Watch How European Borders Changed since the Middle Ages

This very cool video was found by <b><a href="https://twitter.com/BeautifulMaps">@BeautifulMaps</a></b>. It shows how the rise and fall of various states in Europe since the mid-twelfth century <iframe width="680" height="510" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uQf-PZWFMzY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Watch How European Borders Changed since the Middle Ages

This very cool video was found by @BeautifulMaps . It shows how the rise and fall of various states in Europe since the mid-twelfth century ...

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9 Most Important Medieval Assassinations

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv31gNNWSvebJstyCbX6Z-UvJBX1AIRoUsZKTwDnV2rgodtCUlnJ0iTY_CCYJUy567KJpJq-9pGo8R0te8mhDhyphenhyphenRHTSgLF882uh7dyYTDbk0DY3eaSxkbc-Xi0vqBsbhDaUqhVP2_L9p4/s1600/url-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv31gNNWSvebJstyCbX6Z-UvJBX1AIRoUsZKTwDnV2rgodtCUlnJ0iTY_CCYJUy567KJpJq-9pGo8R0te8mhDhyphenhyphenRHTSgLF882uh7dyYTDbk0DY3eaSxkbc-Xi0vqBsbhDaUqhVP2_L9p4/s320/url-2.jpeg" width="318" /></a></div>The mythos of the assassin fascinates even as it horrifies. It fascinates because it allows for the actions of one to bring down a corrupt or tyrannical regime that has no avenue of redress for those not in power. It horrifies because the sudden actions of one can threaten an entire nation--or in the case of World War I--the world's stability.<br /><br /> It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our political discourse and disagreement has never been more bitter and divisive. And while it is bad, there have been many periods in history that were equally--if not more--vitriolic and downright nasty. Take the Middle Ages, for one. Not only was it a politically raw and power hungry time, but the average citizen had very little say in matters of government.  <br /><br />Historian Barbara Tuchman suggests this might be attributed to the fact that the Middle Ages was a very young society, with over half the population under 21. Many of the leaders of medieval kingdoms and dynasties were on the tail end of adolescence--or younger. William, Duke of Normandy, later known as William the Conqueror of England, was only seven years old when he became duke. Charles VII of France was 19 when he was crowned king, and Louis I, became Duke of Orleans at the ripe old age of 20. All that power un-tempered by age or wisdom was a heady thing and ripe for abuse. Assassination was an oft-used tool in their arsenal.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robin-lafevers/9-goriest-medieval-assass_b_1403846.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the Huffington Post</a></b>

9 Most Important Medieval Assassinations

The mythos of the assassin fascinates even as it horrifies. It fascinates because it allows for the actions of one to bring down a corrupt o...

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The Magna Carta: an old piece of parchment that made England a nation – let's celebrate it

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfGJagE2zrM6r2TRWRK2FbXQmzA-3FUPM8511rIXfpZeE-M_Iw8_m-MeGNphwqyc_wVg3eGbaBdSE8z6HO30OnBXAK2nftRjyvhd2WQAiU4Azz9fbPGUhXHHruSXurbBhP15mbzTeQdc/s1600/MagnaCarteG_468x578.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfGJagE2zrM6r2TRWRK2FbXQmzA-3FUPM8511rIXfpZeE-M_Iw8_m-MeGNphwqyc_wVg3eGbaBdSE8z6HO30OnBXAK2nftRjyvhd2WQAiU4Azz9fbPGUhXHHruSXurbBhP15mbzTeQdc/s320/MagnaCarteG_468x578.jpeg" width="259" /></a></div>As a nation we take these things for granted. On a recent trip to Lincoln, ostensibly to visit the magnificent medieval cathedral, I found myself alone in a room in the nearby castle where one of only four original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta is kept. There was no queue to get in, no crush of people jostling for a view.<br /><br />Yet in 1939, when this very document was put on show for just six months in the British Pavilion at the World Fair in New York, an estimated 14 million people went to see it. When war broke out, it stayed in America, locked away in Fort Knox for safe-keeping.<br /><br />It was no coincidence that on a recent trip to America, David Cameron was asked while on a talk show to translate the words Magna Carta into English (he failed). Such documents are important to Americans. A trip to the National Archives Building in Washington DC to look at the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights is an essential pilgrimage for any visitor to the capital. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of school children have filed past them.<br /><br />Why don’t we do the same here?<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/9772952/The-Magna-Carta-an-old-piece-of-parchment-that-made-England-a-nation-lets-celebrate-it.html" target="_blank">Click here to read the full article from The Daily Telegraph</a></b>

The Magna Carta: an old piece of parchment that made England a nation – let's celebrate it

As a nation we take these things for granted. On a recent trip to Lincoln, ostensibly to visit the magnificent medieval cathedral, I found m...

