Questions tagged [middle-ages]
The Middle Ages is a periodisation of European history, encompassing the period from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century to the Renaissance in the 15th century.
857
questions
6
votes
1
answer
485
views
How did medieval serfs obtain their iron goods?
Serfs were farmers who paid taxes in agricultural produce and subsisted on the remainder. As I understand it, they (unlike freeholders) did not sell their produce or manufactured goods for personal ...
- 153
32
votes
1
answer
8k
views
In what way were Renaissance battles like chess matches?
I have been reading Ross King's Brunelleschi's Dome: The Story of the Great Cathedral in Florence. Although the book is well documented, it has an astonishing passage for which the author provides no ...
- 4,611
-4
votes
1
answer
235
views
How were the beds in which privileged man in medieval Europe slept? [closed]
I think it is correct to say that for all medieval Europe time the basic peasant, worker bed was a cold stone floor or at most a mattress made out of straw. I wonder how and on top of what powerful ...
- 1
3
votes
1
answer
129
views
Did the Buyids emerge as allies of the Abbasid Caliphate?
The Buyid dynasty were Shia sympathizers. However, I might have read somewhere that the Buyids came to power as allies of the Abbasids. This would have been as an anti Tabaristan or anti Ziyarid ...
- 3,270
3
votes
0
answers
118
views
Are there any records of Foreign investments or Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in history from pre-medieval or medieval period?
A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment in the form of a controlling ownership in a business in one country by an entity based in another country. If we look at the articles about the ...
- 800
6
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Were the arches on medieval bridges large enough to permit river traffic? [closed]
I’ve been looking through the Civitates Orbis Terrarum to get a sense of the way Medieval cities and their surroundings were organized, but there are some questions I haven’t been able to answer about ...
- 153
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Where is the sword used to execute Queen Anne Boleyn?
If a 'skilled' (with sword) executioner was summoned from Calais, did he bring his own 'equipment' and, if so, is there record of him & it there?
Was the sword seized when Francis, Duke of Guise ...
9
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How close would a peasant from middle ages England ever come to interacting with the king?
Presuming we have a peasant who works on land owned by a "common" lord (sorry, here I don't know the terminology. I mean a landowner who is not a royal), how close would that person ever get to ...
9
votes
2
answers
735
views
How were de jure lands determined during the Middle Ages in Western Europe?
I was continuing my research on the strained relationship of France and England during the Middle-Ages. As I was reading up on Philip II Augustus of France in Wikipedia I stumbled upon this:
The ...
- 2,187
8
votes
1
answer
201
views
Where was the Barberini psalter created?
Would you know where the Barberini psalter was created?
I have checked the on-line sources and cannot find the answer (maybe I have overlooked it?)
It was created in the 11th century. The obvious ...
- 1,573
3
votes
2
answers
890
views
Why was silage only invented in the 19th century?
For thousands of years in the Northern climates mankind had to slaughter a large proportion of their livestock due to a shortage of winter fodder.
What prevented mankind from using silage/haylage ...
2
votes
0
answers
350
views
What did a tournament sword made of whale bone (baleen) look like?
I accidentally found this information from the Wikipedia page Boiled leather:
The word cuirass for a breastplate indicates that these were originally made of leather.[11] In the Late Middle Ages, ...
- 1,023
4
votes
2
answers
666
views
How effective are rope helmets as protection?
I accidentally found this in some 15th century painting
in "The Arrest of Christ" in the "Karlsruher Passion"
from Master of the Karlsruhe Passion (Hans Hirtz?) "The Disrobing of Christ"
and after ...
- 1,023
5
votes
3
answers
570
views
Was there a semi-professional soldiering class in Early Middle Ages Europe?
We're all familiar with the basic setup of feudal society: a large class of peasants supporting a small martial-administrative class of knights. In the event of a big war, peasants get handed some ...
- 6,054
69
votes
3
answers
18k
views
Did slaves have slaves?
Was there anywhere in history where the enslaved were able to enslave others?
Was there a slave hierarchy?
I read the slavery wikipedia entry, it mentions that in various cultures people retained ...
- 1,093
3
votes
1
answer
383
views
Where can I find information about "stone power" / lapidaire?
While doing some research about Middle-Ages jewelry, where stones comes from and the economy around it, I found a website mentioning this book and mention beliefs in some magical properties of ...
- 157
77
votes
1
answer
18k
views
What drugs were used in England during the High Middle Ages?
