Books of Hours
You've seen me wax rhapsodic about the extraordinary art to be found in the Book of Hours known as Les Trčs Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. But just what is a "book of hours"? Find out in this introduction from your Guide.
The image is an excerpt from an inset page of Les Trčs Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, "The Garden of Eden." It is in the public domain.
In the News
This week there are stories concerning the digitization of medieval documents, a priceless work of art returned, and, of course, archaeological discoveries.
- 16th Century Spoon Found in Little Paxton St Neots
If you've got a spoon that looks like this... well, it's probably not a priceless artifact and you should think about throwing it away. But this spoon dates to the 16th century, which makes it very cool. Brief item by Joanne Oxenham at AboutMyArea includes a very sharp photo.
- Building work unearths Viking weapon
An "H-sword" has been discovered on a construction site in Melhus. Very brief item at The Foreigner.
- New Database For Islamic Documents From The Middle Ages
The database is being created at Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany, and will contain Arabic documents from the 8th to the 15th century C.E. Article at the Eurasia Review.
- Grave discovery
Ten medieval graves have been discovered at St Giles' Church in Pontefract. Article at the Pontefract and Castleford Express.
- Looted by the Nazis, a Romanino is returned
Romanino's painting of Christ Carrying the Cross was plundered during WWII. Fascinating article by by Paul Jeromack at Artnet.
- York researchers delve deep into digital archives
Historic documents, including charters recording legal transactions of all kinds, are currently being digitized, and a team of historians, archivists and computer science experts are developing ways to effectively access and work with the documents and their contents. Feature by Nadia Jefferson-Brown at The Press, York, England.
This Week in Medieval History
In the week of February 13th in the Middle Ages, Orderic Vitalis was born, Catherine Howard was executed, and the Knights Hospitaller were formally named and recognized.
Henry the Fowler
In the early 10th century, Henry the Fowler became Duke of Saxony, then King of Germany. But he didn't become emperor -- although he consolidated a large part of what would be called the "Holy Roman Empire." That would be a title his son would have to take.
Find out more about Henry the Fowler in his Who's Who Profile.
This Week in Medieval History
Saladin
He founded a Muslim dynasty. He ruled Egypt. He captured Jerusalem from Christian crusaders. He kept some of the greatest warriors of the west from making any significant advances in the Third Crusade. He was Salah Ad-din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub: Saladin.
Find out more about Saladin, the greatest Muslim hero of the Middle Ages, in these resources:
Saint Dominic
Born and educated in Spain, Domingo de Guzmán traveled through much of France, preaching and standing up against the Albigensian heresy. He came up with this idea that Catholic preachers should show themselves to be living just as purely and austerely as the most extreme Albigensians. He established an order of brethren who traveled, taught and preached the orthodox viewpoint while living lives of poverty and self-denial. This wacky idea caught on, and in five short years, the Order of Friars Preachers that Saint Dominic had founded had thousands of members.
The image of Saint Dominic is taken from the side panel of the Perugia Altarpiece by Fra Angelico. It is in the public domain.
Find out more about Saint Dominic, the founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, in these resources:
Nicolau Copernicus
Medieval astronomers worked from Ptolemy's theory that the earth was the center of the universe, and that everything revolved around it. But back in the 3rd century B.C., Aristarchus of Samos had hypothesized that the earth revolved around the sun. Nicolau Copernicus dared to explore that idea. Thanks to the fresh translation of Ptolemy's Almagest made by Regiomontanus, Copernicus was able to refute the earth-centered-universe theory and expound on a heliocentric one. His work would have profound effects on the future of scientific study.
The image of Copernicus is from The Hundred Greatest Men, published by D. Appleton & Company, 1885. It is in the public domain.
Find out more about Nicolau Copernicus, the Founder of Modern Astronomy, in these resources:
This Week in Medieval History
In the week of January 30th in the Middle Ages, King Henry of Portugal was born, King Charles IV of France died, and Otto I was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
Canute the Great
England wasn't always ruled by the English. Alfred the Great had held off Danish intruders -- and in so doing, unified the kingdoms -- in the 9th century. But late in the 10th century, lesser English kings failed to keep Scandinavian invaders at bay: both Olaf Tryggvason of Norway and King Svein Forkbeard of Denmark made some headway. Then, in 1015 . . .
Well, find out what Canute the Great did in the early 11th century in these resources: