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
Category: Medieval Europe
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
Norwegian Stave Churches older than expected
Norway is known for its 28 magnificent stave churches from the 12th – 13th century. New technique provides new and earlier dating of these precious medieval monuments
Gardens in Early Medieval Iberia ca. 750–1000
In 1974 the historian Andrew Watson published an influential article in which he coined the phrase: The Arab Agricultural Revolution. How has this thesis fared? What do we know today about gardening in Early Medieval Iberia?
Uppåkra – A Central Place in Sweden from the first Millenium
Uppåkra in South-Western Sweden presents a remarkable continuity. For more than a thousand years, the place functioned as a cultic, commercial and elite centre.
New Viking Ship at Gjellestad is Being Excavated
For the first time in more than a hundred years, archaeologists are uncovering what is definitely a buried Viking ship.
Sigtuna – a Powerful Political and Cultural Centre in Sweden c. 980 – 1200
The first town in Sweden, Sigtuna may have been the prominent crucible of the early Swedish nation state
Mälaren – the Heart of Svealand and Medieval Sweden
Mälaren near Stockholm my be a large freshwater lake. A thousand years ago, however, it was an open firth reaching from the Baltic into the fertile lowland of Central Sweden