Daily Medieval

The character of Judas (mentioned yesterday ) from the New Testament both horrified and fascinated Christians of the Middle Ages. Although h...

What was Lollardy, and why was it so dangerous or objectionable that Sir John Oldcastle needed to be executed for it in 1414? That Wycliffe...

Priscillianism was considered heretical partially because its origin was in gnostic beliefs coming from Egypt. Gnosticism, from the Greek γν...

Jews comprise less than 0.02% of the world population, and yet 28% of Nobel prize winners in medicine have been Jewish. This expertise has a...

(Parts one , two , and three .) There are several parables in the New Testament that are set in the context of a slave-master situation. The...

We are accustomed to linking inheritance with a preference for the eldest, even without strict primogeniture involved. In New York State in...

When the oak gall wasp lands on a species of oak, it secretes a chemical that interferes with the tree's normal growth, producing a bulb...

To be fair, I have mentioned one  Ostrogoth before: King Theodoric was talked about here and here . The larger culture of the Goths has be...

Yesterday's post mentioned Cassiodorus (c.485-c.585), a contemporary of Boethius, and his description of the relationship between Ari...

...Onager, Mangonel, Springald, Polybolos—all words for devices that propelled heavy objects toward an enemy; not to mention Cheiroballista...

Although Pope Gregory IX felt it his duty to protect the Jews , he had issues with their Talmud, the collection of Jewish laws and practice...

The Shrine of the Three Kings The Three Kings, or Magi, appear suddenly in the Gospel of Matthew and just as quickly disappear. That pa...

In the Book of Proverbs, we find "Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him; he r...

Sebinkarahisar, possible burial site of Ewastatewos [ link ] The word "sabbath" has a long history. Our word is from the Old ...

Despite the Magi including a Black king, the Middle Ages did not accept Blacks automatically. [detail from an "Adoration of the Magi...

Medieval Occupations [ source ] In the Middle Ages, the lack of machinery meant any job that needed doing required someone to "get ...

In 1401, during the reign of King Henry IV of England, Parliament passed a law known by the phrase, De heretic comburendo ["Regardin...

William Thorpe before Arundel, 1407; a case of heresy Yesterday's post discussed Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, and sugg...

Thomas Arundel, Lambeth Palace Collection Let us talk about the "Worst Briton" of the 15th century, according to a 2005 poll o...

Given all the fuss about the Mayan calendar, I thought it would be fun to look at other times when people thought the world might end. The E...