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New research on how the Bayeux Tapestry was made

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5stAqz-7tqZ96DPKs_DCUN1o_uheDOdNwqOva5wQBbdWQV9XwQ4wDFKonXa-rNVnBfhSuX29QzMa0OqY9oPoad8yXtlK_34TVH8MhLmWd-cc5qtqs8W-uztC7NNcuoEpTlKtXikYA3o8/s1600/bayeux.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5stAqz-7tqZ96DPKs_DCUN1o_uheDOdNwqOva5wQBbdWQV9XwQ4wDFKonXa-rNVnBfhSuX29QzMa0OqY9oPoad8yXtlK_34TVH8MhLmWd-cc5qtqs8W-uztC7NNcuoEpTlKtXikYA3o8/s320/bayeux.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>A University of Manchester researcher has thrown new light on how the world famous Bayeux Tapestry was made over 900 years ago. Alex Makin –a professional embroiderer who was trained at one the country’s most prestigious institutions – says the same group of people were likely to have worked on the 70-metre-long masterpiece under the same manager or managers.<br /><br />Her conclusion casts doubt on the widely accepted theory that nuns based in different locations across England made the tapestry in nine sections which were then stitched together.<br /><br /><br />However, questions still remain over how many embroiderers worked on the Bayeux Tapestry, which is on permanent display at a museum in Normandy, France, who they were and where their ‘workshop’ or ‘workshops’ were located.<br /><br />From observing the way the stitches overlap on the back of the tapestry, Mrs Makin is also able to say in what order its different parts were sewn. The outlines for individual sections were worked first, and then filled in with colours in a set order.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/11/15/new-research-on-how-the-bayeux-tapestry-was-made/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b><br /><br />

New research on how the Bayeux Tapestry was made

A University of Manchester researcher has thrown new light on how the world famous Bayeux Tapestry was made over 900 years ago. Alex Makin –...

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Who was the mysterious Ælfgyva in the Bayeux Tapestry?

A new theory has been put forward on a mysterious scene in the Bayeux Tapestry that appears to show some sort of sexual scandal that involved a woman named Ælfgyva. Joanna Laynesmith, a medieval historian from the University of Reading offers two possibilities in a new article that appears in the October issue of History Today.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKa1PnIQERCc2mO0jcn2ony3oKs184qpMHhQUSc_kz4E3Wx3hPuej3Mfb4sC2qps9MLIkbeuR91C59mPx5-po1ko53yAga9X-_-5mKAwkDGHJ6jPdQd9Hg3NpH_CtWoMxjf0u_5LVNqU/s1600/bayeux_main2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKa1PnIQERCc2mO0jcn2ony3oKs184qpMHhQUSc_kz4E3Wx3hPuej3Mfb4sC2qps9MLIkbeuR91C59mPx5-po1ko53yAga9X-_-5mKAwkDGHJ6jPdQd9Hg3NpH_CtWoMxjf0u_5LVNqU/s320/bayeux_main2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />In trying to understand ”the million dollar question” as Laynesmith puts it, several different explanations have been attempted.  Laynesmith believes that this Ælfgyva was most likely Emma, who was the wife of two Anglo-Saxon kings - Æthelred the Unready and Cnut, and was the mother of two more – Harthacnut and Edward the Confessor, or that it could be Ælfgyvva, the first wife of Æthelred.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/11/13/who-was-the-mysterious-aelfgyva-in-the-bayeux-tapestry/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b>

Who was the mysterious Ælfgyva in the Bayeux Tapestry?

A new theory has been put forward on a mysterious scene in the Bayeux Tapestry that appears to show some sort of sexual scandal that involve...

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Is ‘Tudor England’ a myth?

