Medieval History – Brewminate: We're Never Far From Where We Were

When a Storm Needed a Culprit: Agobard and Weather Magic in the Early Ninth Century

Matthew McIntosh — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 15:44:28 +0000

When storms destroyed crops in ninth-century Lyon, people faced accusations of weather magic. Bishop Agobard challenged the claims

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One More Dawn for Byzantium: What If Constantinople Had Held in 1453?

Matthew McIntosh — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 20:18:35 +0000

Had Constantinople survived the siege of 1453, Byzantium might have gained a fragile reprieve. Its future would depend

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Room to Learn: Rent and Power in the Medieval University

Matthew McIntosh — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:34:18 +0000

In medieval Paris, the price of a student’s room could become a matter for kings and popes. University

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Terror in the King’s Name: The Sack of Mechelen in 1572

Matthew McIntosh — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:02:32 +0000

In 1572, the duke of Alba permitted the sack of Mechelen to intimidate other cities. Survivors sought relief

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The Medieval Slave Trade: How Europe’s Trafficking Networks Expanded

Matthew McIntosh — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 16:17:59 +0000

Between the ninth and eleventh centuries, expanding trade routes carried captives across Europe. Political fragmentation and rulers’ complicity

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Love Magic in Medieval England: How Priests Viewed Gender

Matthew McIntosh — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 19:38:14 +0000

Medieval English priests imagined both women and men using love magic, revealing varied beliefs about desire and marriage

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Chaucer’s Monk Between Monastic Vows and Medieval Manhood

Matthew McIntosh — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 18:44:27 +0000

Chaucer’s Monk wears fine clothes and prizes hunting despite his vows. Martin Laidlaw reads his portrayal and the

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The Crossbow Ban That Failed: Lateran II and the Limits of Medieval Arms Control

Matthew McIntosh — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 14:21:38 +0000

In 1139, Lateran II condemned the use of crossbowmen and archers against Christians. Canon 29 entered church law,

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Destructive Yet Indestructible: Love-Madness and Divine Love in the Middle Ages

Matthew McIntosh — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 01:13:49 +0000

From Lancelot and Elaine to Romeo, Juliet, and Ophelia, medieval and Renaissance literature imagined love as a force

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Beyond Ledgers: Reading Material for Medieval London Craftsfolk and Merchants

Matthew McIntosh — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:56:06 +0000

Wills made medieval merchants seem narrowly devotional, but inventories and manuscripts reveal Londoners reading literature, chronicles, practical guides,

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