The Lives of Monks in the Middle Ages
The life of a medieval monk followed a strict pattern. The days consisted of a routine of religious services, manual labour, and sleep,...
Reading the History of the Middle Ages
Despite warnings about reading today's motives into people of the past, it's impossible not to notice that people often, and in large numbers,...
Weapons of Medieval Europe
Medieval knights had many different weapons in their arsenal, but they were all designed to inflict the most damage possible to their opponents...
Animals in Medieval Human History
The seemingly now-separate categories of person and animal have never been stable, but medieval people lived in a shifty world of monsters, manifestations and...
Treatment of Prisoners and Noble Knighthood
Knighthood went through various changes over the centuries. Courtesy was important for protecting knights from mistreatment and ensuring fairness and justice.
During times of...
The Council of Clermont
Pope Urban the Second set in motion the First Crusade with his incendiary call to arms at Clermont in 1095.
The Council of Clermont,...
Historical Beginnings of the Burning Times
The burning times were those years in history when witch executions were at their peak. Scholars now believe the number of lost souls...
History of Medieval Corpse Trials
In a desire to order all things according to God's universal laws medieval communities dragged into its courts all manner of things, even...
The Making of Catholic Saints in the Middle Ages
Medieval beatification and canonization were not always bestowed from Rome, holiness was recognized by communities and authorised by local bishops.
As attested to by...
The Medieval City of Novgorod
Most histories of early medieval Russia, or Rus as it was then called, begin with the coming to Novgorod of the semi-legendary figure, Rurik.
The...