Medieval History Commons^™

Chaucer’S Contradictory Representations Of Fourteenth Century Knighthood In The Canterbury Tales, Nicholas Cabrera

Theses and Dissertations

Differences in interpretation have long dominated scholarship regarding knighthood in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. But these differences fail to consider the nuance of the text and the historical realities of the period in which Chaucer wrote. Chaucer’s depiction of knighthood represents the institution as filled with tensions and contradictions.

The Divine Comedy: A Work Of Medieval Mythology, Jamie Alexander

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Prior to The Divine Comedy (1308-1321), ideas about Purgatory were in the early stages of development. Purgatory had loose rituals surrounding its existence and it lacked depiction in written works. Yet in the following centuries, the fear of Purgatory and the practices of penance and indulgences reached a fever pitch, ultimately leading to the Protestant Reformation. Purgatory as a celestial location, and not just the “purgatorial fires” of the Bible, only began to develop in the twelfth century, but its fearful description and imagery in The Divine Comedy not only solidified previously nebulous understandings of Purgatory, but also increased anxiety …

Princes, Patriarch, And The People: William Of Tyre And Popular Legitimacy In The People’S Crusade And The Principality Of Antioch, 1095-1143, Nicholas T. Thompson

The Purdue Historian

This paper will focus on popular legitimacy in regard to William of Tyre’s coverage of the People’s Crusade in the 1090s and the Principality of Antioch from 1130-1143. This paper involves a discussion of Peter the Hermit, Alice of Antioch, Ralph of Domfront, and Raymond of Antioch as depicted in A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea. In his discussion of these political figures, William reveals his understanding of popular legitimacy, namely what makes popular action acceptable and unacceptable. The analysis focuses on how William uses popular action to tailor legitimacy in accordance with his political narrative. This work …

The Viking Warrior Woman? Birka Chamber Grave Bj 581, Emily A. Stolp

ATU Scholars Symposium

On a very small island called Björkö in the middle of Lake Mälaren, in southern Sweden, was a Viking settlement called Birka that was occupied for about 200 years. This town was the perfect trading area where merchants and tradesmen came with goods from all over Europe, and other parts of the world. Beginning in the late nineteenth century some 1,100 graves were excavated by Swedish antiquarian Hjalmar Stolpe. One of these graves in particular, labeled Bj 581, seen as remarkable at the time of excavation would later become a significantly controversial grave. The individual in grave Bj 581 was …

Recognizing Traps And Frightening Wolves: Foxes And Lions As A Representative Of Machiavellian Political Ideology In Shakespeare’S Comedies, Grace A. Powell

Student Scholar Showcase

While William Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets have been discussed time and time again over the past few centuries, one topic that has been less traversed is the connection between his Comedies and Niccolò Machiavelli’s political ideologies. This project will explore references of lions and foxes in Shakespeare’s Comedies and the leaders and monarchs within them to determine how beliefs about Machiavelli’s political ideology influenced Shakespeare’s literature and became symbols for leadership and power. This project will be important for gaining historical context on Machiavellian political discourse and how it was represented in the contemporary dramatic literature of William Shakespeare. I …

Res Historica, Volume 3, Lynneth Miller Renberg Phd, Alpha Rho Epsilon Phi Alpha Theta

Res Historica

The 2024 journal of historical research by Anderson University students, Res Historica.

The editorial team for this edition of Res Historica was Dr. Lynneth Miller Renberg, Johnathan Sorce, and Samuel Sanders.

The Mosaic Programs Of The Basilica Of San Vitale And The Great Palace Of Constantinople: A Unique Reinvention Of Roman Pasts, Justine Spencer

University Honors Theses

The Church of San Vitale and the Great Palace of Constantinople offer remarkable examples of artistic productions in early Byzantine mosaics. Bridging from the same Roman past they reinvented a classical medium with their unique interpretations of earlier traditions. They exemplify the diversity of Byzantine artistic productions that could coexist within the same medium and era. The mosaics of the Great Palace were part of a secular governmental public space and found deep in the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire. The mosaics of the Church of San Vitale were made for the domain of the newly reconsecrated Orthodox church …

