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
Imperium et Credo: Frankish-Byzantine Rivalry over Leadership of the Roman-Christian Credo-State in the Ninth Century
April 12, 2018 by
NEW! The Medieval Magazine No. 108
April 1, 2018 by
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
March 23, 2018 by
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
March 7, 2018 by
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
February 18, 2018 by
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
February 6, 2018 by
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.
A Will of their Own? Children’s Agency and Child Labour in Byzantium
January 19, 2018 by
This paper examines the relation between three concepts: a child’s will, children’s agency and child labour. This paper shows how these concepts were developed in Byzantine society in order to advance a religious agenda.
The Inverse Perspective in Byzantine Painting
January 19, 2018 by
The inverse perspective is a method of representing spatial depth used only in Byzantine painting. It is different from Renaissance perspective. The inverse perspective, with two-dimensional axonometric representations, is more complex, offering multiple possibilities of symbolization.
Venice’s Need for Settling the ‘Byzantine question’ by Conquest: The Fourth Crusade’s Second Siege of Constantinople (early 1204)
January 11, 2018 by
This article is a contribution to the ‘diversion debate’ concerning the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204), which argues that ultimately the endangered Venetian commercial interests were at the core of the final decision by the crusade leadership to conquer and take over the Byzantine empire.
Multilingualism and Empires: Byzantium and Sasanian Persia
January 3, 2018 by
The long and bitter confrontation between Byzantium and the Sasanian Empire was one of the most important historical phenomena of Late Antiquity; it was also very significant for the development of later mediaeval societies and institutions in East and West.
The Arabic Letters of the Byzantine Emperor Leo III to the Caliph ‘Umar Ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz: An Edition, Translation and Commentary
December 28, 2017 by
This study explores the tradition of the epistolary exchange between the two famous figures, the Byzantine emperor Leo III and the ‘Umayyad caliph, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz.
Marrying the Mongol Khans: Byzantine Imperial Women and the Diplomacy of Religious Conversion in the 13th and 14th Centuries
December 12, 2017 by
Marrying the Mongol Khans: Byzantine Imperial Women and the Diplomacy of Religious Conversion in the 13th and 14th Centuries By AnnaLinden Weller Scandanavian Journal of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Volume 2 (2016) Concerning this matter also a dread and authentic charge and ordinance of the great and holy Constantine is engraved upon the sacred table […]
The Social Scope of Roman Identity in Byzantium: An Evidence-Based Approach
November 21, 2017 by
This contribution concerns a specific point that no one has so far elucidated fully with reference to the evidence found in the sources: What was the social scope of attributions of Roman identity in Byzantine sources?
On the Mutilation and Blinding of Byzantine Emperors from the Reign of Heraclius I until the Fall of Constantinople
November 1, 2017 by
The article takes a diachronic approach to the questions regarding Byzantine emperors and pretenders who were blinded or mutilated.
Why was it important for the Byzantines to read Latin? The views of Demetrios Kydones (1324-1398)
October 17, 2017 by
This article will discuss how Demetrius Kydones promoted the policy of reconciliation and alliance with Western European powers against the Ottoman Turks.
Breaking Down Barriers: Eunuchs in Italy and North Africa, 400-625
October 4, 2017 by
This paper considers how attitudes towards to imperial eunuchs as military leaders changed in parallel in both Greek and Latin texts from the 4th to 7th centuries, and the key role played by Justinian’s eunuch generals Solomon and Narses.
‘Greek fire’ revisited: current and recent research
September 13, 2017 by
The first point to make is that it seems now widely agreed that liquid fire was, in fact, a petroleum-based weapon, and had no connection whatsoever with explosive materials or mixtures,
New Medieval Books: Byzantium and the Islamic World
September 3, 2017 by
Five recent books that looks at the first centuries of contact and conflict between the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world.
Sport During the Byzantine Era
August 18, 2017 by
It is without question that chariot racing was the most celebrated sport event of the Byzantine era.
Christ as Priest in Byzantine church decoration of the 11th and 12th centuries
August 8, 2017 by
The 11th century was a watershed in the Byzantine church decoration.
Justinian and the Senate of Rome under Ostrogothic Rule
June 3, 2017 by
Although this law deals with a dry, technical matter, interesting only to the students of Roman civil law, especially testamentary law, it is also quite interesting for the study of the law making procedure in the time of Justinian.
Infantry versus Cavalry: The Byzantine Response
May 18, 2017 by
The Byzantines encountered many different nations on the battlefield during their long history.
Past and Present in Mid-Byzantine Chronicles: Change in Narrative Technique and the Transmission of Knowledge
April 24, 2017 by
Particular emphasis will be placed on the Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor and the Chronicle of Symeon the Logothete.
The Historiography of Crisis: Jordanes, Cassiodorus and Justinian in mid sixth-century Constantinople
April 17, 2017 by
This article presents a new interpretation of the historiographical production of Jordanes by situating it in the political and social environment of Constantinople of the years 550-552.
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