The Carolingian Wars in Saxony 772-1804

1250 Years in Westphalia – an Exhibition
25/05/2025Westphalia celebrates 1250 years of its history and remembers the Saxon Wars and its Carolingian heritage Read more

Battle at Braunsberg AD 775 and new Exhibition at Höxter
25/05/2025In 775, Charlemagne dispatched an army into Saxony, part of which ended in the battle at Braunsberg on the brinks of Weser in 775. Exhibition tells the story of the Saxon Wars from a local perspective Read more

Carolingian Wars in Saxony 772-804
23/05/2025The conflict between the Saxons and the Franks during the late 700s and early 800s wasn’t just a random clash. Inflamed by a missionary zeal, it resonate in the 21st century Read more

The Prince from Beckum AD 600
23/07/2016The Prince from Beckum in North Rhein-Westphalia from the beginning of the 7th century tells a story of a man who lived in a mixed cultural setting Read more
Medieval Apocalypse 2033?


Apocalypse – Yesterday and Today
04/05/2025New exhibition in Paris at the Bibliotheque Nationale Française enlightens us about the history of our apocalyptic thinking in the past and present Read more

Santo Toribio de Liébana
05/05/2025The monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, dating back to the 6th century, stands as one of the most significant religious sites in Northern Spain, nestled within the dramatic landscape of the Picos de Europa mountains. Read more

Beatus of Liébana and the Beatus Manuscripts
07/05/2025In the late 8th century, Beatus from Southern Spain found refuge in the Picos de Europa at one of the royal outposts in the fragile Asturian kingdom. He is famous for his artistic legacy, the Beatus’ Apcalypses. Read more

Books about Apocalypses
10/05/2025Apocalyptic thinking was a common topic in Late Antiquity, reaching into the early Reformation. The following lists recent books outlining the history behind the topic and its different forms of artistic renditions. Read more

York Apocalypse
16/05/2025York Apocalypse panel back in Minster after restoration Read more

Medieval Natural Disasters and Resilience
16/05/2025Natural disasters in the Middle Ages were met with resilience in a number of different ways: migration, rebuilding, re-settlements. Read more
What was life like a 1000 years ago?
This year, Bamberg celebrates the 1000-year anniversay of the death of Heinrich II. A major exhibition serves as an introduction to the life and times of the German Emperor and national saint, his beloved wife Kunigunde…

Thietmar of Merseburg 975-1018
01/01/2025Thietmar of Merseburg was bishop of the diocese of Merseburg from 1009 to 1018. Famous for his Chronicle, he was one of the most important historians of the Ottonian period Read more

Heinrich II, German King and Holy Roman Emperor 1002 – 1024
02/12/2024Heinrich II (973 (978)-1024) – famous for his foundation of Bamberg – was the last Ottonian to rule Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. Read more

Kunigunde – Ottonian Queen 1002-1024
02/12/2024The 10th-century German queens set their mark on politics in different ways. The last queen, Kunigunde, primarily played the role of dynastic bridgebuilder. Read more

What was life like in Bamberg 1000 years ago?
01/12/2024What kind of daily life did Heinrich II and his beloved Queen Kunigunde experience at court? And how did this compare to the ordinary lives? In the city of Bamberg, in the countryside, and among their Slavic neighbours? Read more

The Royal Palace at Bamberg
29/11/2024After 1007 Bamberg castle was rebuilt as a modern cathedral and palace complex. Likely, it turned out to be an ideal prototype for other similar building projects at Paderborn, Goslar and elsewhere Read more

Carmen Bambergense
29/11/2024On Heinrich II’s birthday in 1012, the abbot at Seeon presented the German king with a panegyric, commonly known as the Carmen Bambergense. Read more

The Landscapes around Bamberg at the Time of Heinrich II
28/11/2024Bamberg lies at the centre of the former Bavarian Nordgau at the confluence of the Regnitz and the Main, surrounded by a forested and hilly landscape
Read more

How to Become a King at the Turn of the First Millenium
09/11/2024In 1002, Otto III died at Paterno near Civita in Italy. With no direct descendants, the succession was fraught with tensions. Duke Henry of Bavaria caught the upstream. Read more

The Royal Library at Bamberg
14/10/2024When the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II died 1000 years ago, on July 13, 1024, he left behind a rich legacy of books. Read more

New Books about the Imperial Clothes from c. 1020
24/04/2024Two new books explore in detail the precious and unique imperial garments preserved in Bamberg Cathedral’s treasury Read more
When Medieval History Matters

The Remains of Marc Bloch to be moved to the Pantheon
26/11/2024French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Saturday, November 23, that scholar and Resistance fighter Marc Bloch, tortured and executed by the Gestapo in 1944, would be reinterred in the Panthéon – the Paris monument to France’s most outstanding citizens. Read more