The term ‘Tudor’ was hardly used in the 16th Century and its obsessive modern use by historians and writers generally gives us a misleading impression of the period, an Oxford historian has found.<br /><br /> Cliff Davies of Oxford University’s History Faculty and Wadham College scoured official papers, chronicles, poems, plays and pamphlets for the ‘Tudor’ name but found it hardly used as a designation of the monarchy until the last years of Elizabeth’s reign, and even then sparingly.<br /><br /> Of the many poems written to mark the death of Elizabeth and the accession of James I in 1603, only one talks of a change from ‘Tudor’ to ‘Stuart’.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://earlymodernengland.com/2012/06/is-tudor-england-a-myth/" target="_blank"> Click here to read this article from Early Modern England</a></b>

Is ‘Tudor England’ a myth?

The term ‘Tudor’ was hardly used in the 16th Century and its obsessive modern use by historians and writers generally gives us a misleading ...

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How did medieval Europeans deal with Greek debt? They sacked their capital city

Historians of the Fourth Crusade (1202-04) have been seeking explanations why the crusaders decided to sail to the Byzantine capital of Constantinople instead of Egypt. Some believe that the crusaders were tricked into doing it by the Doge of Venice or some other conspirator, while others argue that the decision to go to Constantinople was almost an accident, where unforeseen events led to the crusader army.<br /><br />But Savvas Neocleous, writing in the latest issue of the Journal of Medieval History, states ”the real reason for the diversion to Constantinople in 1203 by the Venetians and the crusaders, and for their subsequent attack on the imperial capital in 1204, was a simpler and, in their minds, increasingly pressing concern: the payment of outstanding debts.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/05/18/how-did-medieval-europeans-deal-with-greek-debt-they-stormed-their-capital-city/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b>

How did medieval Europeans deal with Greek debt? They sacked their capital city

Historians of the Fourth Crusade (1202-04) have been seeking explanations why the crusaders decided to sail to the Byzantine capital of Cons...

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9 Most Important Medieval Assassinations

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WwV2EyGlGKm0fCun9nLxdhWFXo94DAOaiBHT6V-AeLxecFmkggk7FHh9ocOLC50ejSOhvpkw45TQrKbptfEn8f5dgITBfA2LvCL3aoL2wO4rmYx9Xtha2j8Gi3nIg0CoAo0yxWXvnb4/s1600/Assassination_of_the_Duke_of_Burgundy_John_the_Fearless.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WwV2EyGlGKm0fCun9nLxdhWFXo94DAOaiBHT6V-AeLxecFmkggk7FHh9ocOLC50ejSOhvpkw45TQrKbptfEn8f5dgITBfA2LvCL3aoL2wO4rmYx9Xtha2j8Gi3nIg0CoAo0yxWXvnb4/s320/Assassination_of_the_Duke_of_Burgundy_John_the_Fearless.png" width="248" /></a></div>The mythos of the assassin fascinates even as it horrifies. It fascinates because it allows for the actions of one to bring down a corrupt or tyrannical regime that has no avenue of redress for those not in power. It horrifies because the sudden actions of one can threaten an entire nation--or in the case of World War I--the world's stability.<br /><br />It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our political discourse and disagreement has never been more bitter and divisive. And while it is bad, there have been many periods in history that were equally--if not more--vitriolic and downright nasty. Take the Middle Ages, for one. Not only was it a politically raw and power hungry time, but the average citizen had very little say in matters of government.<br /><br />Historian Barbara Tuchman suggests this might be attributed to the fact that the Middle Ages was a very young society, with over half the population under 21. Many of the leaders of medieval kingdoms and dynasties were on the tail end of adolescence--or younger. William, Duke of Normandy, later known as William the Conqueror of England, was only seven years old when he became duke. Charles VII of France was 19 when he was crowned king, and Louis I, became Duke of Orleans at the ripe old age of 20. All that power un-tempered by age or wisdom was a heady thing and ripe for abuse. Assassination was an oft-used tool in their arsenal.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robin-lafevers/9-goriest-medieval-assass_b_1403846.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the Huffington Post</a></b>

9 Most Important Medieval Assassinations

The mythos of the assassin fascinates even as it horrifies. It fascinates because it allows for the actions of one to bring down a corrupt o...

+ Read more »