The art of reading in the Middle Ages. UCSB English Broadside Ballad Archive. An Animated Video Shows the Building of a Medieval Bridge: 45 Years of Construction in 3 Minutes. Without massive feats of engineering we rarely notice anymore because they seem so commonplace, the built environments we navigate each day wouldn’t exist.
When we do turn our attention to how the buildings get made, we are met with surprises, curiosities, puzzles, moments of wonder. How much more is this the case when learning about fixtures of cities that are hundreds or thousands of years old, constructed with what we would consider primitive methods, producing results that seem superior in durability and aesthetic quality to most modern structures?
Of course, while modern structures can take months or even weeks to finish, those of a more ancient or medieval age were constructed over decades and repaired, rebuilt, and restored over centuries. Consider the Charles Bridge, which crosses the Vltava (Moldau) river in Prague. Construction began on the famous structure—nearly 1,700 feet (516 meters) long and 33 feet (10 meters) wide—in 1357 under King Charles IV. Via Twisted Sifter.
Take an Aerial Tour of Medieval Paris. Paris is named after the Parisii, a tribe of Celts who settled on a very strategic island in the middle of the Seine sometime around 250 BC.
With a wall and two bridges in and out, the settlement grew and--though conquered by Romans, and threatened by all sorts including Attila the Hun--it evolved into the city of romance and revolution. This fascinating fly-through of Paris circa 1550 AD shows a city in transition. Still very much a medieval town in certain respects, it already has many of the landmarks tourists flock to even now. It begins just outside the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, founded in the 6th Century, and goes down the Seine towards the Palais de la Cité, and under the Pont Saint-Michel. Houses were built along the bridges like this until the 18th and 19th centuries. There’s time to linger on Notre Dame cathedral, and to note that the famed flèche, the spire that was lost in 2019’s fire, had yet to be built. Related Content: New Interactive "Murder Map" Reveals the Meanest Streets of Medieval London.
How dangerous was medieval London? That’s a question that has recently been studied by the University of Cambridge’s Violence Research Center, and they have provided a handy interactive map for our perusal. Just in case we go back in time in a TARDIS or some such machine, we’ll know what parts of the city to avoid. And those parts are...well, most of it, actually. Placecloud. Imagined Medieval Comics Illuminate the Absurdities of Modern Life. In 2005, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture revised its famous food pyramid, jettisoning the familiar hierarchical graphic in favor of vertical rainbow stripes representing the various nutritional groups. A stick figure bounded up a staircase built into one side, to reinforce the idea of adding regular physical activity to all those whole grains and veggies. The dietary information it promoted was an improvement on the original, but nutritional scientists were skeptical that the public would be able to parse the confusing graphic, and by and large this proved to be the case.
Medieval castles. The castle as we know it today was introduced into England in 1066 during the Norman invasion led by William the Conqueror.
After their victory at the Battle of Hastings, the Normans settled in England. They constructed castles all over the country in order to control their newly-won territory, and to pacify the Anglo-Saxon population. Medieval castles. From Corn Laws to cold war, what history can teach us about Brexit. English Reformation, 1534.
The Medieval Masterpiece, the Book of Kells, Is Now Digitized & Put Online. If you know nothing else about medieval European illuminated manuscripts, you surely know the Book of Kells.
“One of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures” comments Medievalists.net, “it is set apart from other manuscripts of the same period by the quality of its artwork and the sheer number of illustrations that run throughout the 680 pages of the book.” The work not only attracts scholars, but almost a million visitors to Dublin every year.
“You simply can’t travel to the capital of Ireland,” writes Book Riot’s Erika Harlitz-Kern, “without the Book of Kells being mentioned. And rightfully so.” What Did the Vikings Eat? Archive shows medieval nun faked her own death to escape convent. A team of medieval historians working in the archives at the University of York has found evidence that a nun in the 14th century faked her own death and crafted a dummy “in the likeness of her body” in order to escape her convent and pursue – in the words of the archbishop of the time – “the way of carnal lust”.
