@www.medievalists.net@rss-parrot.net
I'm an automated parrot! I relay a website's RSS feed to the Fediverse. Every time a new post appears in the feed, I toot about it. Follow me to get all new posts in your Mastodon timeline! Brought to you by the RSS Parrot.
---
Where the Middle Ages Begin
Site URL: www.medievalists.net
Feed URL: www.medievalists.net/feed
Posts: 47
Followers: 2
Previously Unknown Medieval Chronicle Discovered
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/previously-unknown-medieval-chronicle-discovered/
Published: February 12, 2026 16:50
A newly discovered chronicle from the early eighth century is giving medieval historians a rare new window onto the political shocks and religious debates that reshaped the eastern Mediterranean in the decades before and after the rise of Islam
10 Medieval Studies’ Articles Published Last Month
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/medieval-studies-articles-january-2026/
Published: February 11, 2026 18:22
What’s new in medieval studies? Here are ten open-access articles published in January, which include papers on Christianity in Ethiopia to the Templars in England.
New Online Course: The Americas during the Middle Ages
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/new-online-course-the-americas-during-the-middle-ages/
Published: February 10, 2026 22:20
The Americas during the Middle Ages: 500-1500 CE, is a new online course offering a wider, global perspective on events of the medieval period. Taught by Charlie Presti of Portland Community College, this six-week course begins on February 17th with…
New Medieval Books: The Rose, the Bastard and the Saint King
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/new-medieval-books-the-rose-the-bastard-and-the-saint-king/
Published: February 10, 2026 15:26
One of the lesser-known episodes of the Wars of the Roses was the 1471 attempt by supporters of Henry VI to strike at London and free their captive king. This book is the first full study of that failed siege—and it follows the story through to Henry’s…
British Museum raises ÂŁ3.5 million to purchase Tudor Heart Pendant
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/british-museum-tudor-heart-pendant/
Published: February 10, 2026 14:15
The British Museum has secured the ÂŁ3.5 million needed to acquire the Tudor Heart Pendant for its permanent collection, ensuring the rare 24-carat-gold jewel linked to King Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon will remain on public display.
25 Tips from the Middle Ages
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/25-tips-from-the-middle-ages/
Published: February 8, 2026 15:43
Explore 25 tips from the Middle Ages, featuring practical and sometimes strange medieval advice on health, travel, animals, family life, and everyday living, drawn from medieval sources.
Why the Great Schism of 1054 is a Medieval Myth
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/great-schism-medieval-myth/
Published: February 7, 2026 20:51
Why the Great Schism of 1054 is often misunderstood. Explore how the split between the Catholic and Orthodox churches began centuries earlier, how the filioque controversy and Charlemagne’s imperial ambitions reshaped Christian authority, and why 1054 was…
New Medieval Books: A Medieval Case for Islam’s Superiority
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/new-medieval-books-a-medieval-case-for-islams-superiority/
Published: February 6, 2026 21:36
At the end of the eighth century, the Abbasid caliph sent a letter to the Byzantine emperor. This book presents a new edition and translation of that remarkable text—one of the earliest surviving defences of Islam—offering a rare insight into how its…
Michelangelo drawing sells for $27.2 million
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/michelangelo-drawing-sells-for-27-2-million/
Published: February 6, 2026 19:06
A rare red-chalk drawing by Michelangelo has sold for US $27.2 million at Christie’s in New York, setting a new auction record for the Renaissance artist after around 45 minutes of intense bidding.
The Battle of Verneuil (1424)
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/the-battle-of-verneuil-1424/
Published: February 6, 2026 10:10
After Henry V’s death, the Hundred Years’ War flares back to life as a Franco-Scottish army confronts the English in Normandy. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly dig into the Battle of Verneuil—one of the war’s bloodiest clashes—and why it…
New Medieval Books: Blessed Mary and the Monks of England
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/new-medieval-books-blessed-mary-and-the-monks-of-england/
Published: February 5, 2026 23:07
Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, has long stood at the centre of Christian theology and devotion. This book explores how English monks expressed their reverence for her—and how they held her up as a model for Christian life.
Yuval Noah Harari: From Medievalist to Global Cultural Prophet
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/yuval-noah-harari-from-medievalist-to-global-cultural-prophet/
Published: February 5, 2026 18:11
How did Yuval Noah Harari move from a historian of medieval warfare to one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals? This article explores his path from medieval studies to global cultural prophecy—and the medieval roots of his ideas about…
Symposium “Mappa Mundi: Mapping the Mediaeval World” to Take Place in Toronto
Published: February 5, 2026 15:08
St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto will host Mappa Mundi: Mapping the Mediaeval World, an in-person symposium exploring medieval cartography and how people in the Middle Ages visualized and interpreted their world. The event will take place…
A Murder in Crusader Acre: The Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/assassination-conrad-montferrat/
Published: February 5, 2026 02:24
In 1192, Conrad of Montferrat, Jerusalem’s king-elect, was stabbed to death in crusader Acre—an infamous medieval assassination surrounded by suspects, politics, and mystery.
