The Battle of Aljubarrota (1385)
Castile goes to war against Portugal, hoping to take over this kingdom. The English and the French even take sides in this conflict, which culminates at Aljubarrota. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly discuss the battle, where we have a lot of good sources and brilliant military tactics.
New Medieval Books: The Conquest of Santarém and Goswin’s Song of the Conquest of Alcácer do Sal
Part of the very influential Crusade Texts in Translation series, this book offers editions and translations of two accounts of Crusader conquests of two towns that are now part of modern-day Portugal
The Siege of Lisbon (1147)
One of the major actions of the Second Crusade took place far from the Holy Land, at the western edge of Europe. In this episode of Bow and Blade, Michael and Kelly talk about the Siege of Lisbon in 1147.
Did the Norse colonize the Azores in the 8th century?
Until now, it has been accepted that the Azores were first discovered sometime in the 14th century, and colonized in the 1430s. However, new evidence suggests that Norse people settled on the islands about 700 years earlier.
500 Years after the First Voyage around the World: Secrets of the Atlas Miller
This is the secret of the Atlas Miller: it tries to counter the idea that the world could be circumnavigated.
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.
Leprosy and tuberculosis in medieval Portugal: an overview of evidence
This paper will present a systematic review of skeletal evidence of leprosy and TB in medieval Portugal and, by combining bioarchaeological and historical evidence, will provide a broader picture of their historical path and coevolution.
Journey Around the World with the Universal Atlas of Fernão Vaz Dourado
Explore the beautiful maps made by Fernão Vaz Dourado for his 1571 atlas – taking us from the coasts of the Americas to Indonesia islands visited by Magellan.
The Medieval Art of Riding: King Duarte’s Advice on Horsemanship
Not only practical for those who wish to hone their equestrian skills, they also give us a glimpse into Duarte’s mind and the medieval art of riding at large.
The Burden of the Throne: A Medieval King’s Thoughts on Mental Health
Duarte incorporates his personal experience of physical and mental health into state governing: deeply believed in the body politic, Duarte believes that the sovereign’s mental stability affects the stability of the kingdom, so it lies within a king’s duty to seek happiness.
Isabel of Aragon (d. 1336): Model Queen or Model Saint?
This study of Isabel of Aragon (c. 1270–1336), wife of King Dinis of Portugal (1279–1325), who was venerated as a saint from shortly after her death, aims to explore the relationship between Isabel’s queenship and her sainthood.
The Cultural-Psychological Aspects of the Presence of African Slaves in Portugal in the Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Centuries
Slavery and the presence of African slaves – black and white
(Berbers and Arabs) – in Portugal in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries had a significant impact on the history of the country, on many aspects of Portuguese social life, and on Portuguese customs and culture.
Both “illness and temptation of the enemy”: melancholy, the medieval patient and the writings of King Duarte of Portugal (r. 1433–38)
Recent historians have rehabilitated King Duarte of Portugal, previously maligned and neglected, as an astute ruler and philosopher. There is still a tendency, however, to view Duarte as a depressive or a hypochondriac, due to his own description of his melancholy in his advice book, the Loyal Counselor.
Literati in the Court of King Afonso III of Portugal (1248-1279)
Literati in the Court of King Afonso III of Portugal (1248-1279) By Armando Norte Royal Studies Journal, Vol.2:1 (2015) Abstract: Throughout the first…
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 neglected reconquest: Portugal as a European frontier (1064-1250)
In 1064 King Fernando I of Leon-Castile (1037-1065) laid the foundations of the county of Portugal by securing the strategically vital Mondego River; by 1250 the independent kingdom of Portugal had established borders that have remained largely unchanged until the present day.
Medieval Lisbon: Jerónimos Monastery
Of the four medieval #placestosee in Lisbon, Jerónimos Monastery, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, was my favourite. The monastery is located in Belém, a suburb of Lisbon, that is famous for the 16th century monastery, as well as for its world famous pastry shop, Pastéis de Belém…
Medieval Lisbon: Carmo Convent
Part III of my series on Medieval Lisbon. This visit took me to Carmo Monastery and museum.
Medieval Lisbon: A Visit to Lisbon Cathedral
In Part 2 of my 4 part look at Medieval Lisbon, I explore the city’s oldest building: Sé de Lisbon, Lisbon Cathedral
Medieval Lisbon: Castelo de São Jorge
Above Lisbon’s skyline of colourful tiled houses and red roofs lies Castelo de São Jorge, a dominating, but beautiful, 11th century fortress in the heart of this vibrant city…
Why Did Valarte Die? Death of a Danish Knight during Expedition to West Africa in mid-15th Century
‘The fame of their affair having spread through the different parts of the world, it arrived at the Court of the King of Denmark and Sweden and Norway; and as you see how noble men venture themselves with the desire to see and know such things’
Philippa Langley: The End of Richard III and the Beginning of Henry I
Amidst all the excitement, and the whirlwind that was Richard III’s reburial in Leicester, I managed to catch up with one of the world’s most famous Ricardians, ‘the Kingfinder’, Philippa Langley.
Medieval Manuscripts: The Universal Atlas of Fernão Vaz Dourado
Vaz Dourado authored at least four different nautical atlases, each of them including 20 maps, painted between 1568 and 1580, which is to say at the pinnacle of Portuguese cartography.
Besteiros Do Conto (Crossbowmen): Organization, abuses of power and irregularities during the reign of Dom João I (1385-1433)
The aim of this paper is to examine an aspect of social life linked to one of the most important and original forms of military organization in the whole of Portuguese history—the besteiros do conto (crossbowmen).