Christmas in the Middle Ages looked quite different than it does today, but gifts still played a role. Read on to find out what gift-giving looked like during the holidays in the Middle Ages.
Revenues and Forces; Government; Protestantism; Personality; Diplomatic Relations This is a long report on the Habsburg dominions of Charles V and Ferdinand I, so I split it into a Part I and Part II. This first part covers Charles V, the second will cover Ferdinand I. I also added section headers (to me, the most interesting sections are Protestantism and Charles V’s Diplomatic Relations with other states).
Discover Bethlehem’s Milk Grotto and its chalky white soil, a medieval Christian relic linked to the Virgin Mary’s milk and used in devotion, healing, fertility, and pilgrimage traditions across Europe.
In 1530, the River Tiber burst its banks, triggering a major flood in Rome. The following year, a scholar named Luis Gómez wrote about the disaster—placing it alongside earlier floods recorded in the city’s history.
A non-definitive list Lots of people seem to be enjoying my little Nativity podcast mini-season, This Is History: A Nativity To Die For. (If you haven’t listened yet, give it a go.)
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Alexander L. Kaufman about how Robin Hood’s legend evolved over time, his transformation into a pantomime favourite, and that time Robin robbed Santa Claus himself.
In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly examine the Battle of Stirling Bridge in Scotland as a clear example of poor generalship. Focusing on the English command’s mistakes, they explore how underestimating William Wallace and the Scottish forces led to disastrous decisions over terrain and timing.
The Death of Mustafa; Description of Aleppo; The Sultan's Entrance; The Sultan at Aleppo; The Campaign This report is pretty long, so I broke it up into sections; the section headers don’t appear in the original report. You can skip the Description of Aleppo and The Sultan’s Entrance sections without losing much context, although I find the Description of Aleppo to be fascinating.
Google's Gemini Nano Bana Pro outperforms ChatGPT 5.1 in generating AI images of a Byzantine Noblewoman from 1060 AD, providing faster, photorealistic results compared to ChatGPT's artistic interpretations. Gemini excels in representing historical context and societal structures accurately, demonstrating the potential of AI to enhance understanding and accessibility of history.
A medieval medical guide reduced healthy living to six simple rules. Explore The Theatre of Health and how its advice on diet, activity, and balance still resonates today.
Explore 12 medieval proverbs about wolves, drawn from Latin sources and translated into English, revealing how medieval writers used the wolf to express moral and social lessons.
Philip the Handsome; Young Charles V; Burgundy; England; Spain Background