A marginal note written in Latin and buried deep within one of the 16 heavy registers used by to record the business of the archbishops of York between 1304 and 1405 first alerted archivists to the adventures of the runaway nun. “To warn Joan of Leeds, lately nun of the house of St Clement by York, that she should return to her house,” runs the note written by archbishop William Melton and dated to 1318. Professor Sarah Rees Jones, principal investigator on the project, said the story of Joan’s escape, which she and her team discovered last week, was “extraordinary – like a Monty Python sketch”. Where Did the Monk's Haircut Come From? A New Vox Video Explains the Rich and Contentious History of the Tonsure. One might assume from a modern viewpoint that the hairstyles worn by monks arose to deal with male pattern baldness anxiety.
As in the school uniform approach, you can’t single out one person’s baldness when everyone is bald. But this, again, would be a modern view, full of the vanity the tonsured—those with religiously shaven heads—ostensibly vowed to renounce. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the tonsure (from the Latin verb for “to shear”) began as a “badge of slavery” among Greeks and Romans. It was adopted “on this very account” by early monastic orders, to mark the total surrender of the will. Would it surprise you, then, to learn that there were tonsure wars?
London Medieval Murder Map — Violence Research Centre. Numbering the crusades - Karwansaray Publishers Blog. This entry was posted on September 11, 2018 by Peter Konieczny.
Recently I was chatting with a leading medieval historian about writing an article for our upcoming issue on the Seventh Crusade. The historian responded with interest, but also asked me to clarify, which was crusade was that? The answer is not obvious. Map from 1870 showing the routes of the crusaders during first four crusades. Historians have long been numbering the crusades, trying to categorize them into some kind of order. Medieval Fort Building 101.
It’s hard work building a fort…just ask the Ottonians… This Early Medieval dynasty of German kings ruled during the 10th and early 11th century and built a lot of fortresses!
In a six-year period between 929-936, Henry I “The Fowler”, built three dozen fortresses! But why? 16th century stonemason at work Fortresses were built as part of a well planned defensive system. English Historical Fiction Authors: The Medieval Anchoress. By E.M. Powell The Poor Clare Sisters are part of the Franciscan family and the Order has existed for over eight hundred years. They are an austere, contemplative Order, devoting their lives to prayer. A Good Day for a Trebuchet. By Danièle Cybulskie You know you’re a medieval nerd when you walk into a toy store with the intention of getting toys for actual children, and walk out with a build-your-own-trebuchet kit for yourself. Tudor, English and black – and not a slave in sight. Within moments of meeting historian Miranda Kaufmann, I learn not to make flippant assumptions about race and history. Here we are in Moorgate, I say. Is it called that because it was a great hub of black Tudor life?
“You have to be careful with anything like that,” she winces, “because, for all you know, this was a moor. It’s the same with family names and emblems: if your name was Mr Moore, you’d have the choice between a moorhen or a blackamoor. It wouldn’t necessarily say something about your race.” Her answer – meticulous, free of bombast, dovetailing memorable details with wider issues – is typical of her first book Black Tudors: The Untold Story, which debunks the idea that slavery was the beginning of Africans’ presence in England, and exploitation and discrimination their only experience. Tudor, English and black – and not a slave in sight. When were the Middle Ages? Medieval historians have been debating for many years on when were the Middle Ages – was there a year that medieval period began, and was there a year that it ended?
This debate will not be ending soon, so there are no easy answers. The idea that a’Middle Ages’ existed goes back to the seventeenth-century, when some writers mention that term (or its Latin equivalent medium aevum). In devising this term, these writers viewed this period as a kind of failed era between the glorious Roman Empire and their present-day, which they saw as a ‘Renaissance’ or new golden age.
The Middle Ages was often portrayed as a time when there was no learning, no culture and no progress in civilization. Genève, Bibliothèque de Genève, Ms. lat. 33, p. 7r – Book of Hours. 10 New Youtube Videos for Medieval Lovers: From an Old Norse 'Hello' to heckling a knight. Ten new videos on Youtube for your watching pleasure! In the Wake of Death: Socioeconomic Effects of the Black Death in Medieval England. Furnishings of medieval English peasant houses: investment, consumption and life style.
