The Bayeux Tapestry and the Vikings
How did the Bayeux Tapestry, with its images of Normans and Englishmen, come to be so strongly equated with the legendary Vikings in the popular imagination?
Contemporary Views of Edward III’s failure at the Siege of Tournai
All military historical logic indicates that Edward III should not have been defeated at the siege of Tournai in 1340. He had superior numbers, many local allies, good supplies, a relief army unwilling to come to battle with him, and a town on the verge of hopeless starvation.
God, leadership, Flemings and Archery: Contemporary Perspectives of Victory and Defeat at the Battle of Sluys 1340
However, one thing cannot be agreed on. What was the cause of the victory and defeat at the battle of Sluys?
From Bogeyman to Noble King: Sigismund and Hungary in French Medieval Literature
The main topic of our research lays primarily with the Roman de messire Charles de Hongrie, a romance written towards the end of the XVth century
Wars and Warriors in Gregory of Tours’ Histories I-IV
Although wars do not dominate the Histories, enough are described to cause surprise at the relatively scant attention given to Gregory’s ideology of war in the scholarly literature, an unfortunate lacuna given the resulting insights into both ideological and institutional realities of late sixth-century Gaul.
A Family Conflict Set in Stone: The story of Henry, eldest son of Henry II of England
A Family Conflict Set in Stone: The story of Henry, eldest son of Henry II of England By Janet Gillepsie Medieval History Magazine,…
Magnificent entrances and undignified exits: chronicling the symbolism of castle space in Normandy
Magnificent entrances and undignified exits: chronicling the symbolism of castle space in Normandy By Leonie V. Hicks Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 35:1…
The Saxon Statement: Code in the Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is thus often largely take at face value, and no serious attemtp seems to have been made to look beyond the work’s representation of the Norman point of view to the possibility that the Saxons who designed and stitched it might have employed covert devices in order to reveal occurences closer to the truth, which the Designer sought to articulare even the some of the facts were suppressed by the Norman conquerors.
The Battlefield Taunt: Violence and Humor in the Chansons de Geste
The Battlefield Taunt: Violence and Humor in the Chansons de Geste By Gerald Herman Annuale mediaevale, Vol. 13 (1972) Synopsis: Examines verbal exchanges and…
Reims Cathedral
Reims Cathedral By Douglas Darracott Art in Context: 2006–2007 Professional Development Workshop Materials (2006) The articles in this series are intended to provide…
What is Anglo-Norman?
What is Anglo-Norman? By Ruth J. Dean Annuale Medievale 6 (1965) Introduction: My purpose in asking this question is to examine the contexts…
The Schizophrenia of Joan of Arc
A great many of the tragedies of the past must have been caused by mental disease which was undetected and misunderstood. Such a case may well have been that of Joan of Arc.
The Establishment of the Town Consulate in Medieval Agen
The Establishment of the Town Consulate in Medieval Agen By Frank Williams Paper given at the Austrian Scholars Conference (2002) Introduction: When in 1789 the leading…
Reconstructing the Middle Ages: Gaston Paris and the Development of Nineteenth-century Medievalism
Reconstructing the Middle Ages: Gaston Paris and the Development of Nineteenth-Century Medievalism By Isabel DiVanna Cambridge Scholars Press, 2008 ISBN: 978-1-4438-0064-8 Reconstructing the Middle Ages…
The Serf, the Knight, and the Historian
The Serf, the Knight, and the Historian By Dominique Barthélemy, Translated by Graham Robert Edwards Cornell University Press, 2009 ISBN: 978-0-8014-7560-3 “The term ‘feudal society’…
Interview with Tommaso di Carpegna Falconieri
His latest book is The Man Who Believed He Was King of France: A True Medieval Tale. We interviewed him by email to discuss his book and research.
Against the Lord’s anointed: aspects of warfare and baronial rebellion in England and Normandy 1075-1265
Yet, for all such purely military considerations, one returns to the overwhelming impression that the factor which most frequently terminated rebel resistance was the impact of the king’s presence.
Cross-trade skills and business strategies: personal itineraries between medicine and metallurgy in Middle Ages and early modern Europe
Cross-trade skills and business strategies: personal itineraries between medicine and metallurgy in Middle Ages and early modern Europe By Liliane Hilaire-Pérez and Catherine…
“Seeking Castles in Spain”: Sir Hugh Calveley and the Free Companies Intervention in Iberian Warfare (1366-1369)
“Seeking Castles in Spain”: Sir Hugh Calveley and the Free Companies Intervention in Iberian Warfare (1366-1369) By L.J. Andrew Villalon Crusades, Condottieri, Codes,…
Fighting for Fun? What Was At Stake in Formal Deeds of Arms of the 14th Century?
My focus will be on a few specific formal — that is ceremonious and ostensibly friendly — ‘deeds of arms’ described by Jean Froissart, a prolific 14th century writer with an intense admiration for ‘deeds of arms’ and chivalry.
The rise of the Carolingians or the decline of the Merovingians?
The transference of power from the Merovingians to the Carolingians in France is one of the most confusing periods of early medieval history.
Sacred Images in a Secular Text: the Case of the Cent nouvelles nouvelles
Sacred Images in a Secular Text: the Case of the Cent nouvelles nouvelles By Edgar de Blieck Histoire, Images, Imaginaire, edited by Pascal Dupuy (University of…
Les représentations du pouvoir dans la broderie de Bayeux (XIe siècle)
Les représentations du pouvoir dans la broderie de Bayeux (XIe siècle) By Philippe Lardin Histoire, Images, Imaginaire, edited by Pascal Dupuy (University of Pisa, 2002) Abstract: La…
The Little Grey Horse: Henry V’s Speech at Agincourt and the Battle Exhortation in Ancient Historiography
Speeches by generals to their army are of different kinds. One type is the speech—deliberative or exhortative—delivered at what is often called a syllogos, i.e. a meeting of the army held in some convenient place resembling an assembly place where, for example, the men can stand or sit in a horseshoe facing the speaker.
Shame Culture or Guilt Culture: The Evidence of the French Fabliaux
Shame Culture or Guilt Culture: The Evidence of the French Fabliau By Ellen W. Eaton PhD dissertation, University of Toronto, 2000 Abstract: Many literary critics…