The people of early modern Europe sought to use magic to manipulate the world around them. By Ian TempleHistorian The sensationalism of the witch hunts dominates much of what one considers when exploring issues of magic during the early modern period, but the witchcraft trials was not the only area in which magic played a[…]
The word “folklore” was coined in 1846 CE by the British writer William John Thoms to replace the more awkward phrase “popular antiquities”. Introduction Medieval folklore is a body of work, originally transmitted orally, which was composed between the 5th and 15th centuries CE in Europe. Although folktales are a common attribute of every civilization,[…]
Characterizing the Middle Ages as a period of darkness is misleading. Introduction So much of what the average person knows, or thinks they know, about the Middle Ages comes from film and tv. When I polled a group of well-educated friends on Facebook, they told me that the word “medieval” called to mind Monty Python[…]
During the Iron Age, Central, Western and most of Eastern Europe gradually entered the historical period. Introduction Prehistoric Europe is Europe with human presence but before the start of recorded history, beginning in the Lower Paleolithic.[3] As history progresses, considerable regional irregularities of cultural development emerge and increase. The region of the eastern Mediterranean is,[…]
When dealing with a settlement case, you will have many worries. Will there be any dispute over the rightful owner of the estate? Will you have to pay inheritance taxes? What other nasty surprises might there be along the way? Will I have to go to court? We know it can be a long and[…]