Origins of April Fools Day
April Fools Day is known as a day for practical jokes and pranksters. The holiday dates back several centuries to the Middle Ages.
For...
Martyrs
Martyrs exist in all three biblical religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). The most formalized of the three, Christianity, has created a hierarchy of saints,...
Breaking Medieval Myths: Swords
After disappearing from military significance after the widespread development of firearms, swords saw a rebirth in popularity with the advent of film. Actors like...
The History and Customs of February 14th
Millions of people celebrate this holiday this loved ones. Here is a look at why.
Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Love it or...
Peeping Tom, Upper Crust and Other Sayings
Who hasn’t referred to the ‘real McCoy” or called someone nosy a ‘Peeping Tom’. Not surprisingly, all these saying have a historical background –...
The Invention that Changed Europe
Europe in the early Middle Ages was a place as Thomas Hobbes once said, where the lives of people were “nasty, brutish and short.”...
Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, the Dutch Barbary Pirate
Janszoon’s transformation into Murat reis took place after he was captured by the Barbary pirates during a raid on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands....
The Cycle of the Medieval Year: The Medieval Church Calendar
The major festivals such as Advent, Christmas and Easter were the highlights of a calendar which developed during the Middle Ages and would be...
The Byzantine Empire
Constantinople was the old Roman Empire’s eastern capital and it was built on the Byzantium’s Greek port. When the western part of the Roman...
Ancient Blessings: The Forgotten Contribution of the Monks
When Rome fell it left devastated land behind it. author Martin Palmer observes that by the fifth century much of North West Europe was...