It's well known that alcohol was brewed and drunk throughout the Middle ages in England, but I wonder what is known from archaeological evidence and contemporary sources about what other drugs were ...
- 884
16
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Are there any writings by blinded and/or exiled Byzantine emperors?
Several Byzantine Emperors were deposed and subsequently blinded and/or exiled by their successors. Are there any extant texts authored by any of these deposed emperors?
- 163
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How were large monetary transactions conducted in medieval Europe?
Recently, I have read in the news about a large hoard of Norman coins in England being found. Apparently, all of these coins were silver pennies. And then it occurred to me that small silver coins ...
- 153
-3
votes
2
answers
195
views
How was the black death spread? [closed]
When discussing the black plague, many historians believe it to be the bubonic plague transmitted by fleas on rats.
I was wondering if there are any competing theories to what caused this mass death.
- 7
31
votes
4
answers
9k
views
How did medieval manors handle population growth? Was there room for more fields to be ploughed?
Most villeins were bound to the manor and not allowed to move elsewhere. But what happened when the population grew? The size of the manor remained the same didn't it, so how did they keep up with the ...
- 1,195
35
votes
4
answers
11k
views
How were medieval castles built in swamps or marshes without draining them?
By this, I mean a castle built without terraforming or draining the swamp; a castle that was built while keeping the swamp intact.
Inspired by Monty Python Since apparently, castles built in marshes ...
- 1,023
21
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What is the history of the university asylum law?
I fear this question may be rather broad and I would like help to narrow it down. Currently a debate is ongoing in Greece regarding the law preventing police from stepping into university campuses. ...
- 2,187
2
votes
0
answers
236
views
Are there any medieval records of girls with large clitorises misidentified (and subsequently raised) as boys?
Several years ago, I read a piece of trivia in a popular science magazine1, which said pretty much exactly:
In the Middle Ages there were many cases where a newborn girl was born with a clitoris ...
- 181
32
votes
6
answers
8k
views
Did Pope Urban II issue the papal bull "terra nullius" in 1095?
Countless sources claim that the origin of the term terra nullius is from a papal bull issued by Pope Urban II in 1095 called "Terra nullius". Here are a two:
Pramod K. Nayar, The Postcolonial ...
- 962
17
votes
3
answers
8k
views
What should I call bands of armed men in the Middle Ages?
I am writing a fiction short story roughly based off medieval times in Europe. In it I have a group of men who live in a castle and fight for the castle's lord. (They mainly protect the surrounding ...
- 273
27
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Was Richard I's imprisonment by Leopold of Austria justified?
I read in Wikipedia and Britannica about Richard I of England regarding his imprisonment and I was perplexed by the fact that a sovereign monarch, and a crusader at that, could be imprisoned by a ...
- 2,187
2
votes
2
answers
811
views
Were warhorses unable to graze in grass fields and thus needed to be manually fed an exclusive type of hay?
I found this trivia in a historical strategy game (whose name shall not be disclosed) and I want to know its credibility.
It is stated that warhorses — say, destriers or other types of European ...
- 1,023
12
votes
2
answers
486
views
Why did Al-Andalus become cosmopolitan?
I have been watching some BBC documentaries on the history of Spain recently. 'Blood and Gold: The Making of Spain with Simon Sebag Montefiore', and 'The Art of Spain' (Episode 1: The Moorish South). ...
user17846
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
When the Swiss Guard was formed, was the height requirement 174 cm (5' 8 1/2")?
The current minimum height required for the Swiss Guard at the Vatican is 5'8 1/2" or 174 cm (Swiss Guard requirements).
Has that always been the case? I remember reading years ago that the minimum ...
- 191
0
votes
1
answer
242
views
Is there a source for Medieval army composition and tactics across cultures?
It's mostly a source question, because the topic is too large to be covered by simple questions and answers, so im sorry if i posted this in the wrong place.
I'm trying to research on the ...
- 1
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Did every medieval village in Europe have a manor, castle, or other type of lord's residence?
I know that some villages were the sole and only property of certain minor lords or knights. Such villages surely had a manor (or even a castle) where the lord lives.
On the other hand, many lords ...
- 51
44
votes
2
answers
8k
views
When did the Roman Empire fall according to contemporaries?
The Roman Empire divided itself into two parts, the Eastern Roman Empire headquartered in Constantinople and the Western Roman Empire headquartered in Rome. The city of Rome itself fell in the year ...
