Bringing the Middle Ages to Life: Reenactments and Costuming
The Middle Ages are very much alive today, continuing to inspire film, books, and historical and theatrical reenactments. But how do today’s creators interpret the medieval period to make it feel both real and relevant for modern audiences?
“She-Wolves” on the Stage
There’s a new show for medieval-lovers to look forward to at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year: “She-Wolves”, created by and starring Laura Careless.
How the Crusades stay with us
As the Middle Ages ended, the crusades were mostly a fading memory. Yet, today the word and the way it is used seem more popular than ever. How did the crusades return to today’s society?
The Black Middle Ages with Matthew Vernon
Ever since the medieval period ended, people have been looking to the Middle Ages to find inspiration and a sense of cultural roots. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Matthew Vernon about the commonalities and kinship felt by African-American writers as they look back to the medieval past.
New Medieval Books: The Fantasy of the Middle Ages: An Epic Journey through Imaginary Medieval Worlds
Read an excerpt from The Fantasy of the Middle Ages: An Epic Journey through Imaginary Medieval Worlds, published as part of a new exhibition from the Getty
Disney’s Not-So Wholesome Medievalisms
Disney’s work has never been value-neutral … and some of the messages it conveyed in the past, and of the past, were downright toxic.
Beware the Eye of Odin – new comic miniseries coming in June
Fans of all things Norse will get the chance to read a tale of Vikings, trolls, frost giants, and Valkyries, as Image Comics releases Beware the Eye of Odin in June.
The Great Complicity: Medievalism and Nationalism
Certain fake ideas about the medieval past become a central reference point for these nations as they strive to create distinctive national identities in support of their various goals. Medieval culture is co-opted as a “usable past” and made to serve national ideologies.
The Allure of the Vikings: Warriors, Women and Politics
Terri Barnes on Viking history and her reflections on teaching Viking history.
The Right to Bear Arms and Medieval Law
Medieval history is once again in the news thanks to a Supreme Court case concerning New York State’s policy towards concealed-carry permits
Cursed blades and dark swords in myth and fantasy
Dark and cursed blades are found throughout popular culture and fantasy; join Dr Lillian Cespedes to explore their roots in history, mythology and why they have become so popular.
The Women in Medieval Armored Combat
A new documentary follows the lives of women who fight in an extreme and full-contact sport, Medieval Armored Combat. This week, Danièle talks with filmmaker Adrian Cicerone about Steel Song.
How you can create medieval memes with this tool from the Dutch national library
A new tool to create memes using medieval images, has been developed by KB, the national library of the Netherlands.
The Knights Templar and Historical Revisionism in the Modern Era
As early as the nineteenth century, many political extremists have modelled themselves upon the Templars. Today, both the US and UK are home to groups that imitate these medieval knights, pledging to fight a ‘new crusade’ against multiculturalism, ‘cultural Marxism’, or a ‘New World Order’.
Joan of Arc: The Feminine and the Masculine
From heretic to miracle, from warrior to saint: A look at how Joan of Arc has been depicted, from the 15th century to the 20th century.
Medieval Beer with Noëlle Phillips
Beer: it’s delicious, it’s nutritious, and it’s inseparable from ideas of the Middle Ages. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Dr. Noëlle Phillips about medieval beer: who was making it, who was drinking it, and how the brewing industry leans on the medieval world for its marketing today.
In Search of the Once and Future King: A Stranger In A Strange Land
The Arthurian Legend comes to America with Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.
In Search of the Once and Future King: King of the Who?
The story of King Arthur moves into the Victorian Age, where it is revitalized by Walter Scott and Alfred Tennyson.
Game of Thrones and Medieval Studies – Ten Years On
Many medievalists leapt at the chances that Game of Thrones offered to open up medieval studies to people who had never given it much thought before. But the show also brought into the open some key debates within the medieval field.
Byzantium in video games, with Troy Goodfellow
A conversation with Troy Goodfellow on how Byzantium and other premodern civilizations are represented in video games, and how the mechanics of the games structure those representations, player’s goals, and the dynamics of historical change.
An antidote to toxic medievalism, with Amy Kaufman and Paul Sturtevant
A conversation with Amy Kaufman and Paul Sturtevant about their book The Devil’s Historians: How Modern Extremists Abuse the Medieval Past.
Western Fantasies about Byzantium, with Elena Boeck
A conversation about western fantasies, orientalism, and the making of Byzantium, with Elena Boeck
Seeing and Hearing the ‘Scourge of God’: Attila the Hun in film, music and opera
Attila is a figure who has been treated in all manner of different ways, positive and negative in various art forms – from classical to contemporary music, sculpture, painting, opera, fiction, and film.
Medieval Video Games with Alicia McKenzie
This week on The Medieval Podcast, it’s game on with Alicia McKenzie. Danièle and Alicia talk about the world’s love affair with medieval-themed video games, what some of the ups and downs are, and which games Alicia recommends for medieval fans staying at home.