From Roger of Hovedon on the Battle of Gisors: After these events, Robert, earl of Leicester, came with forty knights and a few men-at-arms, before the castle of Pasci, which had belonged to him; on which the knights of the castle sallied forth with a great number of men-at-arms and… Read More »Man-At-Arms
Medieval Siege Warfare by Christopher Gravett Paperback: 64 pages Publisher: Osprey Publishing (May 24, 1990) ISBN-10: 0850459478 Medieval Siege Warfare offers a brief but encompassing look at the tactics and strategy used by armies to attack and defend castles during the Middle Ages. While the book is short enough to… Read More »Review of Medieval Siege Warfare by Christopher Gravett
Constructed around the same time as the Tower of London (late 11th century), Dover Castle stands as one of the earliest castles built by William the Conqueror after his conquest of Anglo-Saxon England. Duke William had the castle built near an old Roman lighthouse and burgh, which King Harold (the… Read More »Medieval Castles: Dover Castle
Five archteypical Gothic medieval cathedrals still exist in France today, one of which is Amiens Cathedral, located in Amiens, the major city of Picardy, in the Somme River valley just north of Paris. The other four cathedrals include Bourges, Chatres, Rheims, and Soissons. Amiens contains a choir with ambulatory, seven… Read More »Amiens Cathedral
The ancient world held to the oral tradition of law, with punishment generally based on legal precedent and handed down by tribal rulers. During the Middle Ages, efforts were sought to codify certain laws, and this period saw the emergence of parliaments or parliament-type organizations, as seen in Viking society… Read More »Law and Punishment in the Middle Ages
I’ve finally finished writing and editing my latest short story: “Exeter Burning.” While the medieval backdrop/settting (i.e. – general details) behind the story are accurate for that period, the storyline and characters are entirely fictional — though it is based loosely on an actual event that took place at Exeter… Read More »New Short Story Posted: Exeter Burning
Life in a Medieval City by Joseph and Francis Gies Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Harper Perennial (September 30, 1981) ISBN-10: 0060908807 The year is 1250 A.D. People from all over Europe have gathered in the medieval city of Troyes — the capital city of the county of Champagne in France… Read More »Review of Life in a Medieval City
During the medieval period, the Catholic Church condemned any sect of Christianity as heresy that differed from the tradional Catholic teachings. One of these sects, called the Albigensians (or Cathars), came out of southern France, and Pope Innocent III saw this group as a threat to the unity of Chirstendom… Read More »The Albigensian Crusade
Since it’s my birthday today, I definitely wanted to post about what happened on this day in medieval history. 1282 – Death of Llywelyn the Last (Llywelyn ap Gruffydd), the last prince of Wales before it was conquered by Edward I 1475 – Birth of Pope Leo X (Giovanni de’… Read More »Medieval Timeline: Today in Medieval History