Where the Middle Ages Begin
When Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, he was instantly transformed into one of the most prominent figures in medieval Christianity. His image spread widely across Europe, appearing in manuscripts, sculptures, stained glass windows, and other forms of material culture. This book brings together 11 essays that explore how Becket was represented, remembered, and venerated through these visual and physical media.
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.
Lincoln’s Greyfriars, a Franciscan friary built in the 13th century, will reopen to visitors in 2025. This news comes after an announcement that the site is receiving over £3 million in funding to restore and re-develop the building.
The Greek astronomer Hipparchus wrote a star catalogue between the years 170 and 120 BC – however, the astronomical text has been lost for centuries. This has now changed, as a team of researchers has uncovered the partially-erased text in a medieval manuscript.
Zishan Ghaffar speaks about Believing rulers and the political theology of the Qur’an within it’s Byzantine context at the conference Unlocking the Byzantine Qur’an.
The October 2022 issue of Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies has been released and offers five new articles covering a range of topics from the Middle Ages.
National Museums Scotland has acquired an exceptionally rare gold sword pommel, created around 700 AD.
Did the Normans exhibit any innovation in the battlefields of Normandy, England, Italy, Sicily, or the Balkans?
How tall were people in the Middle Ages? A new study from the University of Oslo has examined the height of 227 people who lived in medieval Norway, revealing that elite members of that society tended to be taller and had stronger bones.
This episode of the Medieval Grad Podcast is tasty! Adam Morin discusses with Lucie Laumonier the ins and out of Byzantine cuisine. What did a Byzantine grocery list look like? And what did people eat?
From the Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire to their attacks into Syria – 1218-1260.
The records from southern France can reveal much about domestic servants in the Middle Ages. What can they tell us about the relationship between these servants and their masters?
Beacons, lookouts, assembly sites and ‘army’ roads played key roles in the networks of local and regional civil defence of England during the Viking Age.
A conversation with Paroma Chatterjee on the power that ancient statues still had in Orthodox Constantinople. In many contexts, they were more prominent than icons. We talk about some of their functions, but also why Byzantine art history is so focused on icons, which were secluded objects, in comparison.
Adrian von Bubenberg, who has gone down in history as a hero of medieval Switzerland, went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1466. Israeli researchers have now discovered that graffiti of his name and family emblem at the site of David’s Tomb in Jerusalem.
An international team of scientists who analyzed centuries-old DNA from victims and survivors of the Black Death pandemic has identified key genetic differences that determined who lived and who died, and how those aspects of our immune systems have continued to evolve since that time.
In the Late Viking Age, a grave was built that looks very similar to one of the most spectacular graves of the Roman Age in Norway.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle reads stories from the biographies of two of the Middle Ages’ greatest knights, William Marshal and Boucicaut, as well as revisiting the famous Combat of the Thirty.
A look at ten medieval works of art that can now be seen at Musée de Cluny.
The first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power both moves away and stays close to Tolkien’s words in ways that make the series better.
The Hundred Years’ War moves to Iberia, as the French and English get involved in the Castilian Civil War. The forces would meet…
An archaeological excavation in eastern England this summer has discovered the remains of a 1,400-year-old royal hall which would have been used by the Kings of East Anglia.
Who employed domestic servants? And under what terms?
Medieval artisans made use of a form of nanotechnology to create an ultra-thin metal known as Zwischgold. Now new scans of medieval artifacts have helped to determine how this was done.
Stories of incredible and deadly beasts filtered back home in travel writing, legends, and bestiaries to amuse and astound readers who might never see these animals for themselves.
Estimated somewhere between 8000 and 9000 examples, parish churches containing at least some medieval building fabric are ubiquitous in the English landscape.
When Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, he was instantly transformed into one of the most prominent figures in medieval Christianity. His image spread widely across Europe, appearing in manuscripts, sculptures, stained glass windows, and other forms of material culture. This book brings together 11 essays that explore how Becket was represented, remembered, and venerated through these visual and physical media.
A conversation with Ada Palmer about the invention of the idea of the Italian Renaissance and the functions that it serves in the western historical imagination. “Byzantium” is a similarly invented category that often works in tandem with “the Renaissance” to mark good and bad moments in the history of culture.
This week, in celebration of Episode 300, Danièle answers your questions on everything from Hastings to hose, with a couple of surprises along the way.
A conversation with Anastasia Koumousi about the recently identified portrait of the last emperor of the Romans in Constantinople, Konstantinos XI Palaiologos, in a monastery church in the northern Peloponnese.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Robert Lively about how a person became a Viking lawyer, what the process was for solving disputes, and how fixing bad behaviour worked in this shame-based culture.
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with John Beusterien about elephants and ivory in medieval China and Spain, including how elephants were put into service, and how ivory was used and traded across the world.
A conversation with Alasdair Grant about the captivity and enslavement that many Greeks (Romaioi) experienced in the late medieval period, a period of state collapse during which they were subject to Italian and Turkish raids and attacks.