Machiavelli meets ‘The Prince’
On 24th June 1502, the Florentine politician and diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli came face to face with Cesare Borgia.
The career of the Empress Judith, 819-843
This thesis examines the career of Judith (819-843), the second wife of the Carolingian emperor Louis the Pious (814-840).
Medieval Geopolitics: The Institution of the Crusade
How did the crusades emerge as an institution in the medieval world?
The Franks in the early Ideology of Frederick Barbarossa (1152-1158)
This article traces the Frankish legacy in the early years of Frederick Barbarossa’s reign, from his coronation to the diet of Roncaglia (1152-1158).
The Vigilante Empire: The Pinnacle of Saffarid Power and the Dynasty’s Fall from Grace
As Yaqub ibn Layth gained power and followers, his ambitions grew, ultimately leading to a confrontation with the Abbasid Caliphate.
The Leaders: King Sverre and King Haakon
The objective of the present dissertation discusses how King Sverre Sigurdsson (1177-1202) and Haakon Haakonsson (1217-1263) are depicted in their Sagas.
How to Become the King of England: 5 Tips from Stephen
How Stephen of Blois was able to go from Norman count to the King of England in less than a month.
The Calamity of Violence: Reading the Paris Massacres of 1418
The prelude to the massacres began on the night of 29 May 1418. The city had been brutally occupied for five years by the Armagnacs, the ruling junta hostile to both the Parisians and the populist Burgundian party that the vast majority of the capital’s residents favored.
Medieval Geopolitics: The Medieval State
What did medieval states look like? A look at the most common and significant forms: kingdoms, principalities, communes and leagues.
The Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo (1261-1517): History and Tradition in the Mamluk Court
This dissertation investigates the two-and-a-half century evolution of Islam’s most prominent leadership institution, the Abbasid caliphate, after its restoration in Cairo following the Mongol destruction of Baghdad in 1258.
Medieval Geopolitics: The Invention of the Idea of Sovereignty
In this column, I trace on the evolution of the idea of “sovereignty,” which I believe to be the conceptual linchpin of this historical process.
The Justification of Tyrannicide in the Chronicle of Dalimil. The Czech Nobility as the “Mystical Body” of the Realm
Dating from the early 14th century (1309-1314), the Chronicle of Dalimil reflects the political attitudes of this pivotal period.
Richard III and the Woodville Faction: The Events Surrounding 1483
This paper examines the Usurpation of Richard III in 1483 and the events leading up to it.
Imperium et Credo: Frankish-Byzantine Rivalry over Leadership of the Roman-Christian Credo-State in the Ninth Century
The years 869-871 saw the onset of the last major diplomatic dispute between the two great powers of Christendom, the Franks in Western Europe and the Byzantines in the East. Louis
How the borders of Asia changed during the Middle Ages
Here are a few sets of videos to show the rise and fall of kingdoms, states and empires on the continent of Asia, including during the medieval period.
How the borders of Europe changed during the Middle Ages
One interesting way of looking at the past is to see how much the borders of the world have changed. In these videos, a reconstruction has been made to show the rise and fall of European kingdoms, states, and empires over the years, decades and centuries.
One of his own: the Irish participant in the assassination of Tigernán Ua Ruairc
Tigernán Ua Ruairc was King of Bréifne and Conmaicne. In fact this kingdom reached its greatest extent during his long reign, between c. 1124 and his assassination in 1172.
Multilingualism and Empires: Byzantium and Sasanian Persia
The long and bitter confrontation between Byzantium and the Sasanian Empire was one of the most important historical phenomena of Late Antiquity; it was also very significant for the development of later mediaeval societies and institutions in East and West.
The Original Hamlet: The Story of Prince Amleth
Well, everyone knows the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Even though you have never finished the book, you are bound to have seen some version of it, be it excerpts, summarising tales, films, plays, or art works. What may be not so well known, however, is the story of Amleth, the prototype of Hamlet.
Two Lessons from Late Medieval Politics
Mass culture tells us that medieval political life was somewhat like ‘Game of Thrones’. This image is rather far from the complexities of late medieval politics, where institutions played at least as big a role as kings and queens.
Matthias Corvinus and Charles the Bold
The paper investigates the diplomatic relations of Matthias Corvinus with the Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, focusing on the 1460s and ‘70s.
The limits of the late Anglo-Saxon state
Were there structural flaws in the late Anglo-Saxon state which contributed to its demise?
The Walk to Canossa: The Tale of an Emperor and a Pope
Ever since it happened people have been debating what took place at Canossa. Some have called it a brilliant masterstroke by Emperor Henry IV, while others have termed it his humiliation.
The Cadaver Synod: Low Point in the History of the Papacy
The notorious Cadaver Synod, when one Pope put on trial the corpse of one of his predecessors. Perhaps the lowest point in the history of the Papacy, the story of this trial is as murky as it is strange.
