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Vol. II, No.23
The Newsletter for the Medieval
History Site at About.com
December 15, 1999
Our Latest Feature
Conquest, Part III: Blood and Steel
Three men would lay claim to the English throne; three men would go to war to have it. Only one could be victorious...
In the News
Museum of London opens 17th-century bottle of wine
A bottle of Madeira that had been excavated from a cellar filled with rubble since 1682 was opened and tasted at the Museum of London Friday. Experts pronounced it fit to drink and even "lively and well-balanced." For more information see the article by Robin Young at the Times UK.
Da Vinci landscape
background pinpointed
Leonardo da Vinci frequently used a particular landscape as a backdrop for some of his works, including the Mona Lisa. Now a researcher claims to have discovered the geographical location near Arezzo. For more information, see the article by Rossella Lorenzi at Discovery Online.
Medieval Minutia
Tn the early days of the European castle, the lord and lady and their family slept in the great hall with everyone else; but as castles evolved into more complex structures, they achieved increasingly more privacy. First their accomodations were separated by a curtain or makeshift wall, then chambers were built for them on a second or third floor. Eventually the wealthiest families could afford individual chambers for everyone, and the lord and lady might each have a room for him- or herself.
In one instance, however, marital companionship had its advantages. In 1238, according to Matthew Paris, an assassin climbed into the bedchamber of King Henry III of England. His attempt was thwarted, however, for Henry was sleeping with the Queen.
A wakeful maid saw the intruder and alerted the household.
Source: Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph and Frances Gies
You can purchase Life in a Medieval Castle and other good books about the Middle Ages at our online bookstore.
For more about life in medieval times, visit our daily life net links and our castles subdirectory.
Site Update
Directory Reorganization
Our page of net links for France has been removed from the Europe subdirectory and turned into a subdirectory of its own. You can find it from our main net link index. Among the new pages are People of Medieval France and Places in Medieval France.
Arthurian Studies has been removed from the Drama, Literature & Poetry subdirectory. The extensive page has been turned into the Arthuriana subdirectory, available through our main net link index. Arthuriana also includes pages on the Holy Grail, Gawain, and the Historical King Arthur.
There were so many links for Charlemagne in our Carolingians net link page that he now has his own page.
The Castles of Britain was also growing large, so a separate page has been created for the many Scottish Castle sites.
New Net
Links
- General Art
- Art History (from About.com)
- General Art Collections
- CGFA: Carol Gerten's Fine Art - A Virtual Museum
- Gawain
- Gawain at the Camelot Project
- Gawain at the Quest
- Medieval Japan
- Ancient Japan
- Major Events in Japanese History
- People of Medieval Britain
- Oliver Cromwell
- Castles in Britain
- UK Castles Discussion List (also added to Email Discussion Lists)
- Castles in Scotland
- Castles of Scotland
- General Religious Studies
- Shinto
- Women of the Middle Ages: General Sites
- Women and Women's Communities in Ancient Japan
- Timelines of Peoples and Places, I to R
- Timeline of Ancient Japan
Reminder
Webmasters: join the About.com affiliate program and earn money by linking to About.com sites. Join now and become a Millennium Affiliate! You'll earn 6 cents per click-through in December, and 4 cents per click-through in the year 2000.
Chat
Join me in the Solar today, Wednesday, at 2 pm Eastern time (7 pm UTC) for a chat about your favorite medieval topics!
Elsewhere at
About.com
Time is running out for those holiday gifts, and the crowds at the mall are appalling. So why not do your shopping online? Frank Fiore has the links and tips you need at the About.com Online Shopping site.
Quote of the
Knight
Trifles make perfection, and
perfection is no trifle.
Michelangelo
Quote of the KnightTrifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle. Michelangelo |
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Knightly Newsletter. Thank you for visiting the Medieval History site, and see you in chat!
Melissa Snell
Your Medieval History Guide at About.com
The Knightly Newsletter is copyrighted © 1999 by Melissa Snell and About.com. All graphics used on this page were created by your guide.
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