Where the Middle Ages Begin
Forests were at the heart of medieval life, supplying everything from fuel and building materials to grazing land and industrial resources. Danny Lake-Giguère examines how rulers in Normandy developed increasingly sophisticated systems to regulate, protect, and profit from these vital landscapes.
What everyday objects did people use in the Middle Ages? From clothing and household necessities to tools for work and warfare, these 25 medieval items were essential to daily life and shaped how people lived, ate, and survived.
Delve into the pivotal figures of the Middle Ages whose enduring legacies shaped the course of history. From visionary leaders and profound scholars to prolific writers and formidable warriors, these individuals left an indelible mark on medieval society.
Discover the 50 most significant events of the Middle Ages, spanning the years 500 to 1500.
Here are seven vivid facts about colour in the Middle Ages
In medieval times, many unique jobs, such as Ale-wife and Groom of the Stool, were essential but have since vanished. Discover these obsolete occupations and how historical changes led to their disappearance.
Are you wanting to talk more like someone from the Middle Ages? We have a list of 30 great sayings and proverbs that you can use in your conversations.
Have you wondered what a medieval king did on a typical day? Thanks to Christine de Pizan, we have an account of what daily life was like for King Charles V of France.
Some of our most popular phrases have a long history, including some that go back to the Middle Ages.
Want to know what kind of jobs there were in the Middle Ages? A unique source from the 15th century gives us some beautiful images of medieval people at work.
Forests were at the heart of medieval life, supplying everything from fuel and building materials to grazing land and industrial resources. Danny Lake-Giguère examines how rulers in Normandy developed increasingly sophisticated systems to regulate, protect, and profit from these vital landscapes.
How large did an army need to be to successfully storm a fortified town in the early Middle Ages? David Bachrach uses the Burghal Hidage to uncover what this remarkable document reveals about the scale of assault forces and the realities of medieval siege warfare.
Explore 12 strange magical beliefs from the Middle Ages, from werewolves to love spells, based on an 11th-century penitential handbook.
Zoe Tsiami on how Byzantine court etiquette turned imperial rule into political theatre, using ritual, symbolism, and spectacle to project power and reinforce hierarchy.
Averil Cameron, one of the most influential historians of the Byzantine world and a scholar whose work reshaped the study of late antiquity, has passed away at the age of 86.
Though often regarded as one of the most important battles of the Middle Ages, the Battle of Tours remains shrouded in uncertainty. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly explore the limited evidence to uncover where the battle may have been fought and what might have taken place there.
This hagiographical work recounts the life of Othmar, the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Gall. It describes his leadership, his imprisonment and death, and the miracles later attributed to him.
Norway is investing millions of kroner to preserve medieval ruins and timber buildings, funding conservation projects and traditional craftsmanship across the country.
Archaeologists in southern France have uncovered a medieval cemetery with over 200 graves and the remains of a basilica in Valence, shedding new light on the city’s early Christian past.
A cache of silver objects buried more than a thousand years ago has been uncovered along the banks of the Schlei in northern Germany, offering a glimpse into the economic and cultural networks of the early medieval world.
A conversation on three twelfth-century heresiological texts, the challenges of publishing and studying them, and the ways their central concerns can be presented in a museum exhibition.
Explore how medieval chess, polo, and other pastimes connected cultures in Game On!, a new exhibition at Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum.
A new genetic study is reshaping how we understand medieval Ibiza, revealing that this small Mediterranean island was deeply connected to a vast world stretching from Europe to North Africa and even the Sahel.
Judas was one of the most troubling figures in medieval Christian thought, not simply as Christ’s betrayer but as a symbol of despair, envy, and damnation. Lorris Chevalier explores how medieval writers turned him into a full anti-hero, reshaping a brief biblical figure into one of the era’s most powerful moral myths.
A medieval mass grave discovered near Cambridge may be linked to conflict on the frontier between English and Viking kingdoms. Among the dead is an exceptionally tall young man who survived trepanation, an ancient procedure in which a hole was cut into the skull.
A rare medieval gold object found by a Newcastle University student in Northumberland will go on display in a new treasures exhibition at the Great North Museum: Hancock
David Bachrach on how church leaders played a crucial role in defending medieval Germany, organizing fortifications and mobilizing communities under the Ottonian rulers.
For the uninitiated, the rituals, prayers, and music of the Catholic Church can seem difficult to understand. This book provides an accessible introduction to liturgy in Western Europe, showing what these rituals were meant to convey from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Timur Khan explores the Qalandar-nama, a medieval Persian text attributed to Abdullah Ansari, and the challenges of tracing its manuscripts and authorship.
Researchers at Winchester Cathedral are using DNA, radiocarbon dating, and osteology to uncover the identities of medieval kings and bishops buried in its mortuary chests.
In the ancient and medieval worlds, blacksmiths had to transform raw iron ore into workable metal. This book provides a practical guide to that process, focusing on the use of a furnace known as a bloomery.
How did an early medieval tribe give its name to gothic architecture, literature, and music? Discover the surprising origins of the Gothic style.
Scientists confirm that the remains in Magdeburg Cathedral belong to Otto the Great, using DNA, archaeology, and scientific analysis to identify the medieval emperor.
A Viking high seat has been recreated in Trondheim, offering new insights into power, farming, and daily life in early medieval Norway.
This hagiographical work recounts the life of Othmar, the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Gall. It describes his leadership, his imprisonment and death, and the miracles later attributed to him.
Though often regarded as one of the most important battles of the Middle Ages, the Battle of Tours remains shrouded in uncertainty. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly explore the limited evidence to uncover where the battle may have been fought and what might have taken place there.
A conversation on three twelfth-century heresiological texts, the challenges of publishing and studying them, and the ways their central concerns can be presented in a museum exhibition.
On Byzantium & Friends, a conversation with Alessandra Bucossi on the preoccupation with heresy in the twelfth century, which resulted in the production of a number of massive anti-heretical treatises.
A conversation with Marica Cassis about the archaeological study of the east Roman world and how it interfaces with traditional, text-based historiography. What can archaeology see and what not? What challenges has it faced to emerge as a field and what are the prospects that it faces today?
A conversation with Alicia Walker on the pseudo-Arabic inscriptions that appear on a number of tenth- and eleventh-century churches in Greece, most notably at the monastery of Hosios Loukas. What did the Arabic script signify in Orthodox culture at the time if not tension with Islam?
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 mattered.