Worms, noise and nuisances ad nauseam

What does the Old High German word nessia, found in early medieval medical charms, have to do with worms?

Peter Alexander Kerkhof • October 18, 2018

Did Medieval Women Have ‘Agency?’ Or was it ‘All About the Patriarchy’? Examples from Medieval Spain

Scholars have long argued about the extent of female agency in the middle ages. New research from Catalonia suggests a society ready to respect female authority on many levels. But how do these findings relate to women’s experience outside Western Europe?

Jeff Fynn-Paul • October 05, 2018

Public water provision in Bruges (part 1)

In the Middle Ages, Leiden lacked a system of public water provision, as we saw in an earlier blog. How different was medieval Bruges!

Roos van Oosten • September 21, 2018

There was a Door to which I found no Key

The quatrains of Omar Khayyam, in Edward FitzGerald’s adaptation, have a special appeal worldwide. In this blog, the English adaptation of one of the most popular quatrains is compared to the original Persian. How has Khayyam’s worldview been translated?

Asghar Seyed Gohrab • August 31, 2018

Zuiderzeesteden aan de Oostzee. Vitten en voogden op Schonen

Wie aan kolonies denkt, denkt wellicht aan zonovergoten oorden. Minder bekend zijn de laatmiddeleeuwse handelskolonies aan de Oostzee, op het schiereiland Schonen in het zuidwesten van het huidige Zweden.

Louis Sicking • August 17, 2018

Medieval views on Holy Days and Relaxation

It is the beginning of August. Time for rest and relaxation: a holiday. The word holiday is literally derived from the Holy Day, when people had the day off to participate in a religious festival.

Elizabeth den Hartog • August 03, 2018

Worms, Corruption, and Medieval Detoxing

Laxatives, bloodletting, vomiting - medieval medicine was very preoccupied with purging the human body. And with reason, as little animals might be living inside of us...

Marlisa den Hartog • July 20, 2018

The boar who would be king: Royal boar prophecies in medieval England

Various medieval English kings sought to identify themselves with the boar, including Henry II, Edward III and Richard III of York. This blog calls attention to the role of the boar in medieval English royal prophecies.

Thijs Porck • July 05, 2018

Wine and dine in het Duitse Huis te Utrecht

Wat aten en dronken de ridders en priesters van het Duitse Huis te Utrecht in de middeleeuwen? Veel vis en wijn zo blijkt, en volgens een vast eetschema.

Jerem van Duijl • June 22, 2018