Traffic Problems in the Medieval City
The medieval city was seen as a crowded, bustling place, with people, horses, carts and wagons all moving around. Just as in our modern city, this would all lead to inevitable traffic problems.
Privacy in the Middle Ages
Is privacy is a relatively new idea?
30 Medieval Superstitions
We know a lot about Christianity in the Middle Ages, but much less about the ‘pagan’ and folk religion that many people had. A list from the eighth century offers some clues into those medieval beliefs and superstitions.
Robert of Sablé: From British Templar to Video Game Villain
Templar master, trusted admiral and skilled diplomat, Robert of Sablé had a chequered past – but he does not deserve the parody reputation that has emerged as a product of modern video gaming.
A Beginner’s Guide to Chivalry
Here’s a quick and easy beginner’s guide to chivalry as it was understood by the knights who lived it and wrote about it.
The 5 Most Common Jobs in a Medieval City
The five most common jobs were farming, carpentry, butchery, shoemaking and Church-related work.
Leonardo da Vinci wrote these great fables
Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, inventor, engineer and scientist, but he also found time to write little fables for himself.
10 Beautiful Medieval Manuscripts
What are the most beautiful medieval manuscripts?
Medieval Poland was hit by floods 166 times, study finds
Polish researchers examining medieval sources have discovered that the country was hit by flooding 166 times between the 11th and 15th centuries, revealing details on the causes of these disasters.
The secrets of defrauding your medieval lord
Imagine yourself working for a medieval lord, running his farm and taking care of his business. Would you be tempted to skim off some of his profits?
New Medieval Books: Fate the Hunter
A collection of 26 poems and one prose piece from the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras, focused on hunting, a hugely important activity among the Arabs.
Medieval Table Manners: The Messiest Myth?
Because medieval people ate with their hands, there is a common idea that they had no table manners at all.
When Hundreds of Arabs came to Medieval France
The story of Louis IX and the Christian converts he brought to his kingdom.
A Medieval Autobiography
The autobiography of Opicino de Canistris is both very mundane and very strange.
True Crusader Crime: Petty Crime and Petty Quarrels
High-profile crime might be plastered across the chronicles, but it was just the visible end of a much bigger problem. Criminality was everywhere.
Tavern Names in Medieval London
What were the names of taverns in the Middle Ages? A list from late medieval London reveals over 50 names, which were inspired by animals, everyday objects and saints.
Did Medieval Physicians learn new things?
Did medieval physicians try to learn about medicine and the human body? Did they try medical experiments?
Medieval skincare routines were remarkably similar to modern versions, study finds
For centuries people have been trying to take care of their skin, making use of many different products, recipes and practices. A new study focusing on the works of the famous medieval doctor Trotula de Ruggiero reveals a skincare routine that is an “extraordinary combination of tradition and modernity.”
Natural Remedies from the Middle Ages: The Alphabet of Galen
In order to heal injuries and cure diseases, medieval men and women turned to the natural world, using food, plants, animals and more…
Why Cats were Hated in Medieval Europe
Cats in medieval Europe mostly had a bad reputation – they were associated with witches and heretics, and it was believed that the devil could transform himself into a black cat. How did this view of felines emerge?
40 Jobs in 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.
The Baburnama and Afghan history
In 1526, Zahiruddin Muhammad ‘Babur’ (d. 1530) established his rule over a swath of northern India and thus created what most readers will know as the Mughal dynasty, which after some early fits and starts would rule an immense, rich, and powerful empire until the 18th century, and remain the nominal rulers of most of the subcontinent until 1858.
Medieval Pet Names
People in the Middle Ages did keep pets – dogs, cats, and many other kinds of animals. They also found many interesting ways to give them names.
New Medieval Books: Kalīlah and Dimnah: Fables of Virtue and Vice
Kalīlah and Dimnah: Fables of Virtue and Vice By Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ Translated by Michael Fishbein and James E. Montgomery New York University Press…
“Monkey hangers”, Cockatrices, and Murderous Pigs: Animal Trials in the Middle Ages
The list of wrongdoings was long, ranging from crop damage to harm to an individual, and was dealt with in a variety of ways.