Daily Medieval

For Edgar Ætheling , landing in Scotland in 1068—whether by accident or design—was fortuitous. King Malcolm III took a liking to Edgar's...

Wool is different from hair in that it has a natural "crimp" to it that allows the fibers to bind together. This, and the fact tha...

Before we talk about the wool trade, I think a few words about the history of wool is a good start. There is evidence that sheep were domest...

To sum up yesterday's post : France considered Flanders their territory, Flanders under Count Robert III fought a war about that and los...

About 60 years before the Peasants' Revolt in England over a poll tax, the lower classes of the Low Countries revolted against taxes. Ro...

The term "Flemish" has been used since the 1300s to refer to a certain group of people. What does it mean to be Flemish? The word ...

Yesterday's post mentioned Henry becoming king of England upon the death of his brother, William Rufus. Their father was William the C...

Lower classes revolting against taxation and economic unfairness is as old as taxation itself. In 14th century France, a situation arose th...

A naval battle, from a ms. dated late 13th/early 14th century We are accustomed to summing up the reign of King John (1199 - 1216) as a ...

Matilda of Flanders (c.1031-1083), also called Maud, was the wife of William II of Normandy (later William the Conqueror). Their legendary a...

Scholar and Teacher, Priest and Politician There are two reasons why I want to mention Lanfranc today. One is because today is the 923rd a...