Ecumenical Dialogue Between Reformers And Orthodox Under The Ottomans (15-16th Century), Svetoslav Svetoszarov Ribolov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Despite the capture of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453, the Orthodox Church continued to make contacts with the West. In the 15^th and 16^th centuries, Patriarchs Joasaph II and Jeremias II had ecumenical contacts and theological dialogues with two generations of Reformers. Martin Luther and Melanchthon, and later Martin Crusius, Jakob Andrеä, and their associates in Wittenberg took up the initiative for a serious ecumenical dialogue with Constantinople. Despite a sincere desire on both sides, lack of a common methodological framework in the talks did not allow for significant results. In the end, both sides did not …

Lost & Found (Game Series) [Book Chapter], Owen Gottlieb

Articles

Description of game series for use in the classroom with best practices.

“Into The Sea Of Forgetfulness”: An Analysis Of Anna Komnene’S Alexiad In Relation To The First Crusade, Breya D. Scarlett

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

Anna Komnene’s account of the First Crusade in her work The Alexiad provides invaluable insight into the Byzantine perspective of this pivotal event defining the 11th century. While shunned in a monastery, she wrote her celebrated work known as The Alexiad. Anna’s primary motivation for writing the biography stems from her desire to emphasize the accomplishments of her father, especially in regards to protecting the Byzantine Empire against invaders, both Latin and Turkish. For Anna, the crusade functions as a Western pretext for taking land away from the Byzantines. Comparing specific sieges in the First Crusade to their Latin …

Francis Of Assisi: A Reputation Marred Beyond Recognition, Jackson Gravitt

Liberty Theological Review

Francis of Assisi believed his mission was to preach the gospel, and his reputation shortly after his death was that of a prolific preacher. However, members of his Order eventually began to present his life differently due to controversies that developed after his death. They began to de-emphasize his preaching ministry to instead focus on his holiness, miracles, or reformed mindedness. In the twentieth century, these works served as the foundation of Francis studies, resulting in scholars neglecting his reputation as a preacher. Francis became caricatured as anti-oracular, most notably by his association with an apocryphal quote: “Preach the gospel …

The Power Of Law Codes, Legal Tradition, And Administrative Institutions And The Rise Of The Kingdom Of Sicily From Norman To Aragonese Rule, Joseph Mancuso

Theses and Dissertations

The Kingdom of Sicily, founded in 1130 by Roger II de Hauteville, is an example of a medieval European kingdom with an advanced understanding of law, judicial processes, and administrative offices that developed from its creation by the Norman kings to its incorporation into the Crown of Aragon. A state rarely focused on in medieval European studies, its advanced understanding of law is reflected through the law codes of Roger II, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and the Aragonese kings James II, Frederick III, and Peter II of Sicily. These kings knew that in order to effectively grow the …

Osu Venetian Imprints Dataset, Doug Wayman

Printing and the Book During the Reformation: 1450-1650, an NEH Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers

Provides information about three important functions enabled by the accompanying finding list spreadsheet of books examined at The Ohio State University (OSU) Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML) during the 2022 National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar, Books and Printing during the Reformation, 1450-1650 that took place in July of 2022. Those functions are: to provide links to global databases for descriptive information related to each book, to provide access to authorized versions of names associated with each book, and to provide value-added access to information-rich resources (including images) detailing certain aspects of some of the books, printed between …

Findlist_Venice_1477-1517, Doug Wayman

Printing and the Book During the Reformation: 1450-1650, an NEH Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers

Provides information about three important functions enabled by the accompanying finding list spreadsheet of books examined at The Ohio State University (OSU) Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML) during the 2022 National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar, Books and Printing during the Reformation, 1450-1650 that took place in July of 2022. Those functions are: to provide links to global databases for descriptive information related to each book, to provide access to authorized versions of names associated with each book, and to provide value-added access to information-rich resources (including images) detailing certain aspects of some of the books, printed between …

Introduction To A Finding List Of Early Venetian Books Printed From 1477 To 1517 In The Rare Book And Manuscript Library Of The Ohio State University, Doug Wayman

Printing and the Book During the Reformation: 1450-1650, an NEH Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers

