A History of Guilds from the Medieval EraGuilds started as small associations of skilled artisans, experienced and confirmed experts in their field of handicraft....
Middle Ages
Medieval TradesTrades and trading practices varied over time and place throughout the Middle Ages. By Mark CartwrightHistorian Introduction...
King John’s Abdication of Power and Death in Medieval EnglandKing John has gone down in history as one of the very worst kings ever to sit...
Universitas Magistrorum et Scholarium: Higher Education in the Middle AgesThis Western-style organizational form gradually spread from the medieval Latin west across the globe. Introduction A medieval...
Libraries in the Medieval and Renaissance PeriodsThe library-era, as we may call it, began with the publication of the Rule of S. Benedict...
The Medieval Cathari: Religious Sect Wiped Out in the Albigensian CrusadeThe Roman Catholic Church regarded the sect as heretical, and the Vatican launched the Albigensian Crusade to...
Hildegard of Bingen: Early Medieval Christian MysticHildegard of Bingen was called the “Sibyl of the Rhine” because of her apocalyptic visions. Introduction Hildegard...
The Peasants’ Revolt in Medieval England, 1381The consequences of the revolt were limited. By Mark CartwrightHistorian Introduction The Peasants’ Revolt, also known as...
Charles VI: ‘Mad King Charles’ in Medieval FranceDuring one attack in 1393, Charles could not remember his name, did not know he was king,...
Ferdowsi and the ‘Epic of Kings’ in Medieval PersiaHe was the author of the Shāhnāmeh (Epic of Kings), the national epic of the Persian-speaking world....
Consequences of Magna CartaConsidering the Civil War, the re-issue of the charter and the formation of early forms of parliament....
Revival and Survival: Reissuing Magna CartaExploring the events that led to the reissue and revival of Magna Carta by Henry III and...
Apocalypse Now: Our Incessant Desire to Picture the End of the World from Medieval Times to TodayEach generation, each epoch, has seen themselves apocalyptically, albeit with great differences as to what the actual...
The Medieval ‘Apocalypse Tapestry’ of Louis I, Duke of AnjouCreated between 1377 and 1382, it is the oldest surviving French tapestry. Introduction The Apocalypse Tapestry is...
Goldwork Embroidery of Kievan Rus’In the time of Kievan Rus’, goldwork embroidery flourished in the lives of the feudal elite and...
Russia and the Vikings (800-1500 CE)The development of extensive trade routes allowed Russia to grow in size and power. The Viking Influence...
The Pre- and Post-Kievan East SlavsBy 600 CE, the Slavs had split linguistically into southern, western, and eastern branches. Introduction The East...
The Evolution of Servile Peasants in Medieval Hungary and CataloniaIt was justified by reference to historical myths that nobles and servile peasants were separated by courage...
Medieval Castles, Caves, and Rock SheltersA medieval world where caves and underground shelters provided refuge from raiders, allowing a threatened civilization to...
Why Magna Carta Still Matters TodayExploring the evolution of our rights and freedoms and the relevance of the Great Charter today. Introduction...
Magna Carta in the Modern AgeMagna Carta’s place in modern legal and popular culture and the importance of its 800-year-old symbolism. Introduction...
International Trade and Institutional Change: Medieval Venice’s Response to GlobalizationStarting in 1297, a small group of particularly wealthy merchants blocked political and economic competition. Abstract International...
Exploring a Global Middle Ages through the Pages of Decorated BooksA wide-ranging new Getty book examines the role of text and image across cultures over the thousand-year...
Ancient, Medieval, and Modern JerusalemJerusalem has been an urban center for approximately 5,000 years. Introduction Jerusalem is the capital of the...
Magna Carta and Jury TrialThe history of jury trials and their relationship to Magna Carta. Introduction From medieval justice to the...
Magna Carta in ContextHow Magna Carta was both influenced by, and impacted upon, the institutions and customs of its day....
The Early Medieval Persian Sassanid EmpireAlthough often engaged in conquest, the Sassanids also entered into peace treaties and engaged in widespread trade....
Inside the Medieval MindHow knowledge, belief, sex, and power were viewed in the medieval world. Knowledge The way medieval eyes...
Buddhist Bodhisattvas and Christian Saints in the Western Medieval WorldA rough genealogy of the way in which the central narrative of Buddhism ended up in a...
Christine de Pizan and the Medieval ‘Book of the City of Ladies’This is probably the best expression of of Pizan’s views of contemporary medieval women. The Woman Question...