The Medieval Bow and Arrow

This post will focus mostly on the bow and arrow from the time of the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans. The English longbow is a completely separate discussion.
The Anglo-Saxons primarily used the bow for hunting. It is less frequently mentioned as being employed during battle, though according to one source, the Anglo-Saxons used bows at the […]

Giotto Frescoes Exposed under Ultraviolet Light

From the telegraph.co.uk:
Frescoes painted by Giotto, the 14th Century Italian master, have been brought to life with the use of ultraviolet technology.
Restorers discovered that under ultraviolet light, long-lost colour and detail was revealed.
The frescoes date from 1320 and decorate the walls of the Peruzzi Chapel in Florence’s Santa Croce church.
Read more …

Medieval History Term of the Week: Carucate

Carucate
1) A measurement of land, equal to a hide (used in Danelaw) (MEDIEV-L. Medieval Terms)
2) Danish equivalent of a hide. The land ploughed by eight oxen; actual area varied locally and like the hide could be reassessed. (Wood, Michael. Domesday: A Search for the Roots of England, 213)
3) A “plough-land”; a measurement of land, notionally […]

Today in Medieval History, March 4

On this date, March 4, in medieval history:

1152 -  Frederick I Barbarossa is elected King of Germany
1193 - Saladin dies
1394 - The birth of Prince Henry the Navigator
1461 - Edward IV ascends to the English throne

Written English Discovered on the Wall of Salisbury Cathedral

From the Telegraph.co.uk:
What is believed to be the first ever example of English in a British church has been discovered.
It was written half a millennia ago and its message was serious enough to be painted carefully on the wall of England’s finest cathedral.
But now it seems no one can quite decipher exactly what the inscription […]

Featured Medieval Historical Fiction Novel

Raven, Blood Eye by Giles Kristian
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Corgi (February 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0552157899
Description:
A Viking adventure packed with battles, blood and gore, Raven is historical fiction at its very best, and marks the debut of an outstanding new talent.
When Norsemen from across the sea burn his village, Osric, a carpenter’s apprentice, is taken prisoner by these […]

Medieval History Term of the Week: Orders

Orders
1) The grades or steps of the Christian ministry; the so-called minor orders were acolyte, lector, exorcist, and doorkeeper; the so-called major orders, which bound their holders to celibacy, were bishop, priest, deacon and subdeacon.
(Lynch, Joseph H. The Medieval Church: A Brief History, 363)
2) Referring either to the grades of clerkship (holy or minor orders) […]

The Site of the Battle of Bosworth Field

From the BBC News:
The true site of one of the most decisive battles in English history has been revealed.
Bosworth, fought in 1485, which saw the death of Richard III, was believed to have taken place on Ambion Hill, near Sutton Cheney in Leicestershire.
But a study of original documents and archaeological survey of the area has […]

Medieval History Term of the Week: Fee-Farm

Fee-Farm
1) A fixed sum, usually paid annually, for the right to collect all revenues from land; in effect, rent. Lords may farm land to vassals, receiving a fixed annual rent in place of the normal feudal obligation. Many sheriffs farm out their shires, contracting in advance to pay a fixed annual sum to the crown, […]

Canterbury Celebrates 1000 Years of History

From canterbury.ac.uk:
A unique glimpse into 1000 years of Canterbury’s history was unveiled by broadcaster and renowned historian Dr David Starkey at the Sidney Cooper Gallery on Friday 5 February.
Funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the exhibition Canterbury: England’s Crucible, will bring the City’s history to life in a way that has never been tackled […]