Dioskouros of Alexandria, Or the Making of a Church Villain, with Volker Menze
A conversation with Volker Menze about the fifth-century patriarch Dioskouros of Alexandria, what we really know about him, and why he was demonized in the western traditions. A close reading of the Council Acts suggests a different picture: a bishop who thought he was doing right by the established creed and following the directives of the emperor suddenly found himself in the hot seat.
New Medieval Books: The Medieval Clergy, 800-1250
More than 70 sources are translated here to offer readers a look into the lives of priests, bishops and other clergy in the Middle Ages. It is a wide-ranging book, covering topics from how to do baptisms to bishops getting involved in wars.
The Corrupt Archbishop: The Story of Alexander Bicknor
Corruption by powerful officials is a familiar tale throughout history, where men and women succumb to the temptation of greed. One notable instance occurred in the 14th century with an Archbishop of Dublin, who orchestrated an elaborate plot of embezzlement and forgery.
Medieval church building-boom took place in the 12th century, study finds
A recent study looking at the construction history of churches during the Middle Ages has found that a building boom took place in Western Europe during the 12th century.
New Medieval Books: The Borgarthing Law and the Eidsivathing Law
Translations of two law codes that were made in eastern Norway during the fourteenth century. These law codes focus on rules related to the Christian Church, ranging from baptisms to the paying of tithes.
New Medieval Books: Rome and the Invention of the Papacy
A look at how the Papacy in Rome developed in the Early Middle Ages through the Liber pontificalis, a series of biographies of popes. This text is crucial to understanding how the Papacy came to dominate the Christian religion in Western Europe.
Five Warrior Bishops in the Middle Ages
Here are five medieval bishops who, against the expectations of their ecclesiastical positions, found themselves personally involved in actual battles.
Shifty Greeks, Arrogant Latins: Polemical authors and the schism of the Churches, with Alessandra Bucossi
A conversation with Alessandra Bucossi about the text “Against the Greeks” and “Against the Latins” that were produced by writers taking sides in the Schism of the Churches (Rome and Constantinople, of Greek and Latin, or Catholic and Orthodox, as we would call them today). There are many of these texts and they contain fascinating material, but have yet to receive the attention they deserve. Alessandra is our guide through the jungle.
San Clemente: Man, Legend, Church
By Chris Petitt San Clemente is one of the Roman tituli, the twenty-some late antique churches that continue to animate the modern landscape of…
Decoding Divine Enterprise: The Spiritual Affairs of 13th Century Canterbury Cathedral
In understanding the spiritual affairs of Canterbury we may be able to gain a key insight into the role that shrines and altars played in the finances of the cathedral.
New Medieval Books: City of Echoes
This book intertwines the history of Rome and the history of the Papacy, to show how each influenced the other and the legacy they created together.
New Medieval Books: A Constellation of Authority: Castilian Bishops and the Secular Church During the Reign of Alfonso VIII
This book profiles seven bishops from the reign of Alfonso VIII, King of Castile from 1158 to 1214. It examines their careers and what role they functioned in the Castilian government.
Building the Parish Church, 1150-1300
Estimated somewhere between 8000 and 9000 examples, parish churches containing at least some medieval building fabric are ubiquitous in the English landscape.
Jan Hus and the Bohemian Reformation
Before Martin Luther, there was Jan Hus, a Czech firebrand whose death at the stake sparked off a fire that five Crusades could not extinguish.
Going to Church in Medieval England with Nicholas Orme
During the Middle Ages, the church was at the very heart of European society, but how did ordinary people interact with it in their daily lives? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Nicholas Orme about the churchgoing experience of everyday medieval people, how it changed over time, and what it was like to attend a medieval mass.
“Stop the Steal!”: Challenging an election, medieval style
Today, the United States and other democratic countries are dealing with fundamental challenges to their electoral systems. Can events from the year 1378 give us some insights into what is a ‘legitimate’ election?
A Few Ways Medieval Christianity Anticipated the Reformation
While the shift was monumental in many ways, some of the reforms Henry VIII made were actually anticipated in medieval Christianity.
The Antipope Who Became a Saint: Forgery, Heresy, and the Power of Manuscripts
By Riccardo Macchioro In today’s world, people are pretty much accustomed to the concepts of “fake news” and “propaganda” (albeit, we might say,…
Tilly goes to Church: the Medieval and Religious Roots of European State Formation
The single most powerful challenger to kings and emperors in the Middle Ages was the Catholic Church.
The construction and destruction of a saint: Thomas Becket
Diarmaid MacCulloch and Nicholas Vincent explore the meteoric rise to canonisation of Thomas Becket, his subsequent veneration and the destruction of his reputation during the Reformation, in the Tudor period
Good Government: An Important Legacy from the Middle Ages
Corruption, especially in government, is an age-old problem. How did people in the Middle Ages try to solve it?
Geoffrey: the Prodigal Son of Henry II
Geoffrey’s devotion to Henry II and the favored status which saw him rise high in his father’s reign
Did Henry VIII really ‘break’ the Church?
Emma Wells speaking on Henry VIII and the stripping of the altars in English churches.
When England was under Interdict
Under King John’s rule, England was placed under papal interdict for over six years.