Machicolation
[muh-chik-uh-ley-shuhn]
Etymology: Medieval Latin machicolare to furnish with machicolations, from Middle French machicoller, from machicoleis machicolation, from macher to crush + col neck, from Latin collum
1) A projection in the battlements of a wall with openings through which missles can be dropped on besiegers.
(Gies, Joseph and Francis. Life in a Medieval Castle, 226)
2) Opening in […]
Last English King by Julian Rathbone
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Abacus Uk (August 3, 1998)
Average Customer Review on Amazon: 3.5 stars (19 reviews)
Editorial Review from Publishers Weekly
Though better known for his political thrillers, British writer Rathbone is also the author of several mainstream novels, two of which (Joseph and King Fisher Lives) were shortlisted for the […]
The Angles and Saxons arrived in England sometime during the 5th century, not long after Rome had fled the island and left the Britons to fight against their northern aggressors, the Picts. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in A.D. 449:
In their days Hengest and Horsa, invited by Wurtgern, king of the Britons to his assistance, […]
On this date, November 20th, in medieval history:
1272 - Edward I (”Longshanks”) begins his reign as King of England
1316 - John I King of France dies; he was born only five days earlier on November 15
1376 - Richard of Bordeaux (Richard II), son of the Black Prince, is named Prince of Wales
This post is intended to provide only a brief and basic overview of feudalism, not an in-depth study by any means. The idea is to hopefully stimulate discussion about feudalism from more knowledeable experts than myself.
The word “feudalism” is a 17th century term used by legal historians to explain the political and social aspects of […]
Bookspot Central along with Dark Sword Miniatures is currently sponsoring a contest where visitors can sign up to win a figured character from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. The following is from Bookspot’s site:
The fourth week of Masterworks Monday is here! Dark Sword Miniatures and BookSpot Central join forces and […]
Jackals In Iron by Merlin Douglas Larsen
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Agreka Tm Llc (1999)
Average Customer Review on Amazon: 4.5 stars (6 reviews)
Product Description:
FATE MADE THEM ENEMIES FROM BOYHOOD. DESTINY & VENGEANCE MADE THEM ALLIES. THE STORY OF THE NORMAN INVASION OF ENGLAND Jackals in Iron is a historical novel filled with history, and succinctly told with […]
I’ve added a list of medieval history resources to my site. These are sites (not blogs) I’ve come across while browsing the web. I had been storing them in my del.icio.us account but thought I’d go ahead and share them here as well. I’ve put them in the right-hand sidebar below the blog archives. Scroll […]
George R.R. Martin announced on his blog last week that HBO confirmed it will be filming the pilot of the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones being the first season). This is good news, but there are no guarantees the pilot will turn into a full television series. According […]
I’m still working on getting a new short story posted to my site. I’m nearly half-way through editing the first draft now. Then, I’ll post it to Critique Circle, and once I have feedback from other readers, it will go through a few more cycles of editing and revising until it’s ready. Critique Circle’s website […]