Tag: Medieval Europe
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Anthony Woodville, William Caxton and Early Printing in England
Today we have another fabulous guest post! Today’s writer is Danielle Burton, a history blogger who also works as a project archive assistant at the Derbyshire Record Office. She has a degree in History and an MA in Public History and Heritage. She has a special interest in Anthony Woodville, of whom she is currently…
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The Malleus Maleficarum: The Hammer of Witches
The Early Modern witch hunts that so characterise our modern knowledge of Europe and the American Colonies, particularly in the 17th century, have captured the popular imagination for centuries. Infamous trials like that at Salem continue to lure our attention today, and our obsession with witchcraft and magic still permeates our literature, films, and television…
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Royal People: Isabella of Woodstock, The Medieval Princess Who Controlled Her Own Fate
It is a well-rehearsed fact that in the medieval period princesses were political currency, pawns who were married off to foreign strangers as small children and were expected to fulfil their duty with grace and without complaint. But one woman who defied these expectations that we hold of medieval royalty was Isabella of Woodstock, the…
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A Brief History of Chess
Being a year into the Coronavirus pandemic, I started thinking about how for many of us who have spent most of the time in a form of lockdown, different Netflix series have categorised different parts of lockdown. First Tiger King was all the rage, then we had various crime documentaries, Bridgerton, and The Queen’s Gambit.…
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Mythical Creatures: A History of European Werewolves
Werewolves are perhaps one of the most popular modern-day mythical creatures, alongside vampires, and many teen films and television shows now feature both creatures. I have already written a post about the historical origins of vampires, and what medieval people believed to be true about these monsters, so I thought it was time to look…
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Historical Figures: Alice Chaucer, Lady of the Garter
One of the most famous writers from the medieval period is Geoffrey Chaucer. He lived between the 1340s and 1400 and most famously wrote The Canterbury Tales. He was also the first writer to be buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. However, he had a granddaughter named Alice who was born a few years…
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Ancient Wonders: The Colossus of Rhodes
So far in the Ancient Wonders series we have looked at The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Colosseum, Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China. We now return to the original list of the Seven Wonders of the World, compiled in the 2nd century BC, by investigating the Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus has captured…
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An Interview With: Sharon Bennett Connolly, Historical Author
Our interview series returns today as we speak to the wonderful historical author, Sharon Bennett Connolly. Sharon has been fascinated by history her whole life. She has studied history academically and just for fun – and even worked as a tour guide at historical sites. For Christmas 2014, her husband gave her a blog as…
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Mythical Creatures: The Headless Blemmyes
Although people living in medieval Europe knew a lot more of the wider world than many initially think, with strong trade links in Asia and northern Africa, they were still intrigued about what lay beyond the land known to man, and stories of mythical creatures abounded. One such creature which fascinated for centuries was the…
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A History of Food: Easter Cuisines around Europe
Today is the day before Easter and around the world people – Christians and non-believers alike – are preparing to celebrate tomorrow. Whether it’s by eating a pile of chocolate Easter Eggs or having a big meal with family, everyone will have their own traditions. But as Easter has been celebrated for just shy of…
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