Where the Middle Ages Begin
Tens of thousands of crusaders crossed Byzantine territory on their way to Jerusalem. Marek Meško reveals how Byzantine logistics and supply networks helped make the First Crusade possible.
What everyday objects did people use in the Middle Ages? From clothing and household necessities to tools for work and warfare, these 25 medieval items were essential to daily life and shaped how people lived, ate, and survived.
Delve into the pivotal figures of the Middle Ages whose enduring legacies shaped the course of history. From visionary leaders and profound scholars to prolific writers and formidable warriors, these individuals left an indelible mark on medieval society.
Discover the 50 most significant events of the Middle Ages, spanning the years 500 to 1500.
Here are seven vivid facts about colour in the Middle Ages
In medieval times, many unique jobs, such as Ale-wife and Groom of the Stool, were essential but have since vanished. Discover these obsolete occupations and how historical changes led to their disappearance.
Are you wanting to talk more like someone from the Middle Ages? We have a list of 30 great sayings and proverbs that you can use in your conversations.
Have you wondered what a medieval king did on a typical day? Thanks to Christine de Pizan, we have an account of what daily life was like for King Charles V of France.
Some of our most popular phrases have a long history, including some that go back to the Middle Ages.
Want to know what kind of jobs there were in the Middle Ages? A unique source from the 15th century gives us some beautiful images of medieval people at work.
English-speaking scholars have neglected Francesco Petrarch’s self-proclaimed masterwork, the Africa.
To what extent was the Mediterranean terra incognita to the inhabitants of the fringes of northwestern Europe – Gaels and Scandinavians – in the central Middle Ages?
The year is 1348. Medieval England has just been struck by a terrifying plague. The fate of a young sculptor and his wife will be decided today. With a brutal moneylender breathing down their necks and The Black Death wrecking havoc will they be able to escape doom?
This issue’s theme is The Campaigns of Charlemagne
A piece of Byzantine hagiography from the fourteenth century which, in spite of its religious character, is a valuable source for the history of the Catalan Grand Company, Roger de Flor’s famous band of Spanish mercenaries hired by the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos (1282-1328) to fight the Turks in Anatolia.
How Palm Sunday was depicted in two of the most important illuminated manuscripts of Medieval Europe: The Isabella Breviary and Bible Moralisée of Naples.
Amidst all the excitement, and the whirlwind that was Richard III’s reburial in Leicester, I managed to catch up with one of the world’s most famous Ricardians, ‘the Kingfinder’, Philippa Langley.
Illustrations and surviving clothing and accessories however present an entirely different picture of medieval fashion: bright, contrasting colours, costly, lavishly decorated fabrics and belts and bags adorned with all kinds of golden and silver-coloured mounts.
Remakes can be a really interesting way to get at the heart of a story, as long as they don’t misplace that heart in the retelling.
This week we were among the 200,000 people who found @MedievalReacts on Twitter. Here are some of our favourites from his tweets, and many others who made use of the Middle Ages.
Were you meant to be in the Age of Exploration, or is the Victorian Era the time for you to have lived in? These seven easy questions will reveal all!
What Remains of Richard? is being staged at Leicestershire County Council’s Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre on Saturday, March 28th from 1pm to 2.30pm
When King Richard III’s remains were reburied at Leicester Cathedral today, the service made use of his personal prayer book, known as The Hours of Richard III.
The remains of King Richard III have been laid to rest at Leicester Cathedral, the culmination of a remarkable series of events that began when his body was discovered in 2012 after being lost for hundreds of years.
What role does Richard III continue to play for us simultaneously as a historical medieval king, a particular early modern (i.e., Shakespearean) representation, and a modern cultural icon?
On Thursday, March 26, 2015, the remains of King Richard III will be laid to rest at Leicester Cathedral
This ruined 14th-century castle in western Germany is now used as a hotel for the picturesque region that is designated a World Heritage Site.
A beautifully-carved stone head, thought to date back 1,000 years, has been discovered during an inspirational project to conserve a medieval ruined church in the eastern English town of Hopton-on-Sea.
Inside, what I came across was a solid tale based during the Third Crusade, in the aftermath of the dreadful battle at the Horns of Hattin.
Archaeologists working at the northern French town of Viarmes have revealed several discoveries, including the remains of a medieval castle and a manor house destroyed in the fourteenth century.
King Richard III’s embroidered funeral pall was revealed at a reception service for the monarch at Leicester Cathedral on Sunday.
As I am finding, analysis of the language of illegitimate birth reveals a rich, complex vocabulary used to indicate something less than fully legitimate birth.
Find out if you were as royal as a queen or as low as a servant.
While there have been outcries over the pomp and circumstance surrounding Richard’s extravagant burial, there has also been a renewed sense of pride and upswing in popularity for this much maligned monarch.
Southern Italy in the ninth century was beset by warfare, political rivalry, and frequent Muslim raids. The monks of Montecassino Abbey witnessed these turbulent times and left behind a valuable account, translated here.
A conversation with Christopher Bonura about the apocalyptic tradition of identifying the Four Kingdoms prophesied in the Book of Daniel. Which one was the Roman empire? The fourth, scheduled to fall with the others, or something that came afterward (a tradition sometimes called imperial eschatology)? Among other topics we discuss Eusebios of Caesarea and the reign of Herakleios as possible turning points in this tradition.
One of the pivotal battles of the Crusades, the Battle of Hattin was shaped by both brilliant strategy and disastrous decisions. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly explore how Saladin orchestrated a crushing defeat of the Crusader army, while also sharing insights into the film Kingdom of Heaven.
In the latest Q&A episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly answer questions about infantry vs cavalry in late medieval battles, will there be archaeological excavations at Hundred Years’ War battlefields, favourite centuries and what our hosts will be doing this summer.
A conversation with Jeremy Swist on the emperor Julian (361-363 AD) and how he tried to combine his love of philosophy with ruling the Roman Empire. We talk about why Julian continues to excite such passions, how in some ways he may have been more Roman than Greek, and how he read Roman history in light of the theurgical Neoplatonism that he espoused.
Charles the Bold was building his Duchy of Burgundy into a European power when he faced the Old Swiss Confederacy. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly talk about the Battle of Grandson, a key event of the Burgundian Wars.
A conversation with Charlie Kuper about the Menologion of Basil II, a lavishly illustrated manuscript pairing brief notices about the saints with images of them and their ordeals, arranged according to the liturgical calendar.