The Knightly Newsletter

Medieval History

Filed In:

Medieval History

xnewsinfo

The Knightly Newsletter is no longer in production, but you can now get The Medieval History Newsletter instead. Subscription instructions at the end of this document are no longer valid, so please sign up at our current sign-up page.

Below is an archived copy of The Knightly Newsletter. Known outdated links have been removed, but the text remains. Please keep in mind that the information contained herein is several years old and may no longer apply; some links may lead to features that are no longer active.

The Newsletter for the Medieval History Site at About.com

Vol. IV, No. 12
August 14, 2001

•Henry Who?
•Dark-Age Beach Parties
•Concentrate!

The Knightly Newsletter

In the Spotlight

Henry Who?

Eight kings named Henry have occupied the English throne. How well can you tell them apart? Here are 20 questions to test your knowledge.

In the News

Dark-Age Beach Parties
Archaeologists in Devon have unearthed numerous fragments of eastern Mediterranean wine amphorae and many more animal bones, indicating a great celebration on the beach. New evidence indicates 6th-century Celts evidently traded tin for Byzantine wine and other Mediterranean commodities. Find out more in the article by David Keys at the Independent.

Viking Grave Found in Egersund
An undisturbed 8th-century Viking grave in Egersund, Norway, has recently been discovered. Finds include objects in iron, bronze and glass. For more information, see the item by Trond Bø and Jonathan Tisdall at Aftenposten.

Perperikon
The 10th-century monastery of Perperikon has been uncovered in Bulgaria. At one time a fairly prestigious Byzantine complex, the site has yielded noble seals, altars and mosaics. Check out the feature at News24 for details.

Not Bubonic Plague?
A recent book by Sue Scott and Christopher Duncan contends that the Black Death which swept Europe so rapidly in the Middle Ages was not Bubonic plague. BBC World service has an article and an audio interview with one of the authors.

Byzantine Tomb
Road workers stumbled on a cave in Sidon, Lebanon, containing a 1500-year-old Byzantine tomb with sarcophagi and frescoes. The Daily Star has a brief item and a photo.

This Week in Medieval History

The Battles of Aljubarrota and of Roncesvalles took place, Genghis Khan died, and Leo II was consecrated pope after seven months on the papal throne.

What happened today?

Concentrate!

You remember "Concentration" -- the memory game in which you match pairs of pictures? Try your hand at this JavaScript version using icons with a medieval theme.

How to Forge a Sword

Use this pattern-welding technique to create a strong, resilient weapon for your next Viking raid!

Site Update

Fresh Links
New links have been added to the following Subject Indices:

Beowulf Introductions & Resources

Churches, Cathedrals and Mosques

General British Studies

General Castle Information

General Dark-Age Britain

General Viking & Scandinavian History

Japanese Armor & Weaponry

People of Medieval Wales

Places in Medieval Britain

Topics in Medieval Iberian History

Topics in Medieval Welsh History

Various Medieval Battles and Conflicts

New links can also be found in the following Who's Who pages:

Abelard; Constantine; Justinian

Elsewhere at About.com

The Great Experiment at Cambrai
Did the events of November, 1917 spell the end of cavalry power on the battlefield? Learn about the first effective use of the battle tank in this feature by Military History Guide Robert W. Martin.

Renaissance Women
Mona Lisa and Genevra de Benci were just two of the women whose portraits were painted during the Italian Renaissance. This was a significant change in the art of the time, since until then only political and religious figures were captured on canvas. Art History Guide Andrea Mulder-Slater has more in her feature on Renaissance Women.

Quote of the Knight

Faithfulness to the truth of history involves far more than a research, however patient and scrupulous, into special facts. Such facts may be detailed with the most minute exactness, and yet the narrative, taken as a whole, may be unmeaning or untrue. The narrator must seek to imbue himself with the life and spirit of the time. He must study events in their bearings near and remote; in the character, habits, and manners of those who took part in them. He must himself be, as it were, a sharer or a spectator of the action he describes.