The Basics: Disease

Welcome to The Basics- a series of short articles designed to introduce and explain some of the features of normal life that everyone living in the 12th century would know (plus the odd bonus fact, if you’re feeling particularly information-starved right now). This week, we’re looking at the impact of disease on medieval society, and how they coped with it. Infectious disease was a huge … Continue reading The Basics: Disease

Concerning Werewolves

By Tara Hodgson Stories of werewolves have been found all throughout European history across many different cultures, from ancient Greece to 18th century Germany. The earliest mention we have is the Greek tale of Lycaon: a man who challenged the gods in grotesque fashion, killing his own child and serving it to Zeus to test Zeus’ ability to be all-knowing. As punishment for that, Lycaon … Continue reading Concerning Werewolves

Five Things That Changed During The 12th Century

It’s easy to think of the medieval period as being very samey. The popular image of knights, swords, peasants, fields and castles doesn’t vary much, at least in the public imagination, whether you’re talking about the 11th century or the 15th: one great period of Ye Olde Englande to fill the gap between Romans and the Renaissance. But we know that isn’t true. Though it … Continue reading Five Things That Changed During The 12th Century

The Basics: Slavery and Serfdom

Welcome to The Basics- a series of short articles designed to introduce and explain some of the features of normal life that everyone living in the 12th century would know (plus a bonus fact or two, because I’m just generous like that). This week, we’re looking at the huge population of unfree peoples that dominated 12th century society: slaves and serfs. At the time of … Continue reading The Basics: Slavery and Serfdom