Medieval History Commons^™

Medieval Sensibilities: A History Of Emotions In The Middle Ages, Chad Wiener

Philosophy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Food For The Soul: Feasting And Fasting In The Spanish Middle Ages, Martha Daas

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

This article examines the concept of "Christian" eating that can be found in a variety of texts from the 13th and 14th centuries. “Christian” eating can be defined as consumption that follows the precepts of the Christian calendar and also the recommendations of the Church. As both fasting and feasting are integral elements of the medieval calendar, this article looks at the depiction of food, its consumption, and its role in religious ritual in texts as varied as the Milagros de Nuestra Señora, the Vidas of Santa Maria Egipciaca and Santa Marta, and the more doctrinally liberal Libro de buen …

Gender Concerns: Monks, Nuns, And Patronage Of The Cistercian Order In Thirteenth-Century Flanders And Hainaut, Erin L. Jordan

History Faculty Publications

The Cistercian order, which had its origins in the late eleventh century, transformed the spiritual landscape of western Europe. The order's insistence on a return to the austerity and simplicity that had originally informed Benedictine life reenergized monasticism, spawning hundreds of new abbeys within decades. By the beginning of the thirteenth century, the Cistercians dominated monastic life, surpassing their black-robed predecessors in terms of popularity and replacing them among patrons as favored recipients of donations. Yet, while a sizable body of historiography exists concerning the ability of men's houses to translate this appeal into spiritual and material success, questions remain …

Nutrition And The Early-Medieval Diet, Kathy L. Pearson

History Faculty Publications

The food supply of the temperate lands of early-medieval western Europe, and the ways in which its peoples dealt with the central problem of feeding themselves, has been subjected to a variety of interpretations in recent years. Vern Bullough and Cameron Campbell's study of the medieval diet and female longevity concluded that early-medieval women suffered from iron deficiencies triggered jointly by poor nutrition and frequent childbearing and that these deficiencies contributed substantially to their average early age of death. Ann Hagen's overview of Anglo-Saxon patterns of food production and consumption suggested that most of the early English population routinely lived …

From Roman Britain To Norman England Continuity And Change - C. A. D. 284 - 1066, Gary Philip Priolo

History Theses & Dissertations

Prior to the Norman Conquest English Society was different in many ways. To understand these differences one must look at the various influences that over eight centuries combined to create Saxon England. This study examines how Saxon English society was created from the contributions of the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, church, and Vikings.

Contemporary authors such as Bede and Gildas, and supporting archeological evidence indicate that the invaders and Christian missionaries had a significant impact on the native population of medieval Britain. Evidence suggests that the Romano-Britons were either killed or put to flight by the Anglo-Saxon settlers, the church first converted …

The Merchant Class Of London During The Hundred Years War, Rowena Breen

History Theses & Dissertations

The merchant class of London became an increasingly important and active body during the Hundred Years War, especially in the area of economic development. London's merchants held the most important governmental posts of the city, and were instrumental in the finance systems of London and the kingdom. In trade and commerce, London's merchants were at the forefront, instituting complex business transactions and opening new markets for themselves and for the kingdom at large. The ongoing conflict between England and France from 1337 to 1453 provided the merchants with many opportunities for their new developments and ventures. The artificially concentrated conditions …

John Of Gaunt And His Use Of Marriage, Christopher Park Ross

History Theses & Dissertations

The problem under examination is to determine to what extent were the public policy pursuits of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, designed to expand the patrimony and influence of the house of Lancaster. Gaunt's actions have been placed in a wider historical context. His claims to various European lands from Provence to Scotland have been examined. His use of the marriages of himself and of his children to strengthen the prestige of his house have been scrutinized. The result of this study has been to show Gaunt's loyalty to what he perceived to be the interests of his immediate …

Slavery And The Early Teutonic Codes A.D. 400-800: A Legal Paradigm Shift, Elizabeth Thompson Harris

History Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the institution of slavery in the customary legal codes of seven Germanic tribes: the Burgundians, Lombards, Franks, Anglo-Saxons, Alamanni, Bavarians, and Visigoths. It describes the status of slaves within each society and assesses various factors contributing to both the recrudescence of slavery throughout the period of the invasions and its subsequent demise during the ninth and tenth centuries. The research is based primarily on the titles within the Germanic codes themselves, chronicles, contemporary Roman historical writing, and Roman legislation.

An important legal transformation made evident throughout the Germanic codes testifies to the replacement of complete subjection by …

French Diplomacy In Italy, 1450-1463, Mary Jane Callahan

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the intricacies of the diplomatic policies of the French in the Italian states of Naples, Milan and Genoa in the middle of the fifteenth century. The particular emphasis concerns French activity with regard to claims in Naples and Milan and control of Genoa during the latter years of the reign of Charles VII and the first two years of his son, Louis XI. The Kingdom of Naples was claimed by Rene of. Anjou, brother-in-law of Charles VII, as the named successor of the Neapolitan queen, Joanna II. Charles of Orleans, another brother-in-law, claimed the Duchy of Milan …

An Evaluation Of The Importance Of The Period 1140-1270 In Western Civilization, Joyce Nell Brewster

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the possibility of establishing a linear relationship between the modern era and the High Middle Ages. Its inspiration is the English poet William Blake, who conceived man' pilgrimage in three stages: Innocence, Experience and Organized Innocence, The focus of the study is the apogee of the High Middle Ages and the particular question of whether that era can be equated with Blake's initial, integrated state of Innocence. Analysis of the literature, art, and. architecture of the period. suggests the validity of Blake's model and its potential value as a framework for understanding and coping with the contemporary …

The Norman Conquest In English Historical Thought, Ann Gutting Mercer

History Theses & Dissertations

Each chapter in British historiography has produced a diversity of opinion concerning the impact of the Norman Conquest (twelfth century contemporary, Tudor, Stuart, nineteenth century, twentieth century). The closer one comes to modern times the broader and more heated the controversies become. This paper discusses the appropriate works of the prominent historians from each major period. The question is asked: Was the Norman succession merely one event in the constitutional development of England or did it transform the English way of life?