The Battle of Didgori and the Rise of Georgia Under the white-capped peaks of the Greater Caucasus live the Kartvelians. Jason’s Argonauts found them on the balmy shores and hills, retreating from the Black Sea as an already ancient people. Modern scholars estimate their occupation dating well into the Neolithic when the Kartvelians first made wine in

How African Slaves Helped Break the Caliphate In the sweltering August heat of Southern Iraq, an army of slaves and Bedouins laid siege to the wealthy city of Basra. Over a month the besiegers tightened the noose around the city, burning outlying villages, and ambushing reinforcements and supply trains bound for the city. By September 7th, 871 AD the rebel army had gained a foothold in the city and…

How Viking Trade Revitalized Europe In 655 AD the first Muslim fleet met the Byzantine navy off the coast of Anatolia. The rough seas forced both sides to lash their ships to one another and the two great rafts collided in a fierce battle. Soldiers and sailors jumped from ship to ship in ruthless melee combat. As the day wore on the Muslim fleet gained the upper hand. When enemies closed …

How Geography Has Shaped Levantine Politics On a scorching July day in Palestine Ludolf of Tournai clambered over the battlements and scattered his Fatimid foes. Ludolf fought wildly, desperately, he had endured years of suffering on behalf of his God to reach the Holy City. He had survived the arrows of Turkish horsemen as he thirsted on the Anatolian Plateau. He had braved the treacherous footp…

An essay on medieval history and modern politics One of the buzziest slogans of this year, after the ubiquitous 6-7, is ‘No Kings’.

A note on Chateau Gaillard and Richard the Lionheart As I have mentioned once or twice lately, I am writing a book about castles. It’s called The Castle. Soon enough I’ll be able to give you its release date and pre-order details. But for now, here’s a tidbit I came across just five minutes ago.

A historic game I like to play Before I get into today’s email, here’s a reminder that you can get signed books in time for the Christmas holidays. Here’s how:

A lecture from Southwark Cathedral Christmas books!

This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Heather Blurton about how Richard’s contemporaries saw him, the wild stories told about him in the later Middle Ages, and why we still just can’t get enough of this controversial king.

A royal manuscript of the Roman de la Rose offers a fresh look at Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun’s contrasting visions of medieval love and reason.

What’s new in medieval studies? Here are ten open-access articles published in November, which include papers ranging from bee amulets to the Stone of Scone.

Explore the origins and daily practice of the Divine Office in the Middle Ages, from the Desert Fathers to Benedictine monasteries, where time, music, and prayer shaped every aspect of monastic life.

During the Middle Ages, the court of a great lord was a place filled with lavish feasts, grand tournaments, and other ostentatious displays of wealth and power. Theme: Courtly life Alice Isabella Sullivan, "Courtly culture in the Middle Ages: Origins and sources," 16-17. Kathryn Walton, "The romances of courtly life: Of love, magic, and chivalry," 18-21. Leslie Ivings, "The court of the purple born: Byzantine power and ceremony," 22-25. Jacob H. Deacon, "Pas d'armes: Knights, giants, and unicorns," 26-33. Helen Carr, "The court of Edward III: Chivalry, powers, and spectacle," 34-37. Lucie Laumonier, "Dining at court: Fine cuisine and table manners," 38-43. Jacob H. Deaon, "Freydal: Combat and dance," 44-47. Features: Richard Thomson, "Medieval Edinburgh: The principal burgh of our kingdom," 8-13. Robert Jones, "Knights behaving badly: When chivalric culture failed." 14-15. Conor Robison, "The hard ground at Gladenmore: Reigniting Scotland's war for independence," 48-51. Lucie Laumonier, "Practical magic: Debunking myths about medieval witches," 52-53. James G. Clark, "The Golden Legend: A popular treasury of tales," 54-55. Jonathan H. Jones, "Book review: Johannes Gutenberg: A Biography in Books," 56. Michael Kister, "Book review: Frederick Barbarossa," 57.

Though not as focussed on conquest as a hundred years earlier, the Roman legions of the second century AD had to contend with revolts, invasions, and civil war.  Theme: The Roman army in the 2nd century AD Murray Dahm, 'A century of war - Begin as you mean to continue'.  Lindsay Powell, 'Fighting under a flag - Roman army vexillations in the second century AD'. Jo Ball, 'A Roman career soldier - The story of Valerius Maximianus'. Mattia Caprioli, 'A very Severan civil war - The Battle of Issus'. Matej Kmošek, 'Signalling on a small scale - Legionary identity at Musov'. Graham Sumner, 'Hiding in plain sight - Portraits of Antonine soldiers from Fayum'. Murray Dahm, 'A brother goes to war - The Parthian monument of Lucius Verus'. Features: Dr Péter Bernát, 'Late Roman heavy cavalry - Forerunners of medieval knights'. Billy Duff, 'The Paean - Greek battle hymns'. Mark McCafery, 'Evocatio - Do you want to come to Rome?'. Boris Dreyer, 'Cross-country Celtic chariots - Longitudinal suspension and bent rims'.

Vikings Behaving Reasonably: Nordic Hóf in Civic and Legal Rhetoric was written to try and make sense of the rhetoric shown in the Icelandic family sagas, but I expanded its scope to look more at how the medieval Scandinavians dealt with conflicts in both the civic and legal arenas. I found through my research that the medieval Scandinavians had a native rhetorical tradition outside of Classical influence.

Empire Earth remains one of my most favorite games for a reason. The game is a sandbox not just a game you play and put away then come back to it.

The Byzantine Empire is featured in Age of Empires IV's Sultans Ascend expansion, with a focus on the Macedonian Dynasty from 867 to 1055 A.D. The game highlights the Norse influence and the role of mercenaries in the weakened Byzantine Army after Basil II. Greater variety in gameplay suggests innovative directions for future installments.

How farmers came together to build Europe’s most grandiose funerary monuments some 7,000 years ago