Furnishings of medieval English peasant houses: investment, consumption and life style By Christopher Dyer. 10 Phrases that Originated in the Middle Ages. Some of our most popular phrases have a long history, including some that go back to the Middle Ages. Pudding Lane Productions, Crytek Off The Map. How to make a medieval pen. How to make a medieval pen Video created by English Heritage How to make a medieval pen from English Heritage on Vimeo. 10 New Youtube Videos for Medieval Lovers – Volume 4. Ten videos posted in the last month on Youtube for the medievalist’s viewing pleasure!
Where did “get medieval on your ass” come from? What was life like for a medieval housewife? - History Extra. “A woman’s work is never done!” As my mother used to say in the 1960s, when she cared for our family of five and assorted pets, while working as a school dinner lady. Medieval Grooming Tools. When were the Middle Ages? Can You Solve Alcuin's Puzzles? Can you answer the Riddles of Symphosius? 10 New Youtube Videos for Medieval Lovers - Volume 3. The Noisy Middle Ages. Why the Middle Ages are called the Dark Ages. World cities before globalisation: The European city network, A.D. 1300-1600. Medieval Rules for Jousting. Those who pray, those who work, those who fight. Medieval Clothing and Footwear- 15th Century Women's Turban. Making Manuscripts. Twist - Illustration design service for Corporate, Government, Publishing, Childrens, Maps/Diagrams, by Greg Jackson for Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
A Beginner's Guide to Understanding a Coat of Arms. Heraldry - The Basics by MirusLuna on DeviantArt. Make-Up and Medicine in the Middle Ages. Cheat Sheet to the Medieval Henrys. Education in the Middle Ages. Using Salt in the Middle Ages. 1660: The year that changed everything. A Woman as Leader of Men: Joan of Arc's Military Career. The Peaceful Part of the Norman Conquest of England.
Five Medieval Games to Get You Through Long Winter Nights. Seven Medieval Christmas Traditions. The First Book Reviewer. Surviving Winter in the Middle Ages. Military Orders Knights and Arms Poster by williammarshalstore on DeviantArt. The Princes in the Tower: Did Richard III Do It? You Decide His Innocence or His Guilt Based on the Facts. The Knighting Ceremony: From Squire to Sir. 10 Natural Disasters that Struck the Medieval World.
10 Medieval Short Films. Come One! Come All! Medieval Tournament Announcements. Top 10 Strangest Deaths in the Middle Ages. Medieval Executions: The View from the Scaffold. Tudor, English and black – and not a slave in sight.
The past, present and future of the bubonic plague - Sharon. Historical Body Mechanics: Walk Medieval! Stuff You Missed in History Class. What Happened To Prisoners Of War In Medieval England. A brief history of how people communicated in the Middle Ages. The Black Death: The 14th Century – Sean Twiddy's Bughaus Productions. 10 surprising facts about William the Conqueror and the Norman conquest.
Recreating a Renaissance Song. Building Armies in the Harsh World of Medieval England. Uncovering the African Presence in Medieval Europe. Medieval villagers mutilated the dead to stop them rising, study finds. What You Don’t Know About the Vikings. Why Medieval Castle Staircases Are Always Clockwise - Simplemost. The Vikings at home. City of Death – A Brief History of London and the Plague. Q&A: When and where was the trebuchet invented? An A to Z of the Plantagenet royal dynasty.
What Was the Difference Between Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish Vikings? – Author C.J. Adrien. 10 dangers of the medieval period: plague, famine, violence and childbirth. Medieval London’s worst smells. Surviving Winter in the Middle Ages. Medieval Europe Sources - History Skills Online. Medieval women: what was life like for a housewife in the Middle Ages? Post-Black Death: a ‘golden age’ for medieval women? Medieval Europe. A Medieval Atlas. BBC Bitesize - KS3 History - King John and Magna Carta - Revision 1.
Medieval England. Anglorum - Article Index. Middle Ages Hygiene. Shields, Knights and Heraldry - Make a medieval coat of arms. Introduction to The Middle Ages. Mediaeval Period. Saint-Denis, a town in the Middle Ages.