncovered links between climatic changes in central Asia and repeated outbreaks of the Bubonic plague in Europe, starting with the Black Death in the 14th century.
An Italian cemetery may provide clues on cholera’s evolution
Burial grounds ‘a thousand-year history’ into human health
$300 million library donated to Princeton University includes thousands of medieval manuscripts and early printed books
William Scheide has left his collection of rare books and manuscripts to Princeton University. It is believed to be worth about $300 million, making it the largest gift in the university’s history.
Tropical fire ants traveled the world on 16th century ships
Thanks to a bit of genetic sleuthing, researchers now know the invasion history of the tropical fire ant, the first ant species known to travel the globe by sea.