Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with medieval

Looking for books on building military castles (ca. Middle Ages-era)

noztran — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:11:09 -0800

I am looking for resources (preferably books) on how castles were built, say, why stairs are spiralled in one direction and not the other, or what are the pros&cons of circular towers vs. octagonal ones, or the considerations for putting internal and external defence rings, the height and thickness of walls, or the differences between how the castles were built in different countries, etc. Thanks in advance!

Amo Amas Awhat?

The Whelk — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:23:36 -0800

Is there a Medieval Linguist in the house? I need a very short conversation between Cistercian nuns in Saxony translated into Medieval Latin. Any help so I don't sound like a complete idiot warmly welcomed. Background, it's 1301 in Lower Saxony at Wienhausen Abbey

"He wishes in all humbleness to adore the relic."

"Impossible."

"But abbess, he has brought a wonder! He says it is a gift. He only wants a moment with it."

"Bring him to me."

Total Side Question: I can't figure out if the nuns wouldn't used Old German or Latin when speaking to each other rather than writing religious texts. Some sources say Old French, even.

How was print produced and distributed during the early Medieval period?

slowcat — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:28:33 -0800

How was print produced and distributed during the early Medieval period? I've been doing a lot of reading lately on early Christian thinkers, and I was wondering how much influence their writings could have on the general Christian public if this were before say, movable type. For example, Origen's writings are listed as being highly controversial in his lifetime, but how many people really had access to them? Was it really only the academic elite? Did they have to be manually copied?

I feel like I can't truly appreciate the ideas without understanding the context.
Thanks!

Skirts and Rushes: a Medieval Mystery

taz — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:59:19 -0800

Drafty castles, stone construction, floors strewn with rushes, noble ladies' trailing gowns... Anyone who's read any historical fiction set in the Middle Ages is familiar with these popular Medieval motifs, but I have been troubled by a number of questions about these items. Perhaps we have some period history mavens who can ease my confusion? (Warning: Long! Strewn! Possibly moldy.) I was completely fascinated to find this page of notes about real life for the upper classes in the Middle Ages, and it addresses one of the things I've always wondered about. In fact, I came upon it while specifically searching for information about rushes as floor covering. In this piece, the author rejects the idea of loosely strewn straw-like rushes (in rich households), because of the impracticality of the ladies of the house, with their sweeping gowns, navigating such domestic terrain. She opines that what was actually used were woven mats made of rushes, which seems to make more sense, especially since woven/braided rush mats have been in existence since at least 4000 BC (scroll to the bottom) - and so why wouldn't these wealthy families have these instead of scattered rushes, at least in all the areas where the family members were likely to frequent?

Could "rushes" just have been shorthand for "rush mats" in some cases where we have recorded references to this practice?

Yet, Erasmus (1466-1536) wrote this about Medieval floors in England:

"The doors are, in general, laid with white clay, and are covered with rushes, occasionally renewed, but so imperfectly that the bottom layer is left undisturbed, sometimes for twenty years, harbouring expectoration, vomiting, the leakage of dogs and men, ale droppings, scraps of fish, and other abominations not fit to be mentioned. Whenever the weather changes a vapour is exhaled, which I consider very detrimental to health. I may add that England is not only everywhere surrounded by sea, but is, in many places, swampy and marshy, intersected by salt rivers, to say nothing of salt provisions, in which the common people take so much delight I am confident the island would be much more salubrious if the use of rushes were abandoned, and if the rooms were built in such a way as to be exposed to the sky on two or three sides, and all the windows so built as to be opened or closed at once, and so completely closed as not to admit the foul air through chinks; for as it is beneficial to health to admit the air, so it is equally beneficial at times to exclude it".

(I'm assuming "doors" is just a typo here, and should have been "floors.") Was he speaking of more common dwellings, instead of rich families who had the manpower to have the rushes at least changed quite regularly, if not replaced by much more practical woven mats that could be removed, shaken out and/or washed, allowing for the floor beneath to be cleaned?... not to mention solving the problem of "strewn rushes" being plowed through by trailing gowns, capes and cloaks?

But perhaps those lavish gowns and outer garments were rarely worn, for significant events and high social occasions only? Did even the most aristocratic ladies wear far more practical, floor-escaping dress in their day-to-day lives?

I've also wondered about dried rushes as flooring in castles where candles and lamps were the nighttime light sources, in combination with tapestries hung over the walls, curtained beds, etc... the stone floors and walls wouldn't have burned, but it seems like the inhabitants of those rooms would certainly have been at great risk.

And... of course, it doesn't take a modern mind to recognize that insects and vermin will quickly infest aging/moldy straw/rush debris. For poor people who spent every waking moment struggling to merely insure their basic survival, this is perhaps simply one of the many things that they didn't have the luxury to address, but what about the luckier few... what were their floors & rushes practices?

