Daily Medieval

I discussed the medieval attitude toward Judas yesterday , and how the Middle Ages found a place for him in literature and legend outside of...

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

Yesterday's post mentioned how Kassia the Blessed was the only female poet whose verse was used in the Byzantine liturgy. It is recited...

Kassia was born to a wealthy family in Constantinople sometime between 805 and 810 CE. By 843 she had founded a convent and was its first ab...

In yesterday's post we saw how Emperor Theophilos got his bride, Theodora the Blessed, in a bride show . Afterward, Theophilos' step...

I mentioned yesterday that Euphrosyne arranged a "bride show" for her step-son Theophilos (c.813 - 842) in 830 CE. Euphrosyne her...

Yesterday's post mentioned the desperate and failed attempt of Constantine VI to get a male heir. His legitimate daughter, however, wen...

As I mentioned yesterday , Constantine VI (771 - c.805) had proven himself a poor excuse for a Byzantine emperor to the military and governm...

As I mentioned yesterday , Constantine VI's death was not from natural causes, and if you knew about his life, you might understand.  Bo...

I outlined yesterday the complicated relationship between the Franks under Charlemagne, the Lombards in Italy, and the Byzantine Empire. Th...

When the report of the Second Council of Nicaea  (in 787 CE) was written up approving the use of icons for religious purposes, it mentioned ...

The first part of the Second Council of Nicaea—in which I discuss the agenda of the first three sessions—is here . The fourth session was to...

The Second Council of Nicaea (24 September - 13 October 787) was the last of seven ecumenical councils that took place with participation fr...

To continue yesterday's post and talk about "re-orienting" wayward bishops with "wrong" ideas, we should first look ...

The Sixth Ecumenical Council was called to settle a matter that had bothered the Byzantine Church for several years. The issue was Monotheli...

Constantine IV had other problems besides potential usurpers and Umayyads. Because his father, Constans II , had moved the administrative se...

Constantine's father, Constans II , died in 668 while in Sicily, and immediately some Sicilian bishops wanted someone else to take over,...

Constans continued to do things that were uncommon for other Byzantine Emperors. He was the first Byzantine Emperor to visit Rome (in 663) s...

The Western Roman Empire and Eastern Byzantine Empire had many differences over the centuries. Some of the biggest differences were religiou...

Yesterday's post mentioned Ebroin, Mayor of the Palace under King Clotaire III, distrusting Adrian of Canterbury because of Adrian's...

Adrian (also called Hadrian) was born in North Africa sometime prior to 637; Bede referred to him as a Berber . He became a well-known teach...

Theodore of Tarsus likely never thought that a Greek who in his youth had to flee Persian and Muslim invasions would one day wind up Archbis...

When Deusdedit was Archbishop of Canterbury (from 655 to 664), he had in his household a Saxon priest named Wighard. The date of Deusdedit...

This blog has covered many men and women from the past who, at a young age, decided to take on a religious lifestyle, whether in a monastery...

Wilfrid's knowledge of Roman Christianity and his opposition to Celtic Christianity made him the ideal candidate to attend the Synod of ...

Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum ("History of the Church of the English People") lists Wilfrid as one of the men...

If, of the members of the Benedictine Confederation, the Camaldolese Congregation was founded in 980, and the Vallombrosians in 1036, how ca...