#doom-the-dark-ages

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History
fromMedievalists.net
8 hours ago

New Medieval Books: Flattening the Medieval Earth - Medievalists.net

The myth of medieval flat earth originated around 1600, contrary to the belief that medieval people thought the Earth was flat.
fromThe Conversation
18 hours ago

The enduring legacy of medieval Christian depictions of Islam in today's political discourse

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson described Iran's majority faith tradition, Shiite Islam, as a 'misguided religion' while discussing the ongoing U.S. strikes against Iran on March 4, 2026.
Philosophy
History
fromMedievalists.net
3 days ago

Burghal Hidage and Assault Forces in Medieval Siege Warfare - Medievalists.net

The Burghal Hidage reveals that an army needed significant numbers to effectively storm fortified towns in early medieval Europe.
History
fromwww.theguardian.com
6 days ago

The Black Death by Thomas Asbridge review a medieval horror story

The Black Death was the most lethal natural disaster in history, killing about 100 million people and affecting the entire medieval world.
History
fromOpen Culture
1 week ago

How Everything in a Medieval Castle Worked, from Its Moats to Its Dungeons

Medieval castles were complex structures designed for defense, featuring elements like barbicans, moats, and parapets.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 week ago

How Church Leaders Helped Defend Medieval Germany - Medievalists.net

Church leaders in Ottonian Germany were responsible for organizing defenses and mobilizing communities to protect the kingdom.
Games
fromKotaku
1 month ago

Medieval Sim 1348 Ex Voto Hit With Absurd Anti-Woke Conspiracy

1348 Ex Voto received low critical scores and faced online backlash over lesbian romance content, with conspiracy theories falsely claiming government funding was used to promote LGBTQ+ representation.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 weeks ago

New Medieval Books: Light on Darkness - Medievalists.net

Liturgy is central to Western cultural history, rich in artistic expression and emotional depth, influencing society for over a thousand years.
Video games
fromKotaku
1 month ago

All-Time Classic Dark Messiah Of Might & Magic Is Being Saved

Ubisoft is supporting modders in porting Dark Messiah of Might & Magic to the latest Source engine, with assistance from Valve and direct code access provided to the development team.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 weeks ago

Medieval Goths and Goth Music: The Surprising Connection - Medievalists.net

The Goths influenced modern goth music, linking a historical Germanic tribe to contemporary cultural styles.
fromThe Conversation
1 month ago

Notions of 'Christendom' often miss the mark - medieval Europe's ideas about faith and power were not so simple

Some citizens might see themselves as Christian nationalists simply because they are Christian and patriotic. Others, however, assert that the United States is rightfully a Christian nation that ought to be governed by Christian leaders, ethics and laws. As a historian, I'm aware that Christian nationalism relies upon a selective and often distorted view of American history.
Philosophy
History
fromMedievalists.net
3 weeks ago

The Size of Armies in Early Medieval Warfare - Medievalists.net

The size of early medieval armies remains debated, with some scholars arguing for small warbands while others suggest larger fighting forces existed.
History
fromMedievalists.net
3 weeks ago

When Charlemagne Became a Thief: A Medieval Tale Retold - Medievalists.net

Charlemagne's legacy includes tales of his youth, notably an adventure involving a thief named Basin, showcasing his character and moral lessons.
Video games
fromKotaku
1 month ago

Ubisoft Confirms Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remake Is Real

Ubisoft officially confirms Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag remake titled 'Black Flag Resynched' with concept art reveal and teases future franchise plans.
Science
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

Unlocking the secrets of an ancient plague

A single strain of Yersinia Pestis bacteria killed hundreds of people in 7th-century Jerash within days, revealing the rapid spread and lethality of the Plague of Justinian pandemic.
History
fromMedievalists.net
3 weeks ago

Medieval Chess Reveals a More Diverse Middle Ages, Study Finds - Medievalists.net

Medieval chess functioned as a rare intellectual arena where people from different cultures and races engaged as equals, challenging assumptions about rigid medieval social hierarchies.
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

Political Borders Shaped the Spread of Medieval Chant, Study Finds - Medievalists.net

