Why Medieval Warfare was Expensive Business
War is expensive, but especially so in the early medieval period when Europe was poor. Let’s examine the business of warfare from the Roman Empire to the Early Middle Ages.
Latest Posts
Why Medieval Warfare was Expensive Business
War is expensive, but especially so in the early medieval period when Europe was poor. Let’s examine the business of warfare from the Roman Empire to the Early Middle Ages.
How to Start Learning Old English
Hana Videen offers some advice and tips about learning the Old English language.
Mass Production of Books Before Printing
The question that this led me to pose is it not likely that there is a whole world of book production by Franciscans, Dominicans and similar people who are capable of writing like professional scribes and do but unlike professional scribes they don’t change it?
Bringing the Middle Ages to Life: Reenactments and Costuming
The Middle Ages are very much alive today, continuing to inspire film, books, and historical and theatrical reenactments. But how do today’s creators interpret the medieval period to make it feel both real and relevant for modern audiences?
Getting a Fire Started: A Saga Guide to Dying with Style
The Icelandic sagas provide a step-by-step guide on how to die in a farmstead burning with style!
Medieval Movie Review: The War Lord
Time to shine a light on the half-forgotten and flawed gem from 1965 that is The War Lord.
Jan Hus and the Bohemian Reformation
Before Martin Luther, there was Jan Hus, a Czech firebrand whose death at the stake sparked off a fire that five Crusades could not extinguish.
Canon and Cannon: Military Revolutions in Medieval Europe and Westeros
Dragons in Westeros parallel the development of real-world warfare—and also provide a realistic explanation of the perpetually medieval setting of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world.
How a City Burned from Inter-Religious Violence: Cairo in 1321
The story of what took place in Cairo in the year 1321 is a sad example of what could happen when religious tensions spiralled out of control.
A Dangerous Duke: Gloucester Complains about Richard II of England
The reign of England’s Richard II (1376-1399) is very interesting for giving us moderns a feel for what political debates were like at the end of the 14th century.
Five Examples of Saga Men Being Terrible
Almost every saga has at least one terrible sentence uttered by a man towards or about a woman. Often these are stated at the climax of the sagas, and carry a lot of meaning within them.
How Breaking Bad and an Infamous Economist Can Explain the Viking Age
One question that has puzzled scholars for a long time is what sparked the Viking Age? Why did Scandinavian men start sailing away from their homelands in the 8th century in order to raid and attack much of the rest of Europe?
The Medieval Cathedral as Museum
During the Middle Ages, a pilgrimage provided the most popular and convenient form of travel for people with means. The destinations were cathedrals and their collections of relics, reliquaries, and, coincidentally, great works of art.
King Arthur’s Lovers
Arthur himself is not quite so chaste and honourable as popular culture tends to imagine. He too takes several lovers, and he acts rather terribly in his affairs.
How did most people in the Roman empire get by? with Kim Bowes
A conversation with Kim Bowes about production and consumption in the Roman world, especially by the 90% of the population who are less represented in our literary sources. How did they get by from day to day? What alternatives does the evidence suggest to the “subsistence” model that many ancient historians have used?
The Pirate Queen of the Mediterranean: The Story of Al-Sayyida al-Hurra
When it came to piracy on the Mediterrean Sea, one of the most feared and formidable leaders was a woman by the name of Al-Sayyida al-Hurra. Here is her story.
Going to Church in Medieval England with Nicholas Orme
During the Middle Ages, the church was at the very heart of European society, but how did ordinary people interact with it in their daily lives? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Nicholas Orme about the churchgoing experience of everyday medieval people, how it changed over time, and what it was like to attend a medieval mass.
Medieval convent restored in Israel after being accidentally damaged
An early medieval nunnery located in Israel has been re-excavated and repaired after being damaged. The Horvat Hani convent existed from the fifth to the ninth century.
Harald Hardrada: Overthrowing of an Emperor
Harald Hardrada finds himself in trouble when Byzantine power politics turns deadly.
Book of the Month: Scents and Flavors
Our Book of the Month for August is Scents and Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook, translated by Charles Perry.
New Medieval Books: From Rome to Kusk
Five more brand new books about the Middle Ages to tell you about.
Medieval Scottish Women with Elizabeth Ewan
On this episode of Scotichronicast, Kate is joined by Elizabeth Ewan as they talk about women in medieval Scotland, focusing on some court cases and what women did for work.
Beating the heat: Handheld fans in medieval China
The handheld fan has been used as a means to keep cool since time immemorial. But in medieval China, this was just one of its many functions.
A Medieval Wedding Feast in Bologna
If you wanted to hold a medieval wedding feast, you could do well to follow the example given by Annibale II Bentivoglio and Lucrezia d’Este in 1487.
BooksAll posts
Book of the Month: Scents and Flavors
Our Book of the Month for August is Scents and Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook, translated by Charles Perry.
New Medieval Books: From Rome to Kusk
New Medieval Books: Castles, Queens and Crecy
Book of the Month: Impostures
New Medieval Books: The Fantasy of the Middle Ages: An Epic Journey through Imaginary Medieval Worlds
New Medieval Books: Five Translated Texts
New Medieval Books: Here Be Dragons and City Politics
Book of the Month: The Book of Charlatans
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World: A Retrospective
Places to SeeAll posts
Örebro Castle: History, Secrets, and Romance
For anyone who visits Örebro, it is hard to miss its castle – an ancient-looking fortress made of weathered grey stones that stands on an islet in the middle of the city centre.
The Vasa: Gustav II Adolf’s Glorious and Doomed Warship
On the 10th of August 1628, the Vasa sank in Stockholm harbour, thus ending the career of the most powerful warship that Sweden had ever seen.
Uppsala Slott: 5 Things You Ought to Know About One of Sweden’s Greatest Castles
This strategic location not only makes the castle a majestic sight, but also earns it the reputation as the most modern defence fortress in its time. But, as all ancient buildings, there is always more than meets the eye. Here are the five things that you may not know about Uppsala Castle.
Making Your Mark: Medieval Masons’ Marks at Tarascon
How do you operate a business when you can’t read and your knowledge of math is extremely limited? Making your mark on the…
The Weird, the Wonderful, and the Macabre in the Cathedral of Narbonne
Narbonne is one of those European cities with evidence of its past on every street.
Medieval English Embroidery on Display for the Last Time at the V&A’s Opus Anglicanum Exhibit
The V&A Museum opened its latest medieval exhibit exhibit on Saturday: Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery. I had the opportunity to see it opening day and it was spectacular.