Medieval History
I feel like I should clarify something because, in this post and this one, I'm pretty sure that I'm sounding like I hate the Middle Ages or (perhaps better) that I hate the people who lived in the Middle Ages. That's not true at all.
Granted, I don't particularly like most of the people I've "met" in my studies -- it would be particularly unpleasant, I think, to have a beer with Fulk Nerra, for example -- but I'm still absolutely fascinated by them. What they did, how they did it, and why they did it. Sometimes, just sometimes, like the mournful closing to Book IV of Nithard's Histories or the image of Otto III in the Gospel Book created for his coronation as emperor in 996 (shown here), it hits you that these are real people who lived real lives. In the latter, an orphaned boy of 16 had just become emperor, son of a German emperor and a Byzantine princess. Look at Otto's eyes. Every time I look at this image, I can't help but feel that that crown, placed upon his head by the hand of God Himself, weighs heavily upon him.
- Bulgaria: Archaeologists Discover Emperor Constantine?s Palace
The metro station in Sofia downtown may soon happen to house the residence of Byzantine Emperor Constantine I. The archeologists have not confirmed for sure the identity of the findings as excavations continue. All facts for now, however, lean towards...
- The First Emperor's Terracotta Army Recruited Outside China
Acrobats from Burma, workers from Central or West Asia, and a mausoleum design inspired by work in the Middle East ? the Mausoleum of China?s First Emperor was a cosmopolitan place says Dr. Duan Qingbo, the man in charge of excavating it. The mausoleum...
- Grave Of Charlemagne Remains A Mystery
Archaeologists searching for the burial place of Charlemagne have failed to find any evidence that the body of the Carolingian emperor was placed in the atrium of Aachen Cathedral. Andreas Schaub has led a team of archeologists for over three years in...
- "dear Gi, Please Don't Wear Your 'crusader' Patch On Patrol In A Muslim Country"
Got this from @dangerroom's Twitter feed, linking to this image: Oooooooh, dear. See the patch? "Militum Christi." Somebody, please go read this, or this, or this, or this, or this. It seems to be a theme, doesn't it, almost...
- Holy Crown Of Hungary
It is August 20th, Saint Stephen's day. Saint Stephen was the first king of Hungary, ruling from 1000 until 1038. He was canonized in 1083. Saint Stephen received a crown from the pope and was crowned as first king of the new kingdom in 1000. This...
Medieval History
I Don't Hate You, Really
I feel like I should clarify something because, in this post and this one, I'm pretty sure that I'm sounding like I hate the Middle Ages or (perhaps better) that I hate the people who lived in the Middle Ages. That's not true at all.Granted, I don't particularly like most of the people I've "met" in my studies -- it would be particularly unpleasant, I think, to have a beer with Fulk Nerra, for example -- but I'm still absolutely fascinated by them. What they did, how they did it, and why they did it. Sometimes, just sometimes, like the mournful closing to Book IV of Nithard's Histories or the image of Otto III in the Gospel Book created for his coronation as emperor in 996 (shown here), it hits you that these are real people who lived real lives. In the latter, an orphaned boy of 16 had just become emperor, son of a German emperor and a Byzantine princess. Look at Otto's eyes. Every time I look at this image, I can't help but feel that that crown, placed upon his head by the hand of God Himself, weighs heavily upon him.
- Bulgaria: Archaeologists Discover Emperor Constantine?s Palace
The metro station in Sofia downtown may soon happen to house the residence of Byzantine Emperor Constantine I. The archeologists have not confirmed for sure the identity of the findings as excavations continue. All facts for now, however, lean towards...
- The First Emperor's Terracotta Army Recruited Outside China
Acrobats from Burma, workers from Central or West Asia, and a mausoleum design inspired by work in the Middle East ? the Mausoleum of China?s First Emperor was a cosmopolitan place says Dr. Duan Qingbo, the man in charge of excavating it. The mausoleum...
- Grave Of Charlemagne Remains A Mystery
Archaeologists searching for the burial place of Charlemagne have failed to find any evidence that the body of the Carolingian emperor was placed in the atrium of Aachen Cathedral. Andreas Schaub has led a team of archeologists for over three years in...
- "dear Gi, Please Don't Wear Your 'crusader' Patch On Patrol In A Muslim Country"
Got this from @dangerroom's Twitter feed, linking to this image: Oooooooh, dear. See the patch? "Militum Christi." Somebody, please go read this, or this, or this, or this, or this. It seems to be a theme, doesn't it, almost...
- Holy Crown Of Hungary
It is August 20th, Saint Stephen's day. Saint Stephen was the first king of Hungary, ruling from 1000 until 1038. He was canonized in 1083. Saint Stephen received a crown from the pope and was crowned as first king of the new kingdom in 1000. This...