Inside Medieval Paris: A City of Wealth, Merchants, and Artisans
In the Middle Ages, Paris stood at the heart of Europe’s luxury trade. Behind its grand churches and royal palaces was a bustling network of merchants, artisans, and aristocrats whose wealth shaped the city’s rise to prominence.
New Medieval Books: 1368: China and the Making of the Modern World
In 1368, a new dynasty took power in China, opening a chapter of growth, exploration, and rising influence on the world stage. This book takes readers through that vibrant era and follows the story into the centuries that saw China’s fortunes shift from expansion to decline.
Elephants and Ivory with John Beusterien
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.
How the Almoravids Became a Medieval Empire
Discover how the Almoravids rose from Saharan pastoralists to forge a powerful medieval empire spanning North Africa and al-Andalus, driven by faith, conquest, and control of gold.
New Medieval Books: Discovered but Forgotten
Situated in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives played a key role in medieval trade networks. This book explores Chinese engagement with the islands, focusing on a two-century period during which they became an important outpost for China’s expanding maritime influence.
The Hidden Financiers: Women’s Role in Medieval Commerce
Discover how medieval women—noblewomen, abbesses, and merchants—played vital roles in managing estates, running businesses, and shaping the economic life of the Middle Ages.
More Than Makers of Swords: The Hidden Life of Medieval Blacksmiths
Discover the overlooked world of medieval blacksmiths. Far from being just weaponsmiths for knights, blacksmiths built vital industries, shaped local economies, and rose to civic prominence across medieval Europe.
Medieval Manuscripts Were Bound in Seal Skin, New Study Finds
New research reveals that Cistercian manuscripts from the 12th and 13th centuries were bound in seal skin sourced from Scandinavia and Greenland, uncovering unexpected links between monastic book production and Norse trade networks.
New Medieval Books: Swahili Worlds in Globalism
This book explores medieval East Africa and its integration into the vast trade networks of the Indian Ocean. It sheds light on the movement of people and goods, offering insight into the interconnected world of the ‘Global Middle Ages’.
Labor organizations and collective action, with Sarah Bond
A conversation with Sarah Bond about organized labor groups in the Roman Empire.
Medieval Economy Revealed Through Timber Tales
Scientists have reconstructed European socio-economic cycles between 1250 and 1699 in unprecedented detail, by using the power of tree rings to reveal the exact age of more than 54,000 pieces of timber from historical buildings
New Medieval Books: The Medieval Persian Gulf
Although the Persian Gulf was not as prosperous or influential in the Middle Ages as it is today, the region boasts a fascinating history. This book delves into its communities, exploring their ethnic and religious dynamics alongside their trade activities.
The Most Despised Jobs of the Middle Ages
Discover the most despised jobs in the Middle Ages, from butchers to merchants. Explore why certain professions were viewed with contempt and how these views changed over time.
New Medieval Books: Empire in the Western Ocean
This book chronicles the rise of the Ming Dynasty and their creation of a formidable naval power that extended far beyond China’s shores, reaching deep into the Indian Ocean.
New Medieval Books: Monastic Women and Secular Economy in Later Medieval Europe, ca. 1200 to 1500
This book uncovers the economic influence of female monasteries in medieval society, revealing how they played a central role in shaping the economy.
Silver Linings: Money, Plague and Economic Change in 7th and 8th century England
There is less confidence about how and why this transformation came about especially in its early stages around the time of Bede and what this talk was consider is how and why these changes began when they did.
New Insights into Viking Age Economics from Runic Inscriptions
A recent reinterpretation of the runic inscription on the Forsa Ring offers a fresh perspective on the monetary system of the Viking Age, marking it as the oldest documented record of value in Scandinavia.
Medieval Shipwreck Unveils England’s Trade Secrets
Maritime archaeologists at Bournemouth University have analyzed a 13th-century shipwreck found off the coast of Dorset in southern England, shedding light on the trade networks that supported the construction and decoration of many of England’s medieval religious monuments.
The Baltic and the Black Sea in Medieval Trade
The object of this paper is to give a short outline of the history of Black Sea and Baltic trade during the Middle Ages, and to examine the reciprocal action of these two important historical phenomena.
New Medieval Books: Across the Green Sea
Examines the connections – commercial and cultural – between various communities and peoples around the western half of the Indian Ocean. There would be much competition in this maritime world, from local players as well as from European and Ottoman powers.
Restoration of Rare Medieval Document Detailing Asian Travels
A significant medieval document, forgotten for over 70 years, will be restored by researchers at the University of Warwick’s Warwick Venice Centre. It reveals a new perspective on global exchange in the decade after Marco Polo’s death.
Viking Age Horses Crossed Baltic Sea for Sacrificial Rituals, New Study Reveals
Horses crossed the Baltic Sea in ships during the Late Viking Age and were sacrificed for funeral rituals, according to research from Cardiff University.
Medieval Coins with Rory Naismith
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Rory Naismith about the complex world of medieval coins.
Medieval horse cemetery reveals international equine trade
Archaeological analysis of a near-unique animal cemetery discovered in London nearly 30 years ago has revealed the international scale of horse trading by the elites of late medieval and Tudor England.
