Baldwin IV of Jerusalem was one of the most interesting and tragic figures of the 12th century. Born in 1161 and diagnosed with Leprosy at age nine, Baldwin IV became king of Jerusalem at thirteen when his father, Almaric, passed suddenly of dysentery. Although he was a child, Baldwin was a brave and determined ruler […]
The Life of Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, the Leper King Read More »
In the National Archives of the United Kingdom in London, there are two volumes of a work produced in medieval England at the end of the thirteenth and start of the fourteenth centuries. Known as the Liber Feodorum or Book of Fees, this text records feudal landholdings in England or lands effectively held by individuals directly from the
The Strange Story of the Court Jester, Roland the Farter Read More »
Monasteries, priories, convents, and nunneries were a ubiquitous part of life in medieval Europe. No matter where one went in Western or Central Europe, they probably weren’t far from a religious house. Male religious orders such as the Benedictines, Dominicans, and Franciscans are the most well-known. But, curiously enough, some scholars estimate that the number of
What Was Life Like For A Medieval Nun? Read More »
In the medieval period, the Roman Catholic Church was one of Europe’s central pillars of society. There was no part of life that the church didn’t extend. Unlike today, where an increasingly small number of people attend their local church, everyone would attend on Sunday. Moreover, all farmers, who made up the bulk of most
What Was a Priest’s Role During the Middle Ages? Read More »
At the monastery of Jasna Gora in Częstochowa in Poland today, there is a revered icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It has been housed there for some time, but its history is shrouded in legend. The image is of Mary holding Jesus. It is believed, at least in Christian lore, to have been originally
The Strange History of the Black Madonna Read More »
The world we live in today is largely governed through democracy and ensures constitutional rights to its citizens. The kings and queens we hear of hold little more than symbolic power. But, that wasn’t always the case. The European world, often lauded as a bastion of democracy today, was once ruled by absolute monarchies. This
Absolute Monarchies in Europe Read More »
There is no shortage of symbolism around black cats in the modern world. They are everywhere in popular culture as sidekicks or even malevolent beings which surround witches and other agents of the occult. For example, in the first Matrix movie, when Neo has a moment of Déjà vu, an occurrence which means the sinister controllers of the
Why Are There Superstitions Around Black Cats? Read More »
On July 15th, 1099, the city of Jerusalem fell to an army that had been besieging it for six weeks. This was a force of over 10,000 Christian crusaders from Western and Central Europe to reconquer the Holy Land from the Muslim powers who had controlled it for over 400 years. In the hours that
Peter the Hermit: The Leader of the People’s Crusade Read More »
Perhaps the most peculiar aspects of Christianity today are the divisions within it. For instance, hundreds of different branches of Protestantism originated from the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. But few would dispute that Lutheranism, Calvinism, Presbyterianism, Anabaptism, or one of the other major branches of Protestantism effectively share the same origins as Roman
How the Great Schism of 1054 Split Christianity Read More »
There are over thirty major bridges over the River Thames in London today. This is quite a small number for a city of nearly ten million people. Londoners, though, primarily get around their city on the underground rail system. Otherwise, many more bridges would be needed to facilitate weekly hundreds of thousands of more cars
Where did the London Bridge Nursery Rhyme Originate? Read More »