Carolingian Church Policy Continue to Influence Modern European politics
16/11/2024Europe is crisscrossed by ancient boundaries of which one is constituted by different kinship systems. How did they come about? And do they still matter? Read more

The Nature of Medieval Women
15/09/2024Medieval women were considered weak, soft, sensual, and fickle if not frivolous. Even today, we hear an echo in the disparagement of Kamela Harris Read more
New Research

Medieval Birds of Prey Thrived on Human Waste
17/01/2025Birds of prey in medieval Britain relied far more heavily on scavenging human waste than previously thought, according to research that analyzed more than 30 ancient bird skeletons. Read more

Advent and Marian Devotion
03/12/2024Advent is a time for reflecting upon Mary, the Mother of God. One avenue is to contemplate the beauty of the Old English Advent Lyrics Read more

Comparing Christian Rulership in Poland and Norway
25/10/2024In the Early Middle Ages, kings were elected according to charisma, wealth and warrior capabilities. Late rulership became dependant on dynastic succession and the endorsement of the Christian church Read more

The Dark Ages: Nature’s Comeback in the Netherlands
09/10/2024In the period known as the Dark Ages (c. 300 – 700 AD), woodlands staged a remarkable comeback across Europe, including the Netherlands. Read more

1250 Years in Westphalia – an Exhibition
25/05/2025Westphalia celebrates 1250 years of its history and remembers the Saxon Wars and its Carolingian heritage Read more

Battle at Braunsberg AD 775 and new Exhibition at Höxter
25/05/2025In 775, Charlemagne dispatched an army into Saxony, part of which ended in the battle at Braunsberg on the brinks of Weser in 775. Exhibition tells the story of the Saxon Wars from a local perspective Read more

Apocalypse – Yesterday and Today
04/05/2025New exhibition in Paris at the Bibliotheque Nationale Française enlightens us about the history of our apocalyptic thinking in the past and present Read more
Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and Cunigunde

Thietmar of Merseburg 975-1018
01/01/2025Thietmar of Merseburg was bishop of the diocese of Merseburg from 1009 to 1018. Famous for his Chronicle, he was one of the most important historians of the Ottonian period Read more

Heinrich II, German King and Holy Roman Emperor 1002 – 1024
02/12/2024Heinrich II (973 (978)-1024) – famous for his foundation of Bamberg – was the last Ottonian to rule Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. Read more

Kunigunde – Ottonian Queen 1002-1024
02/12/2024The 10th-century German queens set their mark on politics in different ways. The last queen, Kunigunde, primarily played the role of dynastic bridgebuilder. Read more

A Glimpse into the Daily Life at the Court of Kunigunde and Heinrich II in Bamberg
01/12/2024Bamberg will host an important exhibition in the autumn 2024 focusing on the daily life at the imperial court of Henry II and Cunigunde Read more
Medieval Landscapes

The Wild Rabbits with the Long, Long Ears…
01/03/2025Rabbits share their history as on and off domesticated animals with the feral horses. Although living in the wilderness, they were very early on considered a nice supplement and hence “farmed” and domesticated for different purposes Read more

The Dark Ages: Nature’s Comeback in the Netherlands
09/10/2024In the period known as the Dark Ages (c. 300 – 700 AD), woodlands staged a remarkable comeback across Europe, including the Netherlands. Read more

Overwhelming Support for Rewilding and Release of Large Animals in the Oder Delta
03/02/2024Germans and Poles living in the Oder Delta strongly support rewilding and the introduction of large animals – including wolves and lynx, returning its landscape to its former medieval glory. Read more

The Vosges in the Early Middle Ages, ca. 400 – 750
31/01/2024In the Early Middle Ages, the Vosges were regarded as a wilderness – by elites, poets and priests. However, the ideas about how to live in and utilise this wilderness were contested. Read more
New Books about the Middle Ages

Books about Apocalypses
10/05/2025Apocalyptic thinking was a common topic in Late Antiquity, reaching into the early Reformation. The following lists recent books outlining the history behind the topic and its different forms of artistic renditions. Read more

Managing Emotions in the Middle Ages
19/02/2025We live in emotional times, where people constantly trump truth and enlightenment with sentiments. The question explored in this book deals with how people in The Middle Ages managed their emotions to achieve power and positions. Read more

19/01/2025
Medieval recordkeeping and financial management in the high and later Middle Ages was witnessed by numerous accounts. New book provides an introduction to this source material Read more

What was life like in Bamberg 1000 years ago?
01/12/2024What kind of daily life did Heinrich II and his beloved Queen Kunigunde experience at court? And how did this compare to the ordinary lives? In the city of Bamberg, in the countryside, and among their Slavic neighbours? Read more