John France on Medieval France at War
January 2, 2023
It seems strange to say that in 885, when my book begins, there was no such thing as France. I first went there as a teenager and I was struck… READ MORE
The Arc Blog
Adrian Boas on The Crusades Uncovered
September 12, 2022
It would require a particular talent to write a dull history of the crusades and there are many fine studies available covering virtually every aspect of the subject, from politics… READ MORE
Beowulf and the North Before the Vikings
September 5, 2022
My book asks what the old poem Beowulf can tell us about the history of the North in the post-Roman period, the fifth and sixth centuries – a place and a time… READ MORE
Jewish Theatre Making in Mantua, 1520-1650
August 29, 2022
The Jewish community of Mantua started to produce plays in 1520 for carnival celebrations and civic spectacles to honor visiting dignitaries and to celebrate births and marriages of the reigning… READ MORE
Agnès Sorel: The continued relevance of a pre-modern icon
Agnès Sorel (ca. 1426-50), the beautiful mistress of King Charles VII of France (1403-61), is a star. She appears regularly in popular histories, novels, documentaries, and, most recently, internet fan… READ MORE
Why Study the Middle Ages? Because #MedievalSo…MuchMore
At the time I was finishing the edits and proofs for my book Why Study the Middle Ages?, the trailer for the new film Medieval came out. I honestly at… READ MORE
Bar Kribus on Ethiopian Jewish Ascetic Religious Communities
May 6, 2022
Can you tell us what Ethiopian Jewish ascetic religious communities are? And what inspired you to carry out research on them? When I first had a chance to learn about Betä… READ MORE
On Women Religious Crossing between Cloister and the World
April 18, 2022
Nuns and sex: rumour or fact? Did nuns stay in touch with the outside? Despite ecclesiastical authorities insistence on enclosure, were nuns truly isolated? How did nuns in observant convents… READ MORE
In Search of Europe’s Last Pagans
April 17, 2022
The fact that there were still followers of ancestral pre-Christian religions living in Europe in the age of the Reformation is something not well known outside the countries that are… READ MORE
On Elite Women as Diplomatic Agents in Italy and Hungary, 1470–1510
March 3, 2022
Elite women were on the move in late medieval and early modern Europe. Daughters of kings, dukes, barons and renowned military captains often found themselves the object of dynastic marriage… READ MORE