Music for a Captured King: Richard the Lionheart and Blondel
Love him or hate him, one thing you can say about England’s Richard the Lionheart is that there are some great stories about him.
Five Medieval Minutes with Steven Muhlberger
Formal deeds of arms were an opportunity for one group of people to show off their skills – particularly their horsemanship – and for other people to appreciate how bold and daring they were.
Five Reasons We’re Still Fascinated by the Templars
What is it about the Templars that makes them so fascinating?
Medieval Back-to-School Shopping List
In the Middle Ages, students entering university had to gather together materials, too, before they headed off to places sometimes very far from home like Oxford University, the University of Salerno, or the University of Paris. Here’s a list of five things that would be on a medieval back-to-school shopping list.
Consider the Source
I followed the link I was given and found a website that goes on and on about how brutal the medieval justice system was (with gory examples of limb-lopping and eyeball-gouging), and that people lived in fear of becoming the next victim of it. That’s when I started to get upset.
Medieval Pilgrimages: It’s All About the Journey
For medieval people, faith was more than just an abstract idea, it was tangible in the works they made to glorify God, and the relics they could see with their own eyes. An integral part of this tangible form of faith was the pilgrimage: a spiritual journey to visit a holy site.
What is a Psalter?
Because they didn’t contain the entire Bible, psalters were nice and portable, making good girdle books for the devout – or those concerned with showing off – to carry with them.
Liber Monstrorum: The Book of Monsters
If there’s anything we have in common with our medieval ancestors, it’s our love of monsters.
Five Ways Gawain Kicks Lancelot’s Ass
Here are five ways in which Gawain shows Lancelot who’s boss!
Book Review: The Iron King, by Maurice Druon
Touted by George R.R. Martin as the original Game of Thrones, Druon’s series has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity recently, and can be found in major bookstores.
10 Fun Fashion Facts from the Middle Ages
Here are ten fascinating fashion facts for your enjoyment (I’ve saved my favourites for last).
The Medieval Sleeping Beauty
I’ve since read an early version of the Sleeping Beauty story from the actual fourteenth century, and it’s much darker than the modern version, although it does hold an interesting secret for those who love the stories of the Round Table.
Book Review: Drout’s Quick and Easy Old English
It may seem a little incredible that anyone would need a textbook to learn an older version of his or her mother tongue, but learning Old English (Anglo-Saxon) takes some time and effort – and a good textbook.
A Five-Minute Guide to Medieval Fabrics
I don’t know about you, but I often read descriptions of medieval clothing and want to know more about the fabric: what did it look like and what was its texture?
The Medieval Tournament: Swords and Swordfish
Tournaments were a uniquely medieval phenomenon that were part-military training, part-sport, and of a character all their own. Full of colour, pageantry, and action, the tournament was a marked part of medieval society for centuries.
Margery Kempe and the People on the Periphery
There are few medieval texts I find so entertaining as The Book of Margery Kempe, the fifteenth-century story of a seemingly ordinary woman of Bishops Lynn, England, whose life was transformed by visions of Jesus. T
The Astrolabe: Medieval Multi-Tool of Navigation
They were the Swiss Army knife of medieval travelers.
Accessus: Where Premodern Meets Hypermodern
Taking a look at Accessus: A Journal of Premodern Literature and New Media, a free online publication sponsored by The Gower Project
Epic (and Not-So-Epic) Names from Le Morte D’Arthur
Looking for a name for your avatar? Look no further! Everyone knows Lancelot and Gawain, but here are some lesser-known names from one of my favourite books: Thomas Mallory’s Le Morte D’Arthur.
Be A Part of Chaucer’s Tale
For many people, The Canterbury Tales is not only Geoffrey Chaucer’s great masterwork, but one of the cornerstones of English literature.
Medieval Blacksmiths: The Men Behind the Metal
Medieval blacksmiths were loved, hated, thought to have magical healing powers, and able to fend off the devil. Here’s a quick look at the men behind the metal.
Caliburn: Merlin’s Tale
The best way to describe Virgil Renzulli’s Caliburn: Merlin’s Tale is as a King Arthur origin story, set in an alternate universe.
Five Great Ladies Who Refused to Be Quiet
In the Middle Ages, the ideal woman was meant to be either a helpmeet in marriage, or a cloistered nun, obedience being paramount in both roles. Human nature being what it is, however, not every woman found it easy to fill one of those narrow roles in society. Although my list could be much, much longer, here are five great women who refused to sit down and be quiet.
Microhistory and the Big Picture
Microhistory draws us in with stories of compelling people, and teaches us more about history along the way. Done well, it can be the best of both worlds.