Where the Middle Ages Begin
Surrounded by rivals on every frontier, the Byzantine Empire of the tenth century relied on far more than battlefield victories to survive and expand. George Theotokis explores how emperors and diplomats used strategy, alliances, bribery, fortifications, and warfare to navigate a dangerous geopolitical world stretching from the Balkans to the Middle East.
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.
Surrounded by rivals on every frontier, the Byzantine Empire of the tenth century relied on far more than battlefield victories to survive and expand. George Theotokis explores how emperors and diplomats used strategy, alliances, bribery, fortifications, and warfare to navigate a dangerous geopolitical world stretching from the Balkans to the Middle East.
Archaeologists in Germany have uncovered a rare medieval notebook in a Paderborn latrine, preserving 700-year-old wax tablet writings that may reveal the life of a medieval merchant.
If you are interested in the connections between Christian and Islamic cultures in the Middle Ages, physical objects can reveal remarkable stories of exchange and interaction. This book brings together ten essays exploring the materials, artifacts, and goods that moved between these two societies, shedding light on the cultural ties that linked the medieval Mediterranean world.
Explore how medieval literature built the Arthurian legend, from early Welsh tales and Geoffrey of Monmouth to Chrétien de Troyes and Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur.
Archaeology, photography, and art come together in a new book covering death and burial in the Viking Age. Terri Barnes reviews a visually striking work that transforms Viking funerary customs into reflections on memory, loss, and mortality.
Discover 25 great quotes from the Middle Ages, featuring medieval writers, rulers, philosophers, and thinkers from across the medieval world.
Why is the Avignon Papacy still seen as a symbol of weakness and political captivity? Joëlle Rollo-Koster explores how a medieval “Black Legend” became a powerful modern myth.
This paper by Richard Utz was delivered at this year’s International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University.
Archaeologists in Norway have uncovered hundreds more coins from the Mørstad Hoard, now the country’s largest-ever Viking Age coin discovery, shedding new light on medieval trade and iron production.
In the Early Middle Ages, a monk named Hyperechios composed a collection of 160 sayings intended to guide Christians, especially those pursuing an ascetic life. This book presents a new edition and translation of these writings.
Byzantine iconoclasm sparked riots, persecutions, and political turmoil as emperors, monks, and ordinary believers fought over the role of sacred images in the medieval Roman Empire.
A remarkable new study argues that Vikings may have supplied rare Arctic falcons to the rulers of the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate, creating a trade network that stretched from Iceland to Baghdad in the ninth century.
Charles the Bold was building his Duchy of Burgundy into a European power when he faced the Old Swiss Confederacy. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly talk about the Battle of Grandson, a key event of the Burgundian Wars.
Medieval religious images may have been designed to evoke sound in the minds of viewers, according to a new study examining the Harley Roll, a medieval English scroll depicting the life of Saint Guthlac.
A corrupt horse rises from a stable to the royal palace, winning the admiration of kings, clergy, and courtiers alike. Sonja Maurer-Dass tells us about Le Roman de Fauvel, one of the sharpest political satires of the Middle Ages, exposing the greed, ambition, and moral decay they saw in fourteenth-century France.
Did medieval people drink water? Explore the myth that people in the Middle Ages avoided water, and discover what medieval texts, city records, and religious writings reveal about drinking habits.
Did medieval kings really lose control over fortress-building after the collapse of the Roman Empire? David Bachrach explores how rulers in the Carolingian…
Discover ten open-access medieval studies articles published in April 2026, featuring new research on archaeology, genetics, trade, kingship, literature, and the strange world of smells.
Medieval peasants made up the vast majority of Europe’s population during the Middle Ages, yet their lives were far more varied than many people imagine. Lucie Laumonier shows how from farming and village life to serfdom and social tensions, medieval peasants played a central role in shaping medieval society.
The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture explores the legends of King Arthur from the early Middle Ages to modern media in a major new two-volume publication co-edited by Raluca Radulescu.
Spring has arrived, and so has our biggest Medieval Studies Online Courses sale of the season! For a limited time, get 15% off any course — live or self-paced!
A conversation with Charlie Kuper about the Menologion of Basil II, a lavishly illustrated manuscript pairing brief notices about the saints with images of them and their ordeals, arranged according to the liturgical calendar.
Discover how ambassadors were chosen, tested, and trained in the medieval Islamic world through the writings of Ibn al-Farrāʾ, whose rare treatise reveals the art of diplomacy shaped by Iranian and Byzantine traditions.
A new historical role-playing game is aiming to immerse players in the realities of late medieval Europe, allowing them to step into the lives of more than a thousand real historical figures from the era of the Hundred Years’ War.
If you are interested in the connections between Christian and Islamic cultures in the Middle Ages, physical objects can reveal remarkable stories of exchange and interaction. This book brings together ten essays exploring the materials, artifacts, and goods that moved between these two societies, shedding light on the cultural ties that linked the medieval Mediterranean world.
Charles the Bold was building his Duchy of Burgundy into a European power when he faced the Old Swiss Confederacy. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly talk about the Battle of Grandson, a key event of the Burgundian Wars.
A conversation with Charlie Kuper about the Menologion of Basil II, a lavishly illustrated manuscript pairing brief notices about the saints with images of them and their ordeals, arranged according to the liturgical calendar.
A conversation with Nicole Eddy about the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, one of the most important publishing ventures of recent times when it comes to medieval texts and literature.
A conversation with Beth Digeser about pedagogy, specifically about what we are hoping to accomplish by teaching Roman history.
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.