Daily Medieval

When King Alfred the Great asked for an Anglo-Saxon translation of Orosius' Historiarum Adversum Paganos Libri VII , or "Seven Boo...

The History written by Paulus Orosius in the 5th century carried influence for a thousand years afterward: "The exceptionality of the...

Yesterday we talked about the medieval attitude toward Noah , mostly from the Jewish viewpoint. Another group that spent a significant amoun...

Long before the Prussian Crusades of later centuries, Alfred the Great of England sent his emissary, Wulfstan of Hedeby, to Prussia in 890...

Wayland was a legendary figure whose name and fame stretched across the entire Germanic world, referred to in stories from the Norse, Frisia...

The Vale of York Hoard was the largest hoard since  the Cuerdale Hoard. So what was special about Cuerdale? Well, the York Hoard had over 6...

Saints' relics are significant for a couple reasons. They provide a reminder of a saintly life and inspire others to emulate saints. The...

First, let me say that there was more than one Eadburh. Eadburh was the name of King Alfred the Great's mother-in-law (Alfred's wife...

Most of what we know about King Alfred the Great comes from a single manuscript copy from the Cotton Library , Vita Ælfredi regis Angul Sax...

It is not inappropriate—in fact, it is mandatory for a historian—to question the assumptions that come down to them from the past.* So when ...

Alfred the Great (849 - 899) was not an idle king, even when not battling Danish invasions to protect the shores of Great Britain. Some of h...

After establishing the Danelaw that was supposed to bring peace between the Danes/Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons of the south, Alfred thought ...

Alfred the Great (848 - 26 October 899) was not the King of England, because at the time there was no unified England. He was king of the We...

What constitutes a "clock"? The Latin horologium  could refer to a clock or a timepiece of a sundial or the building or structure ...

First page of the Textus Roffensis. The water damage is from the early 1700s. The Textus de Ecclesia Roffensi per Ernulphum episcopum  ...

The various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms Poor Æthelbert! All the attention this blog gives him is in regard to wergild . He deserves attention f...

Romsey Abbey was, for a brief time, the home of Matilda of Scotland and her sister Mary. It is called "Romsey" because it was or...

Plaque in Queenhithe. One of modern London's 25 Wards, Queenhithe, has an ancient history. It is currently quite silted up, but orig...

Relic of True Cross at Cortona, near Florence Yesterday's post told of Empress (later Saint) Helena, the mother of the Emperor Const...

In the history of the Middle Ages, there must be many "forgotten kings"—those whose rules were too short or too obscure or too t...