The ‘Tricks of Monks’: Fake Miracles and Medieval Christians in The Book of Charlatans
A 13th-century Arabic text reveals how monks staged fake miracles and deceived Christian audiences, offering insights into medieval Muslim–Christian relations.
New Medieval Books: More Swindles from the Late Ming
The second instalment of a translation of an early seventeenth-century Chinese source on scams and cons offers a fascinating window into pre-modern crime.
Medieval England’s Coin-Clipping Scandal: The 1279 Mass Execution of Jews
Discover how a medieval panic over coin-clipping in 1278–79 sparked mass arrests, harsh trials, and the execution of hundreds of Jews in Edward I’s England. The article traces the commissions, procedures, and consequences that followed.
Forensic Medicine and Death Investigation with Sara Butler
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Sara Butler about forensic medicine, and how death investigation was conducted in medieval England.
Medieval Thieves: How They Worked – and How to Outsmart Them
Discover the clever tricks used by medieval thieves—from sticky cakes for guard dogs to candle-carrying turtles—and the inventive methods used to catch them, as revealed in The Book of Charlatans.
Medieval London Murder Solved: Priest Killed by Noblewoman’s Orders
A priest murdered in 14th-century London. A noblewoman’s vendetta. Cambridge’s Medieval Murder Maps reveals a tangled tale of adultery, public penance, and revenge near St Paul’s Cathedral.
Crusader Criminals: Plunder, Pillage and the Usual Suspects
Steve Tibble on criminality in the crusades, from the primal forces such as climate change and mass migration which fed a wave of violence, to the extraordinary stories of looting, piracy, banditry and muggings which emerged.
Violence, Wine, and Everyday Life: Crime in the Taverns of Medieval Dubrovnik
A look into tavern life in late medieval Dubrovnik reveals a world of wine, violence, and everyday crime, drawn from court records and social patterns.
Poison in the Middle Ages: Medicine, Murder, and Myth
Discover how poison influenced medieval medicine, power struggles, and storytelling. From royal intrigue to early toxicology, learn how this dangerous substance shaped the Middle Ages.
The Kidnapping Scandal at Amesbury Priory
In 1400, a monastic power struggle at Amesbury Priory took a shocking turn when the ousted prior hired a gang to kidnap the prioress. What followed was a scandal of betrayal, lawsuits, and royal intervention—one of the wildest church disputes of the Middle Ages.
Drunk and Disorderly: How Taverns Led Crusaders into Trouble
Crusading was meant to be a holy mission, but for many knights and soldiers, the lure of taverns, drink, and other temptations often…
The Perils of Medieval Pubs: Drinking, Gambling, and Disorder
Medieval pubs were more than just places to drink—they were hubs of gambling, crime, and deadly brawls. From barroom assassinations to drunken feuds that ended in murder, these rowdy establishments were as dangerous as they were lively.
Violence and Vice: Crime in Medieval Cairo
From violent disputes to daring robberies, the streets of Cairo often became a stage for chaos, where justice was swift and brutal.
Medieval Police Chiefs: When Justice Was for Sale
There weren’t many police officers in the medieval world. And, when you see what they got up to, that is perhaps just as well.
Stealing Horses, Losing Feet: Crusader Animal Laws
There were many strange quirks associated with the justice systems of the Crusader States. They were, after all, on the frontiers of Christendom and many aspects of their law books were arcane in the extreme.
Weapons, Violence, and the Crusades: A Medieval Arms Race
The sword and shield of medieval Europe weren’t just tools of war—they were catalysts of chaos, reshaping societies and escalating crime rates. From Christendom to the Crusader States, weapons played a dual role: defence and destruction.
Medieval Magic to Catch Thieves
Imagine being accused of theft in 15th-century Denmark and forced to eat a piece of enchanted cheese to prove your innocence. Would you succeed—or would the bitter taste betray you? Such peculiar rituals weren’t uncommon in the Middle Ages, where magic intertwined with daily life, offering unusual solutions to everyday problems like theft.
Were the Crusader States Penal Colonies?
The population of the crusader states was not representative of normal demographics. Perhaps ironically, for societies with a heavily religious foundation, a disproportionate number of those who came to the crusader states were criminals.
How Gender Shaped Crime and Punishment in the Medieval World
By Steve Tibble In the medieval world, crime was not just about survival or greed—it was deeply influenced by gender roles and social…
Medieval Corruption: How Crooked Cops and Officials Profited from Crime and Bribery
In the tumultuous world of the Middle Ages, the line between law enforcement and lawbreaking was often blurred, and sometimes, the enforcers were as corrupt as the medieval criminals they pursued.
White Collar Crime in the Crusades
Many crimes in the crusader states were very visible—and often shockingly so. But there were other crimes that were far more discreet—and insidious.
Medieval Marauders: The Ruthless Scavengers of War
The medieval battlefield was not solely the domain of knights and soldiers, but also of opportunistic scavengers who exploited the turmoil for personal…
Medieval Europe’s Crackdown on Theft Detailed in New Study
The act of stealing has always been frowned upon, but the consequences for such actions have varied drastically over time. A new study examines how the punishment for theft dramatically shifted during the Middle Ages in Western Europe.
When Knights Misbehaved: Criminal Acts on the Crusades
In the Middle Ages, crusade commanders faced a relentless struggle to maintain order. They knew that minor crimes could quickly spiral into chaos, undermining their authority and jeopardizing the entire campaign.