The Mongols in Europe: The Byzantines, the Bulgarians and the Golden Horde
How did the Mongol presence in the Balkans effect its two main political powers – the Byzantines and the Bulgarians?
Can you solve these Byzantine riddles?
Here are five riddles written in the eleventh-century. Can you answer them?
The Mongol invasions and the Aegean world (1241–61)
This article examines the decisive role played by the Mongols in the political history of the Aegean region in the thirteenth century. The Mongol invasions of 1241–44 were the key turning point in the struggle for hegemony in the region.
How the borders of the Byzantine Empire changed in the Middle Ages
Here are several videos that track the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire
The world view of the anonymous author of the Greek Chronicle of the Tocco, 14th-15th centuries
Written in 3923 ‘political verses’, the anonymous Chronicle of the Tocco is an epic family chronicle, which describes the history of the Tocco family – mainly the deeds of Carlo I Tocco, as well as the events which took place in Western Greece and the islands of Zakynthos, Leukas, Cephalonia and Ithaca during the years 1375-1422.
Byzantium and Venice: The Rise and Fall of a Medieval Alliance
The story of the Venetian-Byzantine military alliance is a complex one, with many questions that need to be answered.
Climate Impacts and Societal Resilience in the Mediterranean of the Last Millennium: the Case of Medieval Byzantium
The period we’re talking about is covering the period after the early medieval crisis until the period that followed the fall of Constantinople to the Latins in the year 1204
The papacy and Byzantium in the seventh- and early eighth-century sections of the Liber pontificalis
The papal narrative undermines the usual assumptions about the so-called Byzantine Reconquest and the Roman perception, if not the reality, of the degree to which ‘Byzantine rule’ was exercised in Italy between the middle of the sixth and first half of the eighth century.
Why did the Byzantines write History?
Our desires and expectations for good history do not align with those of the medieval authors of Byzantine histories.
It’s in the Water: Byzantine Borderlands and the Village War
The sources for this essay are a series of military manuals written by Byzantine army commanders first in the late sixth century and then again in the tenth century.
Chronology and History in Byzantium
Compared with historiography, chronological writing develops against a wider background than human affairs, and it focuses on the order of events and the time intervals between them, rather than on their internal development, their meaning, or their causes.
Art and Devotional Practices in the Byzantine Village: The Long View
In this talk, Gerstel will look at devotional art in several Greek villages and will also discuss how engaging with art in the village may provide opportunities for medievalists to move beyond the strict chronological confines of our field to take a more activist stance in approaching buildings and their communities.
Spectacle, Power and Romanness in Byzantium: The Use of Roman Heritage in the Ceremonial Practices in the Hippodrome (10th-century)
This thesis will provide a case study in the debate on Byzantine identity by analysing how the Byzantine emperor projected an image of himself to Byzantine society in ritual and ceremonial.
“The Great Emperor”: A Motif in Procopius of Caesarea’s Wars
When Justinian is described to barbarians as “the great emperor,” this reflects an anxiety about the emergence of post-Roman successor states in the West and a growing determination to pursue imperial reconquest.
Don’t become a scholar! Advice from the 12th century
For those of us who have studied the arts and humanities, have we not been warned that all our efforts would never lead to a job?
A Pious Mouse and a Deadly Cat: The Schede tou Myos, attributed to Theodore Prodromos
The text, here translated and commented on, is a school exercise but comic in tone, and so appropriate both for pupils and as court entertainment, as it echoes contemporary criticism of monks.
NEW! The Medieval Magazine, No. 110: THE RISE OF THE MEDIEVAL CITY
In this issue, we focus on cities. From Barcelona, to Constantinople, to Bologna, we cover marriage, trade, slavery, and foundation stories. Take a trip with us around the world and learn about the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the medieval city.
The Square “Fighting March” of the Crusaders at the Battle of Ascalon (1099)
In this paper I will examine a number of theories about the origin of this particular marching formation, based on the manuals attributed to the Byzantine Emperors Maurice (582–602), Leo VI (886–912) and Nicephoros Phocas (963– 69) and several anonymous Byzantine military treatises of the sixth and tenth centuries.
Imperium et Credo: Frankish-Byzantine Rivalry over Leadership of the Roman-Christian Credo-State in the Ninth Century
The years 869-871 saw the onset of the last major diplomatic dispute between the two great powers of Christendom, the Franks in Western Europe and the Byzantines in the East. Louis
NEW! The Medieval Magazine No. 108
Spring cleaning! The first issue of the Medieval Magazine with a fresh new face!
In this issue, we look at Norse seasons, medieval beliefs about luck, food and politics in Constantinople, Spanish Easter traditions, and the overlooked life of Catherine of Aragon.
Medieval Forensics: Investigating the Death of a Byzantine Emperor
John II Komnenos (1087-1143) was an accomplished and successful medieval ruler whose death has long been the subject of scholarly discussion. While out hunting, John was allegedly poisoned by an arrow – but was this really the cause of the emperor’s death?
St. Theodore, Euchaïta and Anatolia, c. 500-1000 CE: Landscape, Climate and the Survival of an Empire
St Theodore ‘the recruit’ was one of the most important military saints of the Byzantine and wider medieval world, and his cult center, at Euchaïta in northern Turkey, was famous from the fifth century on.
7 Devious Ways to Defeat a Medieval Army
Could you defeat a medieval army without resorting to a clash of arms? A 10th century Byzantine military manual offers several tricks that could be used to devastate your enemy.
Byzantine fountain and pools discovered in Israel
Archaeological Excavations in Ein Hanniya Park in Rephaim Valley National Park, Israel, have uncovered impressive and significant finds, including pools and an elaborate fountain dating back 1500 years, a capital typical of First Temple-era royal estates, and a rare silver coin.