Tropes were additions inserted into established Gregorian chants. They could include new words, new melodies, or a combination of both, expanding the original liturgical piece and sometimes offering additional theological or rhetorical commentary. In many cases, tropes circulated long before they were recorded in writing. Their melodies and texts were transmitted orally for centuries before being preserved in medieval manuscripts, creating a complex web of regional variants across Europe.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Approaching Records of the Household and Wardrobe - Medievalists.net

The Household and Wardrobe Accounts are English records that document the daily needs of the king and his family. This book serves as a guide to these sources, showing how they can be used and what valuable insights they offer into medieval government.
History
fromInverse
2 months ago

Who Is Dunk? Everything You Need To Know About Ser Duncan The Tall

We don't know much about Dunk's beginnings, but to be fair, he didn't know much either. He grew up an orphan in Flea Bottom, the slum near King's Landing. He had no idea who his parents were, but figured he was an orphan and probably a bastard. (Some fans suggest he could be related to Brienne of Tarth, since he was tall just like her, but that's still unconfirmed.) He made a life by scavenging all kinds of meat for establishments that made "bowls of brown," the go-to food of Flea Bottom.
Television
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

10 Ways Video Games Have Rewritten the Middle Ages - Medievalists.net

Video games have become a primary way modern audiences encounter the Middle Ages, creating a distinctive form of medievalism shaped by gameplay mechanics that emphasizes warfare and reshapes historical reality.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Silence of the Gods - Medievalists.net

Europe's last pagan peoples underwent Christian conversion from the 14th to 20th centuries while maintaining their indigenous religious traditions despite political pressure to adopt Christianity.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

Charlemagne's Failed Invasion of Spain, 777-778 - Medievalists.net

Charlemagne's 778 campaign to conquer Muslim-controlled Spanish fortress cities along the Ebro River ended in failure, marked by the ambush at Roncevaux Pass that destroyed his rearguard and killed the commander Roland.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

When were the Middle Ages? - Medievalists.net

The Middle Ages lack a single, natural start or end; appropriate boundaries depend on whether political, religious, economic, or cultural changes are prioritized.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

Dreaming of Owning a Medieval Artefact? Here's Your Chance - Medievalists.net

TimeLine Auctions' March 3 online sale features hundreds of medieval historical objects including a 13th-century Limoges cross, 1224 Chinese armor, Viking silver mount, and Anglo-Saxon brooch.
#assassins
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: The Forsaken 14th Century - Medievalists.net

In this volume, the authors aim to provide a truly global overview of the 14 century, with each region given approximately the same space. It is obviously impossible to cover every event in every country of the world in a single volume, just as you would not be able to visit every city in every country if you traveled around the world for a year.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: Interconnected Traditions - Medievalists.net

This open-access book brings together more than thirty essays on languages and the ways they develop, interact, and influence one another. Its main focus is the Middle East, where Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic long existed side by side and often overlapped in everyday use, scholarship, and culture. In line with Geoffrey (Khan)'s commitment to the maximally accessible dissemination of research, this Festschrift has been published in both open-access digital editions and affordable printed formats.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Online Course: The Normans in Europe - Medievalists.net

We get started by exploring the origins of the Normans in the county and then duchy of Normandy. We will understand their Norse background and their relationship with the Carolingians. The timeline approach will help us discover all the counts and dukes of Normandy, and what they contributed to their realm. This will set the foundation for the interconnected stories that will lead us to England and the Mediterranean.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: A Crusade Against the Turks as a Means of Reforming the Church - Medievalists.net

This project will focus on the Camaldolese hermits' proposal for achieving what they considered to be the most crucial task in the repair of the church, eliminating Islam and all Muslims. Our study will begin with an examination of the recipient of the Libellus, Giovanni de' Medici, who would become Pope Leo X. Next will be an exploration into the backgrounds of Paolo Giustiniani and Pietro Querini,
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Richard the Lionheart: New Study Rethinks His Capture After the Crusade - Medievalists.net

Richard I's capture becomes clearer when examined through regional political incentives and rival rulers' interests rather than legend and fate.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

25 Tips from the Middle Ages - Medievalists.net

Medieval practical literature provided specific everyday guidance on posture, hygiene, conversation, remedies, and social behavior, blending useful tips with odd, superstition-based methods.
#crisis-of-the-third-century
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: Mongol Invasion against Europe (1236-1242) - Medievalists.net

