Medieval History » Entries tagged with "medieval"
The English Rebel: One Thousand Years of Troublemaking … By David Horspool
I am eager to read this book, part of me hopes it is a lot like Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the United States. The book praises the rebels and the downtrodden, and without them the world would unmistakably be a very different place. It is the courage of the ‘rebels’ that produce change in any country in the world throughout history. Review by Jackie Wullschlager History belongs to the victors – or as Sir John Harington … Read entire article »
Filed under: Literature
13th Century Shipwreck Sheds New Light On Medieval Trade
The Engelskär wreck was discovered in 1996. The wreck is lies only in 10 feet of water and is surprisingly unmolested. The exciting thing about this wreck is that the archeologists are finding several whole remains of medieval artifacts that are usually found elsewhere are but fragments of entire pieces they are extracting from this shipwreck. “We have some wrong pre-conceptions about maritime history. In the Middle Ages, the sea was the superhighway … Read entire article »
Filed under: Archaeology, Featured
Little Red Riding Hood, A History.
This morning, Variety reports that Leonardo DiCaprio has bought the movie rights for Little Red Riding Hood and plans to make it into a “Gothic reimaging” of the fairy tale. It is said that David Leslie Johnson will write the script. What does this have to do with medieval history? Not too much, but I thought this news was a great excuse to research and write about the origins of this popular story. The most popular … Read entire article »
Filed under: Literature
War Of The Roses: Part 2
When we left off with Part 1 of The War of the Roses, Henry IV had supplanted Richard II and made himself King through both solid administration and military prowess. Henry IV had a son, Henry V, who maintained the realm through the same means as his father. Henry V was best known for being a great soldier and his military successes against France in the Hundred Years’ War. This gained him enormous popularity throughout medieval war … Read entire article »
Filed under: Medieval History, War History, War of the Roses
Happy Birthday, John Calvin!
500 years ago, on July 10 in the year 1509, John Calvin was born in Noyon, Picardy, France. John Calvin (10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564), né Jean Cauvin, was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he suddenly broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1520s. After … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Reformation
11th Century Remains Found in Cambridge University
It is still amazing how often things like this keep appearing in the news. The items found during a recent archaeological dig in Cambridge include Roman Pottery and other Anglo-Saxon remains. Richard Newman of the Cambridge Archaeological Unit said: “The site has enabled us to prove what we previously had no proof for – that by the time of the Norman Conquest there was a thriving settlement in the middle of Cambridge.” The dig has reached what would … Read entire article »
Filed under: Archaeology, Medieval History
Edward, the Black Prince
My previous post on the War of the Roses made me want to go a little further back in time, so I chose to do a little more research on Edward Prince of Wales or, more recently, “‘The Black Prince.” I have to sorrowfully admit it was the catchy name that, well, caught my attention. Much to my disappointment, however, it is highly unlikely that Edward was ever referred to as The Black Prince during his lifetime. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Medieval History, Medieval People, War of the Roses
Ancient Cornish Castle Damaged by Vandals (21st Century Vandals, Not the Other Ones)
Anger! I’d give my left foot to get a look at this castle in person. Well, okay, maybe my left hand, because I’d still like to be able to comfortably walk around it, but I digress! The BBC reports: “The offenders struck in the early hours of Sunday and pulled a number of large stones from the wall of the Great Hall at Launceston Castle. English Heritage, which maintains and runs the castle on behalf of the Duchy of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Medieval History
War of the Roses: Part 1
I decided today that if there is no pertinent news relating to medieval history, I will choose a topic of my own interest instead. Read on if you wish; disregard if you don’t. Either way, I am having fun writing . The War of the Roses is generally known to have taken place between 1455 and 1487. However, I like to start a little earlier than that. Let us go back to 1399, and the slight … Read entire article »
Filed under: Medieval History, War History, War of the Roses
Skeleton Reveals Violent Life and Death of Medieval Knight
And you thought pro athletes had it bad. It turns out that wounds once thought by Archaeologists to have been fatal were actually something these knights lived with. The scary part is that the fatal blow was delivered across his face while he was lying on the ground. Another juxapostion of the real history of “valiant knights” and the history portrayed in stories and media. Archaeologists believe that bones found in an ancient chapel on the site are those … Read entire article »
Filed under: Medieval History, War History