Barbican bahr-bi-kuhn Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French barbecane, from Medieval Latin barbacana 1) An outwork or forward extension of a castle gateway. (Gies, Joseph and Francis. Life in a Medieval Castle, 225) 2) Outerwork of a castle, providing additional defence for the gatehouse. (Prestwich, Michael. Armies and Warfare in the… Read More »Medieval Term of the Week: Barbican
Last week, I mentioned Carl Pyrdum’s post on his blog Got Medieval about describing the Middle Ages in seven words or less — or I guess I should have said seven concepts or less. I also said I would post an explanation of why I chose the seven I did,… Read More »Explaining the Middle Ages in Seven Words
Heraldry, defined as a system of inherited symbols or devices for the purpose of identifying individuals or families, became one of the most distinguishable elements of feudalism and knighthood during the Middle Ages. The term “heraldry” comes from the the fact that heralds at tournaments became experts in the design… Read More »Heraldry in the Middle Ages
Last week over at Got Medieval, blog owner Carl S. Pyrdum asked readers to describe the medieval period in seven words or less. My seven were as follows: 1) The Church 2) The Nobles 3) The Peasantry 4) The Crusades 5) The Black Death 6) Feudalism 7) Cathedrals (“Gothic” architecture)… Read More »Describing the Middle Ages in Seven Words
Mail, often referred to as “chain mail” (a term later applied to this type of armor in the Victorian era), was the armor of choice worn by the medieval knight. Constructed of small rings of iron wire linked together, the mail coat formed a flexible metal mesh that was often worn… Read More »The Making of Mail Armor
For purposes of this post, I will focus on the medieval sword of Western Europe, namely England and France and Scandinavia, from the 10th to the 13th century. The sword was an instrumental weapon for the knight during the Middle Ages. As most combat was conducted up close hand-to-hand, you… Read More »The Medieval Sword
I’ve been trying to locate magazines dedicated to the period of the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, my local bookstores don’t stock anything of the sort. I ran across a few online but don’t know if they’re any good. Does anyone subscribe to any of these? Know of others that you would… Read More »Medieval History Magazines
One of the most important advances in military technology came with the invention of the stirrup. The stirrup allowed warriors on horseback to use the power of horse and rider to deliver more powerful spear thrusts from a mounted position. With the stirrup, riders could rest the lance between the… Read More »The Diffusion of the Stirrup into Medieval Western Europe
The Evening of the World: A Romance of the Dark Ages (Dark Ages Trilogy) by Allan Massie *this novel borders on the late Roman, early medieval period Paperback – 304 pages Publisher – Orion Publishing (June 1, 2002) Description: The Evening of the World is set in the period of the… Read More »Medieval Historical Fiction Novel of the Week