This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Isabel Moreira about Queen Balthild of Francia, her influence, and her lasting legacy.
Discover how early medieval rulers like Charlemagne organized their wars through meticulous planning and record-keeping, revealing a sophisticated logistical system that kept their armies supplied and ready for campaign.
This book profiles more than forty women associated with the Burgundian court between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, highlighting their influential roles in governance, religion, and the arts.
…and the Tower of London In 1252 Henry III took delivery of a white bear, sent to him as a gift from King Haakon IV of Norway. He decided to keep it in the Tower of London. The bear was either too big or too exciting to be taken to Oxfordshire, where there had been a royal menagerie at Woodstock since Henry I’s reign. What’s more, it needed to fish.
Learn what it takes to be a rogue from Abū Zayd al-Sarūjī, the legendary con man of Maqamat al-Hariri, as translated in Michael Cooperson’s Impostures.
Medieval history has been invoked in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This book brings together five essays examining how the medieval past has been used, interpreted, and contested in this modern conflict. It offers a valuable contribution to the study of medievalism and the politics of historical memory.
In ancient Rome, as throughout the ancient world, people's lives were structured around religious rituals and festivals, they prayed to the gods for guidance, and it was believed the gods even interceded on their behalf. Theme: Religion in ancient Rome Gwynaeth McIntyre, 'Worshipping the imperial family - When religion meets politics'. Stuart McKie, 'Curse tablets in the Roman world - Hidden secrets of ancient magic'. Amber Gartrell, 'Roman worship of Castor & Pollux - The best of brothers'. Laurie Porstner, 'Watching over the family - Roman household gods'. Jen Baird, 'Religious life in Dura-Europos - One town, many faiths'. Features: Jeremy McInerney, 'Centaurs - Wildness and the Greek imagination'. Stephen Hodkinson, 'Classical Sparta - A militaristic society?'. Sem van Atteveld, 'The snail craze - Producing Tyrian purple'. Stephen Roberts, 'Hengistbury Head - A vibrant Iron Age settlement'. Philip Matyszak, 'Widowhood in ancient Rome - Wealth, love, and politics'. Ulla Rajala, 'Peopling the past - Experiencing the Jewry Wall Museum'.
During the Middle Ages, baptism was essential for salvation—but who could perform it? This article explores how the medieval Church balanced clerical authority with the necessity of emergency baptisms by lay people and midwives.
From Greek fire and Damascene steel to the glowing blue of Chartres Cathedral, many medieval inventions remain impossible to reproduce. Discover the lost technologies that continue to puzzle scientists and historians today.
From Tudor art to Renaissance medicine to self-betterment through Stoic virtues The books land on my doormat by the half dozen at the moment. That’s what this bit of the autumn is like. Some of these books I ordered months ago when I first heard about them. Some I didn’t order at all, but kind authors and diligent publicists send them my way.
The eight papers in this book were guided by the question: In the eyes of their makers and viewers, how were medieval images understood to assert or to resist forces of power?
What did people eat in medieval Europe? From papal kitchens to royal courts, two 15th-century sources reveal the favourite foods of Europeans—from cheese soup for the French to liver mash for Hungarians.
