What did it mean to be a man in medieval Europe? How did a man demonstrate his masculinity? Prostitution, and the women (and men) involved, occupied a paradoxical position in the cities that straddle the border between modern day Germany and Switzerland. To some, prostitution was a necessary component of urban life whilst, to others,…
Author: hibba003
Let Sleeping Monarchs Lie: Sweden’s Royal Resting Place
In 1629, Gustav II Adolph, otherwise known as the ‘Lion of the North’, instructed his Privy Council to prepare a burial crypt on the south side of the church which dominated the Riddarholmen (‘Knight’s Islet’). However, it was not until the king was mortally wounded when leading the Protestant forces during the Thirty Year’s War…
Beyond the ‘History’: The Other Works of the Venerable Bede
Anyone with even an inkling of English history is likely to have heard of the Venerable Bede (c. 672-735) and probably will come across his most famous work, the Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Bede’s history, completed towards the end of his life, was the first history of the English or Anglo-Saxon peoples that…
From Riga with Love: A Voyage to Europe’s Forgotten Frontier
The past bears a heavy legacy in Latvia, one of three Baltic states, including Lithuania and Estonia, that were only granted independence from Russian rule in the closing decade of the 20th century. Little known in much detail to Western Europeans, Latvia, for a large part of the 20th century, languished behind the Iron Curtain…
A Late Afternoon Vision of Medieval England: Pugin and the Remedy of the Past
This afternoon I captured a vision, not on my camera but in my mind. I was standing high on the Staffordshire Moorlands and the late afternoon winter sun was illuminating the hilly landscape before me, casting it in a golden haze. As I looked down into the valley, I could make out a church spire…
Hooking and Hustling – Prostitution in Late Medieval Switzerland
When exploring the past, we tend to focus on the tales of kings and queens and the adventures of worthy men. But what about the lives of ordinary people? And how about that activity that will inevitably occur when people come together, sex? Alex (A) interviewed Jamie Page (JP), a research fellow at the Eberhard…
Beyond the Northlands: Interview with Dr Eleanor Barraclough
We often view the Vikings from the perspective of their victims as blood curdling, robbing, raping murderers. The terror from the North which, according to some, was a divinely ordained punishment for the corruption and moral laxity of Christendom. But what if we tried to understand the Vikings from their own point of view? Alex…
In the Land of Giants: Interview with Max Adams
Ever wondered what it is really like to view the world from an Anglo-Saxon perspective? Want to know how Aelfred defeated the Vikings? Just look at the landscape, argues archaeologist Max Adams. Alex (A) interviewed Adams (MA) on his recently published book, Aelfred’s Britain: Life and Death in the Viking Age (Head of Zeus, E….
The House at Heaven’s Door: The Lost Priory of Stone
The rain lashed our faces as we made our way hastily towards the steps of the house, seeking shelter. Once through the door, we were taken down a flight of steep steps twisting their way below ground, underneath the house. The Undercroft Hidden away from sight and sound, a large vaulted undercroft lay waiting, its…
The Church that Refused to Crumble: The Miracle of Pershore Abbey
First Sight We waited with excitement for our car to crest the hill between us and Pershore. A moment later, our patience was rewarded with a magnificent view. The abbey church of Pershore stood confidently in the valley before us, the small Georgian town of Pershore wrapping itself around the abbey grounds. Red brick houses…