- 2,551
-3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
To what extent was Christianity responsible for the dark ages of Western Europe?
Some sources assert that Christianity caused the dark ages of Western Europe.
But actually, to what extent Christianity was actually responsible for the dark ages of Western Europe?
I know this can ...
- 1,386
0
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why the belt or strap in some plate armor and some other armor exposed in the middle front side?
(the belt or strap locate at the middle side of the breastplate or the plackart)
Won't the belt become easy target to be cut or to be worn out? Making the armor prone to break up or unable to cover ...
- 1,023
6
votes
1
answer
10k
views
Did medieval Mongol horse archers have deformed arms like English bowmen?
Did medieval Mongol horse archers have deformed arms like English bowmen? And were there other archer inside or outside of Europe in ancient times who suffered the same deformity like English archers?
...
- 1,023
1
vote
1
answer
2k
views
What was the relation of Barons to Counts/Dukes/Earls in England during the medieval ages? [closed]
Barons from what I gather, were under direct obligation to the king.
What was the position of counts or dukes? Was their position that of viceroy? As in the barons in the area under the county/duchy ...
- 3,770
3
votes
1
answer
307
views
How were noblewomen named/titled in Medieval France, c. 11th century?
I was reading through some articles on Wikipedia and long story short I ended up reading about 11th century dukes of France. I noticed that a lot of their wives had names such as, e.g. Adelaide of ...
- 345
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How did currency exchange work in the Middle Ages, especially if the coins are not recognized?
According to Wikipedia, there were a wide range of currencies in the Middle Ages:
The various Germanic states in the west all had coinages that imitated existing Roman and Byzantine forms. Gold ...
- 3,027
8
votes
2
answers
310
views
A question about the definition of heresy (13th. C)
I write considering a definition of heresy, given by Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln (fl. 1235), who's words are widely cited in regards to the history of the inquisition:
An opinion created by human ...
2
votes
0
answers
159
views
Medieval infantry deployed in ranks of #(?) men (formation depth)?
We know quite a lot about Greek phalanx, its deployment and depth and, I believe, about Roman legions as well.
But do we know anything about Western European infantry formations of high/late middle ...
- 671
4
votes
1
answer
475
views
What did people of the middle ages call their periods? [closed]
I initially misread this question and am now left wondering what the answer to my first interpretation is.
What did the people of the middle ages call their periods? I'm curious not only about ...
- 51
17
votes
5
answers
13k
views
What's the correct term for a waitress in the Middle Ages?
How was a waitress called in the Middle Ages? Handmaid, waitress, maid, ...? And is there a different name for the ones who did this kind of job inside a castle, in contrast to the women doing this ...
- 273
1
vote
3
answers
549
views
What is an example of effective flanking maneuvers in medieval battles?
I'm interested in better understanding medieval military tactics. I know that flanking maneuvers are often considered devastating in battles but I can find any good examples of this tactic being ...
- 13
7
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Was the Maltese Falcon a real historical artifact?
Am wondering if any of this is true (Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, p. 150).
"The
archives of the Order from the twelfth century on are still at Malta.
They are not intact, but what is there holds ...
- 2,665
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What does it mean to "take the Cross"
I am reading Simon Schama's A History of Britain Volume I, which often makes reference to this form of punishment. For example, on p144:
"The assassin's made for Yorkshire, where they lived ...
- 241
6
votes
1
answer
309
views
Is the term "chainmail" historically accurate, or a modern invention?
I've heard the claim that the armour widely known today as "chainmail" or "chain mail" was never historically never called by that name in the era when it was used in Europe, rather known as "mail" or ...
- 179
27
votes
2
answers
953
views
Did men and women feast together in early medieval East Francia?
I am interested in important feasts of the upper classes (nobility), e.g., Easter or the baptism of important heirs, in the Eastern Frankish kingdom around 900 AD, specifically the Duchy of Saxony.
...
- 457
5
votes
2
answers
498
views
What was the place of a catapult in a formation
My question is where would you usually keep a catapult on a battlefield. It feels as if you shouldn't keep it in the rear back of the army since it won't reach the target, and also you want to have as ...
- 153
23
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Did Henry V’s archers at Agincourt fight with no pants / breeches on because of dysentery?
At the Battle of Agincourt (1415), according to the War History Online article The Time English Soldiers went to Battle without Pants, and Won
The conditions for the archers at the start of the ...
- 107k