Medieval

"From Pandemic Then Grew Rebellion": Considering the 1381 Revolt of the English Peasantry

by Ed Simon

Whether or not the world which exists on the other side of the coronavirus crisis will be better waits to be seen. Remember that the leaders of the 1381 Peasant's Revolt were captured and executed.

Christian Groups That Resist Public-Health Guidelines Are Forgetting a Key Part of the Religion's History

by Matthew Gabriele

Scholars have shown that a large part of Christianity’s attraction in the Roman world was that it cared for the welfare of the people who were suffering.

What History Can Teach Us About Building a Fairer Society After Coronavirus

Local protests and uprisings against landlords had happened before, but after the Black Death they became more common.

Lead Pollution in Ancient Ice Cores May Track the Rise and Fall of Medieval Kings

Recently, scientists have identified startling spikes of lead deposited in medieval times in Arctic ice cores and in lake sediments in Europe.

Getting Medieval on COVID? The Risks of Periodizing Public Health

by G. Geltner

Pundits have described fighting the pandemic in terms of “medieval” or “modern” approaches. A historian of late medieval public health explains that dichotomy is a false one, and dangerous as well.

Historical Novelists Owe the Truth to Readers–and to History

by Sharon Kay Penman

In insisting upon the importance of historical accuracy in novels, I am also making an argument that novels can add a valuable dimension to the study of history.

What Can the Black Death Tell us About The Global Economic Consequences of a Pandemic

by Adrian R. Bell, Andrew Prescott, and Helen Lacey

There will be winners and losers economically as the current public health emergency plays out.

What the Plague Can Teach Us about the Coronavirus

by Hannah Marcus

The distant past is not our best source of advice for pathogen containment. But it does offer clear lessons about human responses to outbreaks of infectious disease.

Washington Post Reviews King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne by Medieval Historian Janet L. Nelson

Nelson acknowledges that she’s sometimes “approached Charles from unfamiliar angles which can be unexpectedly illuminating.”

No one can read this book, but perhaps now that it’s online someone will figure out how.

It’s the Medieval Voynich Manuscript.

Medieval monks drained wetlands to build

A medieval monastery in Belgium went to major effort to drain wetlands on its land, building structures on artificially raised soil, a new study finds.Archaeologists excavated the Boudelo Abbey, once part of the medieval county of Flanders, in the 1970s. Until now, however, they had no idea that an extensive drained wetland surrounded the site. "They placed these abbeys in all sorts of marginal areas to cultivate," said study researcher Philippe De Smedt, a soil scientist at Ghent University in Belgium. In the High Middle Ages between the 12th and 14th centuries, Europe's population was growing, De Smedt told LiveScience. Monk labor provided a solution to the crowding by making the land livable.... 

1001 nights ‘younger sibling,’ medieval manuscript found, translated

Almost everyone is in some way familiar with the epic “1,001 Nights,” we all know the tale of Sultan Shahryar who, heartbroken by his wife’s infidelity, remarries every night only to kill his new bride at sunrise. This carried on until he married his vizier’s daughter Scheherazade who, gifted with an extraordinary ability to weave exciting stories, manages to save her own life by promising to tell the king a new story every night. Throughout the 100,1 nights readers remain enthralled and entangled in the stories narrated by Scheherazade. The Egypt Independent reported on Thursday that a new collection of stories had come to light and been translated, the 101 nights....

Aberystwyth centre to edit Welsh saints' medieval manuscripts [AUDIO]

New research is beginning into the lives of medieval saints in Wales.The University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies in Aberystwyth has been awarded a research grant of £750,000 to edit medieval manuscripts, and produce an online digital resource for the public....

Rotterdam archaeologists find old shoe stuffed with medieval money

Archeologists in Rotterdam have found an old shoe stuffed with 477 silver coins during excavations behind the town hall. Archaeologists say they have never before found a shoe filled with money, which ranges in dates from 1472 to 1592. On theory is that the owner of the shoe hid it under floorboards to protect it during the 80 Years War (1568-1648)....

Medieval secrets revealed in Norwich Cathedral

A new archaeology project has begun to bring to light hundreds of secretive inscriptions that have lain hidden on the walls of Norwich Cathedral for many centuries. Although the survey volunteers have already identified many dozens of medieval inscriptions within the cathedral they have discovered that just as many inscriptions relate to later centuries. During the English Civil War the cathedral was reputedly used as a stable by Roundhead troops, who were notorious for defacing religious buildings, and the walls appear to bear testament to this turbulent time. In many areas of the building it is still possible to clearly make out long lists of names and initials, all with dates that link them to this period....