Also, I do understand we are talking about a period that spans centuries, and significant geographical and cultural differences - in a time when few were literate, so precise Best Practices manuals addressing something so mundane cannot be expected, but if you have more info, well... I'm oddly curious, and welcome any insights and/or links.

What's the best "dynasty simulator"?

T.D. Strange — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:39:17 -0800

I love the Medieval and Rome Total War series of PC games. But what I most love about them is the "dynasty simulator" aspect. Are there other games like this? While I love these games for blending real time tactical battles with the turn based strategic overworld, I'm pretty much over the RTS genre. Are there any turn based strategy games which have the same "dynasty simulator" feel to them?

I own Heroes 3 and 5, and Galactic Civilizations 2, but neither of those has quite the same focus. I like the idea of building up a line of successive rulers, expanding the kingdom through court intrigue, marrying off the ugly daughter, etc. I don't know if such a game exists, but it should.

Medieval wood carving online

Chrischris — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:45:32 -0800

Where are there picture galleries of medieval wood carving (both in situ eg: misericords, pew ends, ecclesiastical accessories like baptism fonts, etc. and free standing figural carving like those of Tilman Riemenschneider, for example) online? I've tried numerous Google searches and looked over some cathedral websites, only to come up empty. Any suggestions for more comprehensive resources would be appreciated...

Arise, Sir Pacman!

Flitcraft — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:45:49 -0800

Heraldry buffs, can you help? I've been googling and flicking through ordinaries to no avail because I don't even know the name for this strange medieval symbol to begin with Please excuse my terrible drawings, they're like pac-mans or doughnuts with a tiny hole and a little slice nipped out. The first drawing is probably the closest to it, because the circular hole in the middle is quite small. What on earth could these be called? They're not roundels or annulets. I've looked at loads of those. I saw three of them on a carving of a shield but until I know what they are I can get no further. Many thanks!

Medieval flash game

Petrot — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:26:16 -0800

Looking for a flash game from a few years ago that was a kind of top-down view of battles, where you set your army up in formation at one side of a grid, and command them to do different tasks. The enemy is at the other side of the grid. IIRC it was medieval-esque, but possibly as you progressed through the game, you might have traveled forward through time as well. An example of the genre - although not the game in question - is here (and screenshot here)

Help me decode some medieval Latin

RedReplicant — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:36:03 -0800

Latin scholars, please help with the translation of this wonky medieval titulus I'm linking to a scan of the page of the Hitda Codex that has me stumped. My Latin is okay, but it's not good enough to get metaphors or subtleties. If anyone can shed light on what this means, I'd really appreciate it.

Oh, and Cdtor is, I think, Conditor.

Best books on the middle ages?

fire&wings — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:04:57 -0800

I'm looking for the best books about life in the middle ages. I am keeping the question as open as possible but I do have a few areas of specific interest. I am interested in the day to day thought processes and beliefs of people of any nationality in the middle ages. Specifically their reactions to things like illness, death, weather/nature, the hunt/harvest, strangers and the belief systems and rituals involved in those reactions. Ideally the subject would be the uneducated peasant. Serious works of wider scope on medieval life are also welcomed if there are elements of sociology etc. I'm not interested in books focussing on cookery, costumes etc alone.

Stand-Alone Fantasy Novels?

Jaybo — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:46:02 -0800

Stand-alone fantasy book recommendations? So many fantasy books are parts of series so I'm looking for suggestions of fantasy books that are engaging, stand-alone works.

Bonus points if they have medieval settings and characters who use magic.

Finally, although it *is* part of a series, the person I'm asking on behalf of cites "Ink Death" as an example of the type of book they're looking for.

Medieval Sign Generator link?

nikko — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:01:38 -0800

medieval sign generator link? Some things should be easy to find on the web, but for some reason my search-fu is weak in finding the medieval sign generator that was all the rage a year or so ago. Maybe I have my time periods messed up, but I'm looking for the sign generator that makes the WAAAY olde school signs. I think it's a flash based jobbie that lets you drag pictures on it and such.

How did pre-industrial leather tanning work?

CKmtl — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:08:09 -0800

AskMe Reference Desk: Pre-industrial production and trade of leather and leather goods - how did it work? I'm trying to collect as much information as possible on the workings of tanneries, and the associated trade in leather goods, prior to the industrialization (i.e., dedicated machinery, easy access to bulk purified chemicals, etc.) of the process.

So far, I've tracked down one book that looks promising (English Medieval Industries: Craftsmen, Techniques, Products by John Blair & Nigel Ramsay) and that I'll be checking out tomorrow, but I'd appreciate any further recommendations. Online resources would be extra handy.

A couple of the specific points that I'm stuck on:

- How broadly applicable was the tanner's knowledge? Would someone who was 'specialized' in tanning, say, cow hide know how to tan deer skins? Boar? Reptiles? Fish? Emu? And so on...

