With a typical ghastly Halloween fast approaching, undoubtedly many of our noble listeners are contemplating getting plastered in a public house and acting like a ergot-possessed French villager of the 16th century. Oh sure, when you were a youngster, this was not your wont. Rather you'd dress up as a witch or a pirate, or… Continue reading Witches’ costumes resemble those of medieval beer-makers! BURN THEM!!!
Category: Blog
9 medieval battles that were even more significant than Agincourt? Say it ain’t so!
My lords! Duchesses! Hear ye! Yesterday was the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt where Henry V of England (who had a really stupid haircut) used his ridiculous Lloyd Christmas-hairded longbow men to great effect and defeated a much larger army of French knights who undoubtedly died, one and all, with really stupid haircuts.… Continue reading 9 medieval battles that were even more significant than Agincourt? Say it ain’t so!
Unleash the Utrecht Psalter!!! (and the Kraken too, I suppose – he needs the exercise)!!!!
Fellow medievalists, Just today the Utrecht Psalter went on display at the Museum Catharijneconvent, open to the public! Normally it is kept in a controlled and secluded atmosphere so the likes of you can't see it. This renowned Psalter is from the period of about 830 (Carolingian Period) and includes the art work of nine separate… Continue reading Unleash the Utrecht Psalter!!! (and the Kraken too, I suppose – he needs the exercise)!!!!
Medieval maps – fabulous, inaccurate, and awful nice for to look at
Here are some splendid medieval maps. http://www.medievalists.net/2013/07/28/ten-beautiful-medieval-maps/ While they might sometimes be inaccurate, and even downright silly, nobody can possibly say that all of them are simple T maps, with Jerusalem at the center. Some of them, like the map of Scandinavia, are verging on the accurate. Others of these maps depict cities and such.… Continue reading Medieval maps – fabulous, inaccurate, and awful nice for to look at
Alas, the Mona Lisa… I knew her, Horatio!
Some researchers in Italy are excitedly announcing that they may have, at last, found the bones of the real life Mona Lisa who posed for Leonardo da Vinci back in the 1500s. They found some fragments in a convent where she is thought to have retired after a brilliant career of sitting around, smiling in… Continue reading Alas, the Mona Lisa… I knew her, Horatio!
42 Old English Insults
Has anyone ever called you a drate-poke? Has anyone ever pointed in your general direction, saying, "Be off with you, you fopdoddle!" ?? Have you ever had to endure the hurt of being called a saddle-goose? If you have escaped these misfortunes, then count yourself lucky. In medieval England, nasty insults of this kind were… Continue reading 42 Old English Insults
Your DNA is teaching us about medieval history! Who knew your DNA was such a brainiac?
I don't know if you know this, but your DNA, Kyle, has been teaching a lot about history lately. It turns out DNA studies can confirm some of the details about mass migrations recorded in the history books. For instance, the so-called barbarian invasions and all the resulting admixture show up as a lot of… Continue reading Your DNA is teaching us about medieval history! Who knew your DNA was such a brainiac?
The Middle Ages Were Fun!
Another article that speaks well of the merry old Middle Ages, deploring our use of the term "medieval" to convey something barbaric like the time people fought in Walmart over Tickle-Me Elmos and it was caught on video and posted on Youtube! Not so, says the writer. Not so. The Middle Ages were actually a… Continue reading The Middle Ages Were Fun!
A Big Hug to All of You!
The Giant Snail Conspiracy ‘Unveiled’
The people at the Mirror continue to do cutting edge medieval scholarship and continue to release findings that the stodgy academics don't want you to know! In this article, they consider the possibility that medieval snails were as big as humans because margin doodles in medieval manuscripts sometimes show humans battling giant snails. Check the… Continue reading The Giant Snail Conspiracy ‘Unveiled’