Provides information about three important functions enabled by the accompanying finding list spreadsheet of books examined at The Ohio State University (OSU) Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML) during the 2022 National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar, Books and Printing during the Reformation, 1450-1650 that took place in July of 2022. Those functions are: to provide links to global databases for descriptive information related to each book, to provide access to authorized versions of names associated with each book, and to provide value-added access to information-rich resources (including images) detailing certain aspects of some of the books, printed between …

The King And His Favorites: A Historiographical Analysis Of Edward Ii, Luke Ziegler

Tenor of Our Times

The historiography of Edward II has painted him as a weak king who deserved deposition, overemphasizing his faults while under-examining the circumstances in which he had to rule. Starting from the earliest chronicles, through the early modern period, 19^th and 20^th centuries, and through the present, the historiography demonstrated the changes that Edward II’s reputation has undergone. These changes went from thinking of Edward as a weak king who should be blamed for all of England’s ills, to acknowledging and addressing his faults while realizing that not everything was under Edward’s control to fix.

Dies Legibiles Iv

Dies Legibiles

Thank you for reading the fourth volume of Dies Legibiles! This year, the journal’s reach continued to grow; we received more than double the number of submissions than we did during the 2022–2023 academic year, including submissions from more than fifteen colleges and universities. In a time when public support and funding for the humanities is falling, it has been an incredible experience to see such strong enthusiasm for the field of Medieval Studies.

It's Written All Over Your Face: A Cultural And Gender History Of The Face In The Middle Ages, 1170-1500, Lacey N. Bonar Hull

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

At a time of vast social and cultural shifts, people living in western Europe from the late twelfth to the late fifteenth centuries developed and employed methods to “read” the faces of others. This practice promoted the interpretation of inner qualities from external appearances, often used to communicate adherence to or deviation from boundaries of gendered behaviors. My project explores medieval understandings concerning this particular feature of the human body, analyzing discourses concerning the face as a site of symbolism for inner character. While scholars have studied understandings of the self and the “Other” during this period, the role of …

Discursive Femininity In The Encounter Of Sultan Kamil And St. Francis, Zilka Spahić Šiljak

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

In discussions about violence, wars, and peacebuilding, we often hear essentialist arguments about women and men, equating men with masculine and women with feminine characteristics, while avoiding the acceptance that both genders contain both sets of traits, depending on how they are nurtured and exhibited. Socialization polarizes and solidifies essentialist views on gender roles, and any deviation from these norms is sanctioned through stigmatization and exclusion. However, the greatest male spiritual authorities in the world serve as examples of embracing the feminine within themselves, and it is this acceptance that makes them memorable and continues to inspire humanity today. Two …

Academic Reasearch On Saint Sava Of Serbia In Greece, Ioannis Kaminis

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The paper examines Greek Academic studies dedicated to Saint Sava, the first archbishop of the Serbs. It focuses on St. Sava's activities, the historical relations between Greeks and Serbs during the Middle Ages and beyond, and the most significant research on the Serbian saint. The analysis primarily addresses books concerning the Orthodox Church in Serbia, featuring prominent researchers such as Antonios-Emilios Tachiaos, Ioannis Tarnanidis, Athanasios Angelopoulos, Dimitrios V. Gonis, and Georgios-Nectarios Loes, along with one postgraduate thesis and one dissertation. The study concludes with a critical assessment of the current state of research and proposes potential future avenues for studying …

Faithful Partner: The Role And Agency Of Pastors' Wives In The Protestant Reformation, Elizabeth M. Dubendorfer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis explores the critical yet often overlooked roles of pastors' wives during the Protestant Reformation, focusing on three key figures: Katharina von Bora, Katharina Schütz Zell, and Elisabeth Cruciger. It examines how these women navigated the complexities of Reformation-era Germany, blending traditional gender roles with new practices that emerged from their unique positions as clerical spouses. By investigating their personal histories, theological contributions, and community engagements, the thesis demonstrates that these pioneering women established a distinct archetype for pastors' wives. This archetype was characterized by a profound commitment to faith, an expanded view of motherhood and wifely duties, and …