New Medieval Books: A Crusade Against the Turks as a Means of Reforming the Church
Published: February 4, 2026 18:55
By the end of the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church faced deep and widely recognised crises of authority and reform. This book explores how two hermits responded with a striking proposal: that the pope himself should lead a new crusade as a remedy for the…
“775 – Westphalia”: Exhibition Explores the Origins of Charlemagne’s Imperial Palace
Published: February 4, 2026 18:03
A major exhibition in the German city of Paderborn is using rare manuscripts and archaeology to revisit a turning point in early medieval European history: the moment Charlemagne established a royal base in the region during his long, bitter wars against…
Medieval manuscript lost in World War II returns to Poland
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/medieval-manuscript-lost-in-world-war-ii-returns-to-poland/
Published: February 3, 2026 18:26
A medieval manuscript that vanished in the upheaval of the Second World War has surfaced on the shelves of an American university, and is now heading home to Poland.
The End of the World in Images: The Picture Book of the Life of St John and the Apocalypse
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/picture-book-st-john-apocalypse/
Published: February 3, 2026 03:15
A look at the Picture Book of the Life of St John and the Apocalypse, a richly illustrated late medieval manuscript showing how Revelation was told through images.
New Medieval Books: No Return
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/02/new-medieval-books-no-return/
Published: February 2, 2026 19:21
Usury—the practice of lending money at interest—became a major social flashpoint in western Europe during the Middle Ages. This book traces how resentment of usury fuelled hostility that, in many places, escalated into the expulsion of Jewish communities…
Early Medieval Church in Rome Draws Attention After Fresco Restoration
Published: February 1, 2026 20:38
A recent restoration at Rome’s early medieval church of San Lorenzo in Lucina has drawn attention after claims that an angel in a modern fresco resembles Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Military Education in Early Medieval Europe: Learning from Books
Published: February 1, 2026 17:38
Discover how early medieval commanders were trained using books, manuals, and historical texts—revealing the role of reading in preparing leaders for war, sieges, and logistics.
New Medieval Books: The Forsaken 14th Century
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/new-medieval-books-the-forsaken-14th-century/
Published: January 31, 2026 18:21
The Forsaken 14th Century: A Global History Edited by Ibolya Horváth World History Publishing ISBN: 979-8-90148-349-7 Covering every region of the world, this…
Online Course: The Normans in Europe
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/online-course-the-normans-in-europe/
Published: January 31, 2026 17:02
Explore the development of the Normans in Normandy, England, and the Mediterranean and learn about their political and cultural achievements. The five-week course starts February 7th.
Rules of a Medieval Library
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/rules-medieval-library/
Published: January 31, 2026 03:33
No stealing, no talking, no women – the rules you had to follow in a medieval library!
New Medieval Books: Twenty-Five Women Who Shaped the Italian Renaissance
Published: January 30, 2026 19:38
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Italian women left a clear imprint as rulers, writers, artists, and intellectuals. This book profiles 25 of them, tracing their lives, work, and the worlds they moved through.
Talking Templars: Assassins versus Templars
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/talking-templars-assassins-versus-templars/
Published: January 30, 2026 17:51
The Assassins and the Knights Templar have become two of the most iconic groups of fighters from the period of the Crusades. In recent times, they have been popularised through the video game and movie franchise, Assassin’s Creed. But who were they really…
From Holy War to Heritage: Places to Visit if You Want to Understand the Baltic Crusades
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/places-visit-baltic-crusades/
Published: January 30, 2026 10:05
Stone castles, brick churches, and orderly new towns still line the Baltic coast—evidence of how the Baltic Crusades remade a medieval frontier. Aleksander Pluskowski traces the routes of conquest and conversion through the sites you can visit today.
The Classical Near East, with Kevin van Bladel
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/the-classical-near-east-with-kevin-van-bladel/
Published: January 29, 2026 18:28
A conversation with Kevin van Bladel on his proposal regarding “The Classical Near East,” a constellation of fields defined by the classical literary…
A Medieval Bronze Cross Reunites with Its Lost Mould After 40 Years
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/medieval-bronze-cross-reunites-mould/
Published: January 29, 2026 17:43
An extraordinary archaeological discovery in eastern Germany has reunited a medieval bronze cross with the mould used to cast it—more than four decades after the mould itself was found.
Over 32,000 medieval manuscripts transcribed in four months using AI
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/32000-medieval-manuscripts-transcribed-using-ai/
Published: January 29, 2026 00:11
A new AI-powered tool that has transcribed over 32,000 medieval manuscripts in four months, giving researchers a vast, searchable corpus and new ways to examine historical sources.
David Abulafia, historian of the medieval Mediterranean, passes away
Published: January 28, 2026 06:43
David Abulafia, one of the leading historians of the medieval Mediterranean and the maritime world, has passed away at the age of 76.
