Tag: Medieval History
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Woman’s Work: The Elusive Embroiderers of the Bayeux Tapestry
Despite remaining one of the most celebrated works of medieval art, there is little discussion of the women behind the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry. Naomi Wallace discusses the theories surrounding its origins and the needleworkers responsible for this famous masterpiece.
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Empress Matilda: What Happened to England’s First Female Heir?
In 1135, with the death of Henry I, England was plunged into civil war over a succession crisis, at the heart of which lie the question: should a woman be able to sit on the throne? Megan Crutchley explores the life and legacy of Empress Matilda, the woman who almost became the first ruling Queen of England.
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Decline, Fall and Reuse: Greek Nationalist Uses of Byzantine Archaeology since 1830
Following the collapse of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans in 1453, it found new provenance in shaping Greek identity during its struggle for independence. Verity Limond explores the place of Byzantine archaeology alongside glorification of the classical past.
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Little Freedoms: So-Called ‘Liberation’ in the Wake of the Black Death
Written by Ailsa Fraser. In the aftermath of the Black Death, a lower population allowed those at the lowest social strata to demand higher higher wages. But did this equate to greater liberation for the peasantry? Ailsa Fraser discusses the changing landscape of Britain and the legislations which impacted their lives.
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Mansa Musa: Reorienting Assumptions of African Development in Mali
Written by Amy Hendrie. According to present value, Mansa Musa, the fourteenth-century leader of the Mali Empire, was the richest man who has ever lived. Despite this, his name is largely missing from the Brittish curriculum. Amy Hendrie explores the life of legacy of the man at the head of West Africa’s largest empire.
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The Origins of Tattooing: A Brief Overview
Written by Etta Coleman. The art of tattooing has a long and nuanced history, intimately linked with the cultures who permanently inscribed ink into the flesh. Etta Coleman explores the origins of this art form and its global spread.
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Anna Komnene: The Struggles of a Female Historian in Medieval Times
Written by Dido Papikinou. Sources from the medieval period are almost entirely male-centred – written by men, written for men, and written about men. To examine, therefore, the account of a woman on the First Crusade, is an opportunity Dido Papikinou considers invaluable to understanding the female experience of this period.
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The Princes in the Tower – is Britain’s biggest mystery any closer to being solved?
Written by Sophie Whitehead. The mystery of the princes of the tower has remained unsolved for over 500 years. With new evidence and theories from an Dorset church, what truly happened to the young boys?
Retrospect Journal 