Medieval Spain in Modern Media: Games, Shows, and Stories that Bring the Past to Life
How often do you think about medieval Spain? For many, the answer is often—though as it turns out, it is not only scholars but also gamers, readers, and streamers who have turned this historical period into their “Roman Empire.”
The Lost Tastes of Medieval Andalusian Cuisine: A Wealth of Spices and Flavours
Here is a list of some of these lost tastes, which reflect the richness of medieval Andalusian cuisine.
New Medieval Books: El Cid
The original Rodrigo Diaz was a mercenary who fought for Christian and Muslim rulers, and for himself. This book tracks how, over the centuries, this figure becomes El Cid, the Christian and Spanish hero.
From Generation to Generation: Jewish Inheritance Practices and Christian Notarial Culture in the Crown of Aragon, 1250-1391
This paper argues that the vast majority of Jews who drew up notarial wills, donatio inter vivos contracts, and other Latinate documents related to inheritance did not seek to circumvent Jewish law. Instead, they valued a combination of Latin and Hebrew-Aramaic contracts as a means of making their inheritance choices intelligible both within and beyond the Jewish community.
Forging a Kingdom in the 11th century with Simon Doubleday – The Medieval Podcast, Episode 256
In the eleventh-century, Iberia was in the process of evolving networks of tiny villages into the powerful kingdoms we recognize from the end of the medieval period – sometimes by any means necessary. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Simon Doubleday about the ways in which Queen Sancha and King Fernando I shaped northern Spain and Portugal.
Isolation and Disease in a Medieval Spanish Community: New Findings from Las Gobas
A recent archaeogenetic study has revealed intriguing details about Las Gobas, an isolated medieval community in northern Spain.
The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212)
A turning point in the history of Iberia, the year 1212 would see the combined armies of Castile, Aragon and Navarre facing off against the Almohads. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly talk about a key battle of the Reconquista.
The Legend of Zaida, Princess of Seville
Natalie Mallat tells the story of Zaida, an 11th-century princess.
New Medieval Books: Jewish Life in Medieval Spain
Focusing on mostly the later medieval period, this book examines the Jewish community in Spain, covering a turbulent period that saw much happen within the community as well as in their relations with their Christian and Muslim neighbours.
In Between Two Worlds: Jewish Women and Conversion in Late Medieval Catalonia
Blanca de Banyoles’ life is in many ways emblematic of the experiences of many Jewish women who converted to Christianity following the violence of 1391.
Brother vs brother in 15th-century Castile: The Battle of Olmedo in 1467
During the mid-fifteenth century, the Kingdom of Castile was involved in a bloody set of three large battles to determine whether its king would prevail over the nobles in a kind of Spanish Wars of the Roses.
Battle of Roncevaux Pass (778)
On August 15, 778, the forces of Charlemagne find themselves in battle with the Basques. Many years later, this encounter inspired a famous story known as the Song of Roland. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly discuss the historical and the legendary when it comes to this battle.
The Battle of Nájera (1367)
The Hundred Years’ War moves to Iberia, as the French and English get involved in the Castilian Civil War. The forces would meet…
What Did Medieval Slavery Look Like? New research reveals how art was not imitating reality
Why were artists in later medieval Iberia consistently depicting enslaved people as having dark skin and coming from sub-Saharan Africa during a time when Black slaves were a small minority in this society?
Across the Strait of Gibraltar: Chroniclers from Iberia and North Africa
We are bridging communities across the sea in this episode of the Medieval Grad Podcast. Emma Snowden talks with Lucie Laumonier about her dissertation, “Bridging the Strait: The Shared History of Iberia and North Africa in Medieval Muslim and Christian Chronicles.”
Medieval Chess: Alfonso X’s Book of Games
A great episode to know everything about chess, Iberian court culture and politics all at once!
Pope Gregory VII and Count Eblous II of Roucy’s Proto-Crusade in Iberia c. 1073
This article surveys the surviving material regarding Gregory VII and Eblous of Roucy’s expedition to Iberia c. 1073.
The Scars of War in the Portuguese Border Zone (1250-1450)
In this article we will consider the period between 1250 and 1450 in order to understand the effects of war in the Portuguese lands closest to the border and therefore more exposed to enemy weapons.
How the borders of Iberia changed in the Middle Ages
Three videos that detail the changing borders in Iberia during the medieval period.
Time Loves a Hero: Alarcos, Alfonso IX, and A Lost Crusade (from 1197)
There are few kings that get such a consistently bad rap in medieval Iberian studies as Alfonso IX of Leon.
The Medieval Climate Anomoly in the Iberian Peninsula reconstructed from marine and lake records
Selected multi-proxy and accurately dated marine and terrestrial records covering the past 2000 years in the Iberian Peninsula facilitated a comprehensive regional paleoclimate reconstruction for the Medieval Climate Anomaly (900-1300 AD).
Cultural Exchange in the Languages and Literatures of Medieval Spain
Professor David Wacks’s fascinating discussion of the Iberian Peninsula and it’s incredible linguistic heritage.
The Tragic Story of Joanna the Mad
Joanna’s mental illness has been a subject of debate across the centuries.
Spanish Vikings: Searching for the Norse presence in Iberia
The fearsome reputation of the Vikings has made them the subject of countless exhibitions, books and films – however, surprisingly little is known about their more southerly exploits in Spain.