New Medieval Books: The Florentine florin
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/new-medieval-books-the-florentine-florin/
Published: January 27, 2026 11:35
This open-access book traces the rise of the Florentine florin, the gold coin first minted by Florence in the mid-thirteenth century. More than a merchant’s currency, it became a monetary powerhouse sought after by traders, kings, and popes alike.
Reading in Byzantium: Literacy, Books, and a World of Texts
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/reading-in-byzantium-literacy-books-and-a-world-of-texts/
Published: January 27, 2026 01:11
In Byzantium, reading wasn’t just private study—it was performed aloud in churches and monasteries, woven into government, and preserved in precious manuscripts. Zoe Tsiami explores who could read, what they read, and how texts shaped everyday life.
Medieval hall discovered in Northern England
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/medieval-hall-discovered-in-northern-england/
Published: January 26, 2026 15:00
Archaeologists working near Skipsea Castle in northern England say a cluster of rare discoveries is reshaping what we know about power, industry, and high-status life in the centuries before the Norman Conquest.
New Medieval Books: Old High German Poetry
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/new-medieval-books-old-high-german-poetry/
Published: January 26, 2026 00:13
Old High German was spoken between the eighth and eleventh centuries, and a small but significant body of its literature has survived. This anthology brings together editions and translations of about a dozen poetic works, spanning subjects from religious…
Montaillou to ICE: The Medieval Roots of Snitching
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/montaillou-to-ice-the-medieval-roots-of-snitching/
Published: January 25, 2026 17:57
Historian Joëlle Rollo-Koster explores how denunciation and “snitching” helped power the medieval Inquisition, and why similar dynamics of reporting and surveillance still matter today.
Hattin and the Templars’ Last Stand
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/hattin-and-the-templars-last-stand/
Published: January 25, 2026 05:55
A look at the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and the Templars’ last stand—desperate charges, the collapse of the crusader army, and Saladin’s revenge.
New Medieval Books: Mongol Invasion against Europe (1236-1242)
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/new-medieval-books-mongol-invasion-against-europe-1236-1242/
Published: January 25, 2026 00:54
The 27 articles in this collection explore the lead-up to, course of, and aftermath of the Mongol campaigns into Rus and Eastern Europe in the mid-13th century, examining one of the period’s most consequential military and political upheavals.
Women Beyond the Cross: Power, Myth, and Agency in the Viking World
Published: January 24, 2026 18:07
Explore how women in the Viking world exercised power and agency through myth, law, and daily life—challenging the idea that medieval society universally confined women to subordinate roles.
The Battle of Dupplin Moor (1332)
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/the-battle-of-dupplin-moor-1332/
Published: January 24, 2026 05:33
Scotland’s in turmoil in the 1330s—and Edward III spots an opening. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly break down the Battle of Dupplin Moor, where tactics, terrain, and timing turn chaos into catastrophe.
New Medieval Books: The Horse in History
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/new-medieval-books-the-horse-in-history/
Published: January 23, 2026 21:40
This collection of 11 essays focuses on the equipment used by people with their horses—from saddles to spurs—while honouring the scholarship of John Clark. Its chapters range widely in time and place, exploring not only gear but also training, folklore,…
Byzantine Monastic Site Found in Upper Egypt
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/byzantine-monastic-site-found-in-upper-egypt/
Published: January 23, 2026 15:20
Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered the remains of what appears to be an integrated residential complex for a Byzantine-era monastic community. Finds from…
When Was Violence Legitimate? Feuds and Just War in Early Medieval Germany
Published: January 23, 2026 01:33
When was violence acceptable in the early Middle Ages? Examining feuds, just war, and how early medieval Germany defined legitimate and illegitimate conflict.
New Medieval Books: Joan of Arc
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/new-medieval-books-joan-of-arc/
Published: January 22, 2026 18:50
Even within her short lifetime, Joan of Arc was already becoming a legend. This book traces how her story has been continually retold—casting her at different times as hero, monster, and saint—and shows why, six centuries on, she remains a powerful icon,…
When were the Middle Ages?
https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/when-middle-ages/
Published: January 21, 2026 13:11
Medieval historians have debated for generations about when the Middle Ages began and ended. Was there a single year that launched the medieval period—and another that closed it?
New Medieval Books: Ming-Dynasty China and the World Along the Silk Road
Published: January 20, 2026 23:11
Across sixteen essays, the author examines the Ming dynasty’s diplomatic and commercial networks, tracing how the “Silk Road” linked China with regions far beyond its borders.
Early Medieval Glass Study Rewrites Venice’s Origins as a Glassmaking Hub
Published: January 20, 2026 15:46
New study of 6th–9th-century glass from Venice shows early use of Syro-Levantine plant-ash glass, recycling of older materials, and wide Mediterranean trade connections.