Godrich of Finchale (1070-1170) was a popular saint in the county of Durham, where he ended his days as a hermit. A new edition of his life was recently published.
Category: Medieval Europe
Sweyn, Cnut and Valdemar at Tikøb Church in Denmark 1157?
Tikøb church in Denmark is unique. It is an imposing example of an early 12th-century brick church. Foremost, though, it features a series of striking portraits shaped in burnt clay. Three kings and a bishop – and an abbot, a monk and a horse on the north wall? Who might it be?
Elegant golden earring from Byzantium found by metal-detector
Unique 11th-century earring made of gold with cloisonné enamelling from was recently discovered by a metal-detector in Western Jutland. The earring likely derives from Byzantium or Egypt.
Royal Golden Dress from ca. 1400 returns to Denmark
Until 1659 the medieval dress of Queen Margaret I of Denmark and Norway was kept as a precious relic in the Cathedral in Roskilde. Today it is back for a splendid exhibition in Copenhagen at Christiansborg.
Eric IV – Murdered Danish King c. 1216-1241
August 1250, Eric IV – also known as Eric Ploughpenny – was murdered on a boat and dumped in the firth of Schlei. His death was the culmination of ten years of civil war and the harbinger of a tumultuous period in the medieval history of Denmark.
The Materiality of Saint Thomas Becket
A fine collection of essays celebrates the 850th anniversary of Thomas Becket by delving into the blood, the brain, the footsteps, the ripped remnants of cloth and the light.
The Story of Henry II and Thomas Becket – Retold as a Moral Exemplum by Saxo Grammaticus
The story by Saxo of a murder, prompted by the Danish King, Sven Estridsen, in the Cathedral in Roskilde ca. 1160, echoes the events a hundred years later, when Henry II had Thomas Becket murdered
The Battle of Maldon
A new book tells the story of the Battle of Maldon AD 991and explores the famous poem, which framed the devastating event as a heroic and epic tale.
Returning to Gokstad
The Gokstad ship with the buried warrior and his grave gifts was discovered in 1880. Since 2011, archaeologists have reexamined the original find
Marian Ughi visits St. Thomas of Becket in 1444
A newly discovered travel account of a Florentine merchant visiting Canterbury and the shrine of Thomas Becket sheds light on late medieval devotion
Constructing and deconstructing the Gokstad mound
Norwegian archeologists are revisiting the old mounds ind which Viking Ships were buried. It appears, these mounds were carefully created as part of the burial traditions.
The Countryside in Southern Gaul in the Late Antiquity
During AD 410–506, the Visigothic Kingdom of Toulouse ruled over Southern Gaul and much of the Iberian Peninsula. The heartland, though, was Aquitaine. What was life in the countryside like?
The Black Death in Ireland
Already contemporaries noted how the Black Death hit the Anglo-Norman settlers in Ireland much harder than the Gaelic People. New research offers an explanation
English Edition of the Flateyjarbok from 1387 on its Way
A translation and edition of the Flateyjarbok from 1387 was recently completed. An English translation is hopefully on the way.
Abbeys and other Religious Institutions in Schleswig-Holstein
The Duchies of Schleswig-Holstein hold a long and fascinating story. Following the mission of Ansgar, hamburg spearheaded the christianisation of Scandinavia, thus making room for a multitude of religious institutions - abbeys, monasteries, convents and friaries
Gold and Glory in Basel
In 1019 the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry II, took part in the consecration of the Minster in Basel. A major exhibition marks the anniversary