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Unam Sanctam: Spiritual Authority & the Medieval Church
The Unam Sanctam (1302) was a papal bull issued by Pope Boniface VIII (served 1294-1303) requiring the complete submission of all people, including kings, to the authority and dictates of the pope. As the Church was understood as holding...

Article
Martial Arts in Medieval Japan
There were 18 martial arts (bugei or bujutsu) in medieval Japan, and these included use of weapons, unarmed self-defence techniques, swimming, and equestrian skills. Initially designed to hone the skills of warriors for greater success on...

Article
The Gold Trade of Ancient & Medieval West Africa
West Africa was one of the world's greatest producers of gold in the Middle Ages. Trade in the metal went back to antiquity but when the camel caravans of the Sahara linked North Africa to the savannah interior, the trade really took off...

Article
Reactions to Plague in the Ancient & Medieval World
Throughout history, epidemics and pandemics of plague and other diseases have caused widespread panic and social disorder even, in some instances, when the people of one region were aware of a pervasive infection elsewhere. In the case of...

Image Gallery
The Lady and the Unicorn: Medieval Tapestries
The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, housed at the Musée de Cluny in Paris, are a series of six exquisite medieval tapestries that are renowned for their beauty, craftsmanship, and mysterious symbolism. These tapestries are believed to have...

Collection
Life in a Medieval Castle
Protecting strategically important coastlines, passes, and roadways, castles were an essential part of medieval warfare. With such key features as a tower keep, fortified gatehouses, curtain walls with crenellations and a surrounding moat...

Collection
Japan in Medieval Times
The history of medieval Japan (1185-1603 CE) involved the rise of the military and such figures as the shoguns and samurai but there were many other cultural developments in between and during the many wars that troubled the country. In this...

Collection
Ancient & Medieval Sports
In this collection of resources, we examine some of the sports that thrilled ancient and medieval audiences from the fast and furious chariot races of the Circus Maximus to the colour and pageantry of medieval jousts. We look at the hockey...

Article
Plague in the Ancient & Medieval World
The word 'plague', in defining a lethal epidemic, was coined by the physician Galen (l. 130-210 CE) who lived through the Antonine Plague (165 - c. 180/190 CE) but the disease was recorded long before in relating the affliction of the Plague...

Article
Wealth & Power in Medieval Iceland
Early medieval Iceland, the Viking colony, was a democratic and egalitarian society, but the scarcity of resources and the rough environment created competition, where local chieftains resorted to different tactics to acquire wealth and money...