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.
Fashion Old and New: Weaving and Tailoring in the Early Medieval and Early Modern Period
Fashion fan? Interested in medieval and early modern textiles? Then this was your session. 2 papers from opposite ends of the spectrum: Early Medieval weaving and Early Modern Tailoring.
Study reveals size of livestock were at their lowest in Early Middle Ages
A new study, covering the last 2000 years of livestock animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, has revealed that in Spain these animals were at their smallest size during the 8th and 9th centuries.
‘Que lo lean literalmente’: Clerical Ignorance and a Late Medieval Wedding Ceremony
There is ample evidence that in late-medieval Spain a vast number of priests charged with carrying out the Church’s everyday liturgical responsibilities were undereducated and had little or no capacity in that language.
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.
Tropical fire ants traveled the world on 16th century ships
Thanks to a bit of genetic sleuthing, researchers now know the invasion history of the tropical fire ant, the first ant species known to travel the globe by sea.
Medieval Manuscripts: The Isabella Breviary
Within its pages lie some of the finest illuminations ever painted during the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance.
The medieval roots of gender and sexuality in Spanish colonial law
Marie Kelleher will discuss the medieval roots of gender and sexuality in Spanish colonial law, beginning with the written law (both secular and ecclesiastical) and how it defines the parameters of respectable female behavior.
Spanish Vikings: Searching for the Norse presence in Iberia
The fearsome reputation of the Vikings has made them the subject of countless exhibitions, books and films – however, surprisingly little is known about their more southerly exploits in Spain.
‘Forget Your People and Your Father’s House’: Teresa de Cartagena and the Converso Identity
Religion is a very important factor to take into consideration in discussions about the identity of the conversos [converts] or New Christians, an emerging group in 15th-century Castile.