The Hundred Years’ War and the Birth of Modern Europe is a 10-week course taught by C.J. Adrien. The course begins on February 17th with live classes each Tuesday from 2:00 to 3:30 pm EST.
Medieval authors had a unique approach to history: often created for a patron and inspired by ancient examples, they might blend facts, personal experience, and fantasy. Theme: Recording the past James G. Clark, "Writing history in the Middle Ages: Time, models, and sources," 22-23. Robert Jones, "Writing war in the Middle Ages: Sources and models," 24-27. James G. Clark, "Matthew Paris: An enigmatic and innovative historian," 28-33. Cristian Bratu, "Seeing is believing: Making history personal," 34-37. Thomas Denholm, "From epic to chronicle: How chanson de geste shaped medieval war stories," 38-41. Features: Clay Vagrant, "Defending the Song Dynasty: Wars and geopolitics of medieval China," 8-13. Charlotte Wood, "Liturgical or knot?: The use of combs in medieval worship," 14-17. Alice Isabella Sullivan, "Being an artist in the Middle Ages: What we know," 18-21. Robert Jones, "Medieval chivalry in the modern world: An ongoing fascination," 42-43. Karl Gagesch, "The Transylvanian Saxons: Origins, commercials centers, fortifications," 44-49. Murray Dahm, "Dropping your Aitches: The Battle of Hedgeley Moor, 25 April, 1464," 50-53. Kathryn Walton, "A medieval phenomenon: The Alexander Romance," 54-55. Rowdy Geirsson, "Book review: The Viking Eastern Baltic," 56. Jonathan H. Jones, "Bok review: Alfred's Dynasty - How an Anglo-Saxon King and His Family Defeated the Vikings and Created England," 57.
Discovering the true origins of an enigmatic mile-long pattern in Peru’s coastal desert
Vivid frescoes in an opulent dining room celebrate the wild rites of the wine god
This is Varangian’s Newsletter, a newsletter about Medieval stories from Europe's eastern frontier. This is %%publication_name%%, a newsletter about Medieval stories from Europe's eastern frontier.
A Desperate Defense of Constantinople Rumors came first. Merchants sailing down the coast from Sinope said they saw hundreds of ships dotting the beaches near Heraclea, smoke rising in the morning sky. Soon boats of all sizes came from Chrysopolis. I could see them on guard duty, thousands of refugees, fleeing the raiders. They crowded into the
The water rippled faintly in the torch-light. The water rippled faintly in the torch-light. Muffled sounds emanated from beyond the end of the tunnel. The noise grew louder and louder. Those of us inside the tunnel sat silent, breathing through our mouths in fear of the faintest whisper. Daggers and chainmail glinted in the soft orange light. After an eternity, a pick sprouted from the clay at the …
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Norse Ambitions in Eastern Europe and Beyond During the Medieval Period (Part 1) When the Norse exploded out of the stygian Scandinavian woods in the 8th century many sought plunder in the comparatively rich lands of England & France. These lands were ideal since undefended monasteries and prosperous towns sat on the coast or the riverine systems that drained into the North Sea. From these “smash & grab” operations and later settlem…
A private space for us to converse and connect Today I’m announcing a brand new addition to my Substack publication: the Varangian’s Newsletter subscriber chat.
The Reign of Saint Princess Olga, “Equal to the Apostles” (East of Sweden, Pt. 2) Igor, Grand Prince of Kiev and ruler of the Rus, was a ruler of indomitable energy. His forces twice sailed on Constantinople and put it under siege, concluding a favorable treaty with his southern neighbor. Igor’s reign saw the horizons of the Rus expand dramatically. Expeditions were launched into the Caspian Sea & control of the local Slavic tribes w…
Sviatoslav's blood-drenched dream of empire Sviatoslav the Brave was cast in the mold of the old warlords; pagan, ruthless, austere, and ambitious. Sitting as he did at the headwaters of Eurasian trade, Sviatoslav dreamed of following the riverine highways south to the heady Orient, his armies sweeping all before him and forging a global superpower in his image, under the watchful eyes of Perun a…