- Pit-tanning apparently took upwards of a year. If there was a somewhat continuous supply of incoming raw hides, and a somewhat continuous demand for outgoing tanned hides, how would a pit tannery reconcile the two? Wouldn't today's (~1 year old) tanned hide be stuck at a the bottom of the pit, covered by the rest of the year's unfinished hides?

Where can I find information on historical paladins?

magodesky — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:28:01 -0800

Where can I find information on historical paladins? I'm trying to do some research on historical paladins and medieval paladins legends. Wikipedia has a decent article as a starting point, but I'm having some trouble finding any other information that isn't about WarCraft or Dungeons & Dragons. I was wondering if anyone here could suggest some good sources to look into.

I've also heard some interesting stories about Middle Eastern paladins from the Byzantine Empire, but I haven't found much about them in writing. Any information on this would be greatly appreciated as well.

Emergency Medieval Latin translation

Ignatius J. Reilly — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:00:33 -0800

Emergency Medieval Latin translation? Yes, you read that correctly. My wife desperately needs to have a Medieval Latin text translated--and quickly. Are there any resources on the net to help someone in her situation connect with the right person. Craigslist, local sites, and her entire university network have failed us completely (well, she has found a flaky guy who will commit to and then fail-to-deliver on stuff gladly).

The text is less than 1000 words, and is from the glossa ordinaria, if that helps you. The translation is for an academic project, but it's all totally above-board and she is not in any way going to claim to know medieval Latin or to have done her own translation.

What political scandals rocked the Middle Ages?

Chaotician — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:23:52 -0800

I'm writing a story about medieval , and I need historically-accurate backdrops/minor plot elements that relate to conspiracies, intrigues, and crackpot theories from Europe in the 900s-1400s A.D. Yes, I'm a professional writer whose question was asked in the form of a run-on sentence. I'm in brainstorming mode, and I need raw material to sort through.

My story is developing into something like "The Name of the Rose" meets "V for Vendetta," with a conspiracy-fiction slant: I want to know what sort of intrigue would be attention-worthy to a detective/freedom fighter in the days before counterculture, when empirical knowledge was scarce outside the monasteries, and the youth cared less for protests, and more for downing mead.

Was there a medieval Watergate? Any mass executions with mysteriously-vanished documentation? Hidden heirs? I know that wars were common, but what sorts of sociopolitical scandals occurred during these centuries? I want 'em huge and attention-grabbing.

I'm not really locked down on a specific date range yet, so I'll base the setting on whatever I find out.

Hope you can help!

Dude, where's my phalanx?

Cool Papa Bell — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:45:03 -0800

Darkon movie and LARP-ing question: Dude, where's my phalanx? What's with the stupid battle tactics? Saw the movie Darkon last night on cable. Interesting in a dorky way. But I have some questions. Dude, where's my phalanx? Where's my Swiss pikemen? Where's my longbowmen?

Why are the tactics used in LARP battles so shitty? It all appeared to be nothing but Braveheart-style flailing about. I was watching the movie thinking, "Give me 15 minutes of practice with some willing buddies, and I'd wipe the floor with these guys."

Clearly, these people are students of history. They should know what has been proven to work in squad-level hand-to-hand combat with medieval weapons. Are they really that stupid?

Or are there rules against formations and organized tactics?

Don't look at me

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:44:35 -0800

Last minute Halloween costume help! I need a costume with a veil. I'm posting this anonymously because someone on the site is going to the same party as me, and I want to keep my costume a surprise.

Okay. I've been invited to a Halloween party on Saturday. I had an incredibly tacky, "sexy" Marie Antoinette costume at the ready. I even bought the most fabulous wig in the world - it's about three feet tall.

So, Tuesday I had full-face laser resurfacing. I scheduled this procedure months before I knew about the party. My face is one giant weeping wound. It's clearly not going to be party-ready by Saturday. Some people have suggested that I go as Marie post-guillotine, but my face isn't really a good match. My face is too raw for make-up and a mask would be too irritating. I'm thinking maybe a veil would be the way to go, but what can I wear with it? I have a medieval wench costume and a flower wreath. I thought I might attach a veil to the wreath and go as a bride or the May Queen. Any other ideas? And if I do go the medieval bride route, what material should the veil be made of? Thanks.

What caused latin to be phased out in secular book printing?

peacay — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 07:12:43 -0800

In relation to printing/publishing history, I'm curious as to how and why latin was phased out in secular books. I guess the change happened over time during the 17th century for the mostpart, yes? Why did printers change the language they put in books??

