The Knightly Newsletter - Medieval History

Medieval History

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Medieval History

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The Newsletter for the Medieval History Site at About.com

Vol. III, No. 20
November 27, 2000

•The Medieval Child, part 3
•Winners!
•Giotto's Bones?

The Knightly Newsletter

Our Latest Feature:

The Medieval Child, Part 3

In "Surviving Infancy," we look at what life was like for the medieval infant, and find out what we can and can't know about his chances for survival.

Winners!

It took three tries, but we finally got a winner for the October drawing: Mike, who has chosen as his prize The Book of the Medieval Knight by Stephen Turnbull. We also have a November winner: Matteo, who has picked Humanists and Reformers by Bard Thompson. Congratulations, Mike and Matteo!

Thanks to all of you who have taken the Visitor Survey -- your input is greatly appreciated! Our drawing is now closed, but if you'd still like to give me your two cents' worth, visit the survey.

In the News

Giotto's Bones

On January 8, the anniversary of Giotto's death, the city of Florence will go ahead with the ceremonial burial of a skeleton discovered under the Duomo cathedral. But are they really Giotto's bones? For more information, see the AP feature at CNN.

For more about this pre-Renaissance art master, visit our page on Giotto in Who's Who in Medieval History.

Rats to Blame

In spite of recent theories that cholera, anthrax and other diseases were major causes of the Black Death, DNA tests confirm that the bacterium Yersinia pestis, borne by the Black Rat and the fleas that fed off him, was indeed the cause of the Bubonic Plague that swept Europe in the fourteenth century. Check out the article at the Reuters Health Information website.

And for more about the Black Death, see your Guide's feature on the Great Mortality.

This Week and Next in Medieval History

Gregory of Tours, Andrea Palladio and the duc de Berry share a birthday. What happened today?

Medieval Shopping Online

Delight a history buff or draw someone into the marvelous world of medieval history. Visit these websites selected by your Guide to buy medieval antiquities, coins, and reproductions of items from the Middle Ages.

Chat!

Join our Chat Host JohnHospitaller for a conversation in the Solar Friday, December 1 at 9 pm Eastern time. I plan to join John for a little while. Hope to see you there!

Fresh Links

New links have been added to the following pages in our directory:

General Medieval Militaria

Old English

Places in Europe

Topics in Japanese History

Various Medieval Languages

Wars of the Roses

Elsewhere at About.com

Planning a trip to Great Britain this winter -- or lucky enough to live there? English Culture Guide Paula Bardell has a rundown of winter events in Jolly Olde England.

The play The Reign of King Edward III has long been considered an anonymous creation. But could it have been penned by the Bard? Shakespeare Guide Amanda Mabillard takes a look.