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.
New Medieval Books: Chronicle of King Pedro
Many historians will want to read through this book – it’s the first English translation of the chronicle and the most important source we have of Pedro the Cruel.
The Kidnapping of Baby Bonafilla: Jewish guardianship, conversion, and mixed families in the aftermath of 1391 in Girona
In early 1417, the Jewish guardians of Bonafilla, the daughter of Nacim Roven, kidnapped the young toddler to prevent her conversa mother and stepfather from converting the child
Rebels and Renegades: Lisān al-Dīn ibn al-Khaṭīb (d. 1374) and the Christians of Medieval Granada
This paper seeks to demonstrate the convergence between Nasrid discourses about ethno-religious identity and the complex borderland realities of the Muslim-Christian frontier in 14th-century Iberia.
Medieval prostitutes, concubines, and their relationships – their story told in new research
In late medieval Valencia, city authorities would not punish a woman for being a prostitute or being a concubine, but she could not be both.
Medieval manuscript discovered in Spain after going missing for over 80 years
A medieval manuscript, which has been missing since the Spanish Civil War, has been found and returned to the town of Brihuega. The manuscript contains 13th-century laws for the town that were written by Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada.
El Cid and the Conquest of Valencia
Rodrigo Díaz, better known as El Cid, would find his greatest success in the year 1094, when he captured the city of Valencia. How he did it depends on which writer you believe.
Medieval Chess: Alfonso X’s Book of Games
A great episode to know everything about chess, Iberian court culture and politics all at once!
The African Warrior Women of the 11th century
In the Marvel Universe, one of the most skillful groups of warriors is the Dora Milaje – an all-female unit of special forces from the African-kingdom of Wakanda. While these elite warriors are fictional, there is some evidence of a force of African female archers who existed in the Middle Ages and even fought a battle in Spain.
Norway – Catalonia: Medieval Art, a shared artistic heritage
The online conference is part of the collaboration on the exhibition “North & South”, which brings together, for the first time, a selection of examples of medieval altar art from Norway and Catalonia, two regions at the northern and southern edge of the continent.
Murder by Poison: A Crime from 15th century Valencia
In medieval Europe, arsenic was stocked as a matter of course along with other medicines. As with other medicines, the poisonous nature of arsenic is a matter of dosage and administration.
Camino de Santiago: The Medieval Route from Oviedo
‘He who visits Santiago but not San Salvador visits the servant but not the Lord’
Do you want to help transcribe a medieval manuscript?
University of Birmingham researchers are calling for members of the public to help them transcribe one of the most important manuscripts of the Estoria de Espanna, a key medieval Spanish history.
The Rocky Road to Assimilation: Converso-Old Christian Intermarriage in the Late 15th Century
Focusing on converso / old Christian intermarriage will I hope shed more light on the social and religious processes in the individual decision making that were involved in the gradual assimilation of a good number of converso families into old Christian society.
Dealing with flooding in medieval Valencia – blaming garbage instead of God
There is a common perception that when a natural disaster struck in the Middle Ages, the people would just say that this was God’s punishment for their sins. However, this was not always the case – at least when it came to flooding in Valencia.
Medieval Geopolitics: The Iberian Crusades
The pre-history of the Iberian Crusades can be traced to the disintegration of Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031 and the subsequent emergence of a constellation of weak successor kingdoms.
Debating Agency: Women and Conversion in the Multi-Religious Society of Late Medieval Spain
The presentation examines the question of agency and gender in the social and spiritual experience of conversion to Christianity in 14th and 15th century Iberia.
Slander and the right to be an author in fifteenth-century Spain
Slander or maldecir functioned as common currency in well-publicized poetic exchanges that have been preserved in fifteenth-century cancioneros.
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. 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.