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. 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.