Were there local circumstances that initiated the change in many places independently or was it merely a trans-European taste change kind of thing? Were there a lot of 'middling' works in demi-latin/demi-local script and was this sort of transition typical across Europe? Were there changes/developments in printing or politics (or in other arenas) that contributed to this happenstance? Which countries changed first/quickly and which ones lagged - if that's relevant?

I've had a look through the archives and found this, and out in the web wilds I keep getting results that also relate to language/grammar development, with only mentions of publishing changes as a factual aside. I'm less interested in the changes to the latin language per se (my knowledge is fairly abysmal in that respect anyway), except to the extent that it was in any way a causative factor for the change in publishing practices.

Can you recommend any online essays (by preference) or books (if they are compelling)? Thanks.

by buggy or ship

parallax7d — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 05:03:19 -0800

In Medieval times how long would it take for a diplomat, merchant, or otherwise well funded individual to travel from, say Paris to Moscow? London to Constantinople?

Where can I find this shirt?

macadamia — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:36:11 -0800

Cesar Milan ("The Dog Whisperer") occasionally wears a black shirt bearing a logo that looks like a crowned boxing lion (think medieval England). What make is it and where can I get one?

Name this medieval-themed metal band

destro — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:01:50 -0800

Trying to find the name of this 90s-2000s medieval-themed metal band that has a video where the lead singer walks around a castle singing and posing on the ramparts while the guitarists play solos. The music is really epic and the video is very silly. Don't really know anything more about it.

Help me find this English Juvenile Historical Fiction!

ninazer0 — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 02:43:22 -0800

English Juvenile Historical Fiction: Help me find three books, which are written in an intelligent "teaching" style loosely based on real events. Plenty... I remember reading these books over and over at a local library when I was about eight or nine and I cannot find them.

The first book is set in England in the year 1221 (the date being a palindrome is mentioned in the book) and is told from the point of view of a boy who is taken into a noble household. Memories of this one are sketchy. He copies part of a letter that he shouldn't have. His friend Barnabas dies of plague in London after running off to see a bear-baiting show. The boy's lord tells him about being in France and burning Joan of Arc. The lord has corns and an old woman gives our young lad something to soothe them. She's later suspected of witchcraft but her house is destroyed after a long bout of rain resulting in either a sinkhole or a mudslide.

The second book is definately by the same author. It is written in the 1660's and is told from the point of view of a young girl and her brother who are sent from London to stay at a relative in the country. Their father is an architect who has been contracted to design a new country house for a wealthy man who's wife has died. There is a half-finished portrait of the wife in the old manor which will have to be torn down. The girl models for the painting and her brother tries to finish it. They steal their fathers plans and set out the outline for the new house in a different location so the old house doesn't have to be torn down. The book is based heavily on the diary of Samuel Pepys and mentions Christopher Wren and the fashions of the time.

Both of these books are incredibly rich in period details and present a very good picture of what life was like at the time.

The third book (which I thought might have been written by either Rosemary Sutcliffe or Susan Cooper, but this appears not to be the case) is set in the time of the Norman Conquest. A young girl is taken in to a Anglo-Saxon village and befriends a boy a little older than her. He steals the bards silver harp but is not punished and instead learns to play. The Normans come and there are skirmishes. The boy - now a youth - takes the harp and visits the Normans in the guise of a travelling troubador to gather intelligence. He is found out but bluffs his way home. Battle is prepared for and a raven banner is brought out of storage. There is the legend that victory will be granted if the banner flies but always at the cost of the standard-bearer.

Again, this book is rich in details about everyday life and is loosely based on real events.

Help me, Hive Mind! I've tried searching for these three without luck. My final resort will be to travel back to my childhood library and hope that the books are still in the collection.

Books on feudal politics?

russilwvong — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 11:16:40 -0800

I'm looking for book recommendations on feudal politics in Europe, something which gives a vivid but accurate depiction of what politics was like before the rise of strong national governments: the importance of personal loyalties, hostage-taking, assassination, mercenaries. Reading George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, set in a fantasy version of England during the War of the Roses, you get a really vivid sense of what political maneuvering would have been like in these circumstances. But I'm looking for something historical as opposed to fictional. It doesn't have to be encyclopedic; a book describing a particular historical person would be fine.

I've read Colonel G. F. Young's The Medici and Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror.

The practical reason I'm asking is that politics in Iraq and Afghanistan seems feudal to me, in the sense that local leaders (warlords, notables) with their own groups of personal followers--clans, tribes, etc.--matter more than the central government. I'm looking for something I can refer people to in order to explain this.

Poster seeks poster.

vernondalhart — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 16:38:36 -0800

I'm looking for a poster that used to hang in my grandmother's kitchen. It was a poster that listed a number of cooking terms: Julienne, blanch, pare, skewer, dice, etc. Each term was accompanied by a medieval looking depiction of what the term meant. The poster was very colorful, about average poster size, and I believe had about twenty or twenty-four different terms, each in their own square box.