medieval-history

One of the most important surviving Anglo-Saxon royal seals, belonging to Edward the Confessor, was thought to be lost after it went missing 40 years ago. CA reports on newly published research which describes the circumstances of the object’s rediscovery and offers illuminating insights into its innovative imagery.

Strap-ends from belts and other attachments are common finds from the early medieval period. This example was found by Cotswold Archaeology during an excavation in the market town of Halesworth in Suffolk

In honor of the 700th-anniversary founding of the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria Pedralbes in Barcelona, scientists opened eight 14th-century graves and studied the 25 people found inside, including a queen.

Construction workers cracked open the ground for a new building and pulled out a 660-year-old secret that is rewriting what historians thought they knew about medieval seafaring.

Ninth-century Carolingian coins from the reigns of Louis the Pious and Charles the Bald are not the sort of objects you would expect to find on a remote farm on the Isle of Anglesey, so, when metal-detectorists began reporting these and other exceptional artefacts from the early medieval period, the National Museum of Wales (now Amgueddfa Cymru) sent Mark Redknap, then Curator of Medieval and Lat…

The news that the Bayeux Tapestry will be making a once-in-a-lifetime visit to Britain from September 2026 until July 2027 made me think about sites associated with the Norman Conquest that might be of interest to the readers of Current Archaeology

The Vinland Map has been the subject of intense debate since its discovery in the 20th century. The map appears to show parts of Europe, Asia, and a landmass labeled “Vinland,” which some believe represents North America. Vinland is mentioned in Norse sagas as a land explored by Vikings, including Leif Erikson , around the year 1000. If the map is authentic, it would suggest that Europeans knew a…

Newly opened exhibitions at Dock X, London, and Leeds Castle, Kent, include AI technology that brings the past to life in a startlingly personal way, offering interactive audiences with medieval queens: one from Viking Age Scandinavia and the other from 13th-century England. Carly Hilts reports.

Volcanic eruptions in the mid-1340s triggered a chain of events that brought the Black Death to Europe.

Today I’m pleased to be hosting a guest post looking at the origins of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. This is a topic that comes up quite a lot on this blog, as it’s right in my era of expertise, so I’m happy to hear from Talia. Talia is a 19-year-old self-taught future historian focused on Medieval England and the Crusades. She’s the founder of the History with Talia Substack…

It’s been a little while since I’ve written about a castle, despite the plethora of incredible castles in England where I live, let alone ones further afield. Last month I visited Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to pick this series back up! Pontefract Castle was one of the most important in the country throughout the medieval period, up until its destruct…

For this first post of 2025, I am pleased to introduce this guest post by Jeb Smith. Jeb Smith has authored four books. His most recent is Missing Monarchy: Correcting Misconceptions About The Middle Ages, Medieval Kingship, Democracy, And Liberty. Previously he published The Road Goes Ever On and On: A New Perspective on J. … Continue reading The Papacy During the Middle Ages, guest post by Jeb …

I am really excited to finally reveal the details of my next book! Coming October 2024 (November 2024 for my US followers) is my third history book, Women in the Middle Ages: Illuminating the World of Peasants, Nuns, and Queens. I cannot wait for this beautiful book to be out in the world! Something of […]

In this latest guest post, I am very excited to welcome author and medieval historian, Sharon Bennett Connolly. You can view her own history blog by clicking the following link Isabel de Warenne was the only surviving child of William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Warenne and Surrey, and his wife Ela de Talvas. When her … Continue reading Isabel and Hamelin de Warenne: a 12th century power couple, Gues…

It is a well-rehearsed fact that in the medieval period princesses were political currency, pawns who were married off to foreign strangers as small children and were expected to fulfil their duty with grace and without complaint. But one woman who defied these expectations that we hold of medieval royalty was Isabella of Woodstock, the […]

Historian Peter Jones on the seven liberal arts, first textbooks and drinking as part of the student culture The post Student Life in the Medieval Universities first appeared on Serious Science .

Historian Peter Jones on monastic education, cathedral schools and apprenticeship in the Middle Ages The post Education in the Middle Ages first appeared on Serious Science .

One of the most famous writers from the medieval period is Geoffrey Chaucer. He lived between the 1340s and 1400 and most famously wrote The Canterbury Tales. He was also the first writer to be buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. However, he had a granddaughter named Alice who was born a few years […]

This week we are taking another trip through a medieval author, this time the Occitan noble and troubadour Bertran de Born. This trip ought to be read closely with our trip through, Dhuoda of Uzès, as both exemplify the values and thinking of the medieval European aristocracy (though note that Dhuoda writes some 350 years … Continue reading Collections: A Trip Through Bertran de Born (Martial Val…

This week, we’re taking another trip, this time through a medieval author, in this case looking at a selection of passages from Dhuoda of Uzès, Duchess of Septimania’s Liber Manualis (“Handbook”) for her son William and discussing the model of noble relationships it presents. Dhuoda is a fascinating figure both for the ways she is … Continue reading Collections: A Trip Through Dhuoda of Uzès (Car…