How the borders of Iberia changed in the Middle Ages
Three videos that detail the changing borders in Iberia during the medieval period.
Free(ish) online course on Medieval Spain starts next week
The University of Colorado and is teaming up with Coursea to launch a partially-free online course: Toledo: Deciphering Secrets of Medieval Spain. The course begins on October 29th and runs for six weeks.
The Legacy of Medieval Muslim Spain: Contemporary Identities and Conceptions of Tolerance
Christina Civantos examines the contemporary presence of medieval Muslim Iberia in Arab and Hispanic cultures and in global understandings of tolerance.
Scoundrels, Dogs and Heathens: Christian Mercenaries in the Almohad Caliphate, 1121-1269
This article examines the complex phenomena of the Farfan, a Christian knight serving a Muslim ruler during the religious wars of 13th century Iberia.
NEW! The Medieval Magazine, No. 110: THE RISE OF THE MEDIEVAL CITY
In this issue, we focus on cities. From Barcelona, to Constantinople, to Bologna, we cover marriage, trade, slavery, and foundation stories. Take a trip with us around the world and learn about the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the medieval city.
NEW! The Medieval Magazine No. 108
Spring cleaning! The first issue of the Medieval Magazine with a fresh new face!
In this issue, we look at Norse seasons, medieval beliefs about luck, food and politics in Constantinople, Spanish Easter traditions, and the overlooked life of Catherine of Aragon.
Sephardic Food and Identity in Medieval Spain
This talk explores what foods were recommended by Sephardic authors as part of a healthy and spiritually rewarding lifestyle, as well as how Sephardic cuisine had a prominent place in the literary and cultural imagination of medieval Christian Spaniards.
Some Highlights of Education in Christian Spain the Late Medieval Period
In this article we will tour some of the major educational milestones of late medieval Spain, including the primary and secondary education at that time, especially in the educational activity of the Church, the councils and individuals.
Love Between Muslim and Jew in Medieval Spain: A Triangular Affair
We will soon find that, in affairs of love as in so many others, Muslims and Jews in Christian Spain were not in an exclusive dialogue.
Merchants’ attitudes to work in the Barcelona of the later Middle Ages
The debate concerning the attitude to work of medieval and renaissance merchants has been one of the most intense in twentieth-century historiography.
A Fortress Built of Salt
The mountains and hills of Spain are covered in many little towns. They are more than picturesque; so charming that they’re almost saccharine.…
Justice Served or Justice Subverted? Two Muslim Women Sue a Local Mudéjar Official in Thirteenth-Century Aragon
In 1300 two Muslim women sued a local aljama official in Daroca, claiming he had unlawfully evicted them from their houses, and physically mistreated them, all without due legal process.
Did everyone believe in religion in medieval Europe?
One common idea about medieval Europe was that everyone were firm believers in religion. If you were a Christian, then you accepted your faith without question.
Raising infanta Catalina de Aragón to be Catherine Queen of England
My aim in this study is to focus on queenship, particularly the formative years before 1509 when she was learning to be a queen.
The Medieval Magazine: Be My Medieval Valentine (Volume 3, Issue 3)
We’ve just released our latest issue of the Medieval Magazine! In this issue: 5 Ways to Win Her Heart! Images of Medieval Love:…
Medievalists at the Movies: Assassin’s Creed
In between the exciting chases, hand-to-hand combat, and surprisingly well-acted dialogue, the overall film drags with too many flat moments of the lead actors staring into the camera or watching something happening from afar.
Enforcing contracts for Valencian commerce: the institutional foundations of international trade in the first half of the fifteenth century
This paper tries to explore how contract enforcement was handled in the cross-religious environment of late medieval Christian Valencia, Muslim Granada and North Africa, given the fact that each religious community has usually been assumed to apply their own set of rules through their own community courts.
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.
Outrage in Matrera Over Botched Castle Restoration
A botched restoration attempt in Spain has garnered international attention and condemnation from locals, historians and conservationists.
Zorita Castle: A Glimpse of Medieval life in a Spanish stronghold
Amidst the olive tree-lined plains of central Spain is a remote Medieval castle overlooked by archaeologists until the arrival of husband-and-wife team Dionisio Urbina and Catalina Urquijo. What secrets are emerging from this bastion of history?
Medieval Wonders of MAN in Madrid
Danielle Trynoski explores the medieval exhibits at the Museo Arqueológico Nacional.
Medieval Lisbon: Carmo Convent
Part III of my series on Medieval Lisbon. This visit took me to Carmo Monastery and museum.
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…
BOOK REVIEW: Genoa ‘La Superba’: The Rise and Fall of a Merchant Pirate Superpower by Nicholas Walton
While most books about Italy have been dedicated to tourist hubs like Milan, Florence, Rome, Sicily and Venice, Genoa with its rich history, rugged landscape, and tenacious residents, has been given only a passing mention.