Mongol campaigns into Rus and Eastern Europe (1236–1242) reshaped regional military and political orders and spurred renewed scholarly inquiry into their consequences.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

10 Medieval Studies' Articles Published Last Month - Medievalists.net

In this paper we investigate whether infant and childhood feeding practices influenced the imbalanced adult sex ratio reported in medieval Europe from historical and osteological evidence. First, we examine hypotheses for the observed imbalanced sex ratios in Europe and the evidence presented to support these hypotheses. We then use stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of incremental dentine in 64 first molars from adults at three medieval sites (Aulla, Badia Pozzeveri, and Montescudaio) in north-western Tuscany (11th-15th c. CE).
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: The Medieval Moon - Medievalists.net

In this book of moons, I am writing for people for whom the medieval world and its literatures and arts may be unfamiliar. I hope that in telling the stories of medieval moons, I also introduce these readers to the wonderful, mesmerising realm of medieval texts and images. But I also hope that this book may be useful to those with greater familiarity with medieval languages, literatures, and arts.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Crusader Frontiers: Mapping the Medieval Holy Land - Medievalists.net

Medieval Crusader frontiers functioned as dynamic networks of castles, passes, ports, and strongpoints that require detailed geospatial mapping to accurately represent shifting landscapes.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Ipomedon - Medievalists.net

A twelfth-century Anglo-French romance about Ipomedon, an incognito prince tested by adventures, tournaments, and ironic narration exploring chivalry, humour, and social values.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Military Education in Early Medieval Europe: Learning from Books - Medievalists.net

Early medieval military leaders learned warfare from books—Roman manuals, handbooks, and case studies—informing campaigns, sieges, and logistical planning.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: A Demon Spirit - Medievalists.net

Abū Nuwās's poetry is sheer joy: it never fails to delight, surprise, and excite. His diwan, his collected poems, encompasses the principal early Abbasid poetic genres: panegyrics ( madīḥ), renunciant poems ( zuhdiyyāt), lampoons ( hijāʾ), hunting poems ( ṭardiyyāt), wine poems ( khamriyyāt), love poems ( ghazaliyyāt) to males ( mudhakkarāt) and females ( muʾannathāt), and transgressive verse ( mujūn).
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

Military Intelligence and Planning in the Carolingian Empire - Medievalists.net

Carolingian rulers built systematic intelligence networks—interrogating travelers and compiling detailed reports to gather topographical, political, and military information for campaign planning.
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: The Conqueror's Gift - Medievalists.net

Imperial Roman ethnography was a gift the Romans made for themselves, because it embraced concepts with which they could address the great cultural diversity of their world. It was a gift that came from the conquerors, reflecting their supposition of preeminence. At the same time, Roman ethnography was a somewhat less welcome present for the many peoples who found themselves trapped in Rome's vision, needing to find a place within it that made sense to Roman demands.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

Previously Unknown Medieval Chronicle Discovered - Medievalists.net

A previously unknown 8th-century Maronite chronicle (dated 712–13 CE) offers early Christian perspective on Arab-Islamic expansion and Late Antique religious-political change.
History
fromwww.medievalists.net
2 months ago

Hattin and the Templars' Last Stand

The Templars' desperate rear-guard charge at the Horns of Hattin in July 1187 failed disastrously, marking a pivotal collapse of the Crusader army.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Medieval Maps of Britain - Medievalists.net

Medieval cartography depicted Britain variably, evolving from vague island outlines to clearer, labeled representations showing towns, provinces, and classical influences.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: The Horse in History - Medievalists.net

Eleven studies examine horse equipment, training, folklore, and material culture across time and Europe, emphasizing archaeological evidence and diverse methodological approaches.
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 month ago

Seven Kings Must Die Film - Historical Accuracy

Seven Kings Must Die (2023) is a historical drama film based on Bernard Cornwell's novel Warlord (2020) and is a sequel to the TV series The Last Kingdom (2015-2022). Directed by Edward Bazalgette and produced by Carnival Films, it depicts the build-up to and the Battle of Brunanburh (937), in which King Aethelstan of England (reign 924-939) defeated an alliance of Scots and Vikings. Background & The Last Kingdom The film's protagonist is the fictional warrior and nobleman Uhtred of Bebbanburg (modern-day Bamburgh).
History
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