Medieval History
Around a million medieval documents have no date making their historical significance difficult to quantify. But automated computer techniques look set to revolutionise the work for historians.
An important aspect of any society is the way it keeps records of property and land transactions so that ownership can be properly established and disputes resolved. In medieval Britain, this process was largely carried out by religious or royal institutions which recorded transactions in documents, written in Latin, called charters.
Today, more than a million charters survive either as originals or more often as ancient copies. They provide a remarkable insight into the pressures at work in medieval politics, economics and society between the tenth and fourteenth centuries in England.
For example, historians can use these documents to study the rise and fall of military and religious organisations. A good example is the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, a religious and military organisation set up after the western conquest of Jerusalem in the 11th century (the First Crusade). Historians say the charters clearly show how the organisation became militarised in response to the call for a Second Crusade in 1145, triggered by Muslim forces recapturing various towns in the region. Clearly, these documents have huge historical value but there is a problem: most charters are not dated, particularly during the period of Norman rule between 1066 and 1307.
Click here to read this article from the MIT Technology Review
Click here to read the article Dating medieval English charters
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- Cfp: Digital Diplomatics 2011 (naples, 29.9.-1.10.2011)
CfP: Digital Diplomatics 2011 (Naples, 29.9.-1.10.2011) The study of medieval legal documents (charters, deeds, instruments ?) makes increasingly use of digital tools. The massive growth of documents online ? as images, as calendars, as texts ? and the...
- European Royal And Imperial Documents
he image inventory of the European royal and imperial documents before 1200 compiled by Irmgard Fees and Peter Worm has been updated and relaunched. You can find the new website at http://www.hgw-online.net/abbildungsverzeichnis/ In addition to the bibliographic...
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Medieval History
The Algorithms That Automatically Date Medieval Manuscripts
An important aspect of any society is the way it keeps records of property and land transactions so that ownership can be properly established and disputes resolved. In medieval Britain, this process was largely carried out by religious or royal institutions which recorded transactions in documents, written in Latin, called charters.
Today, more than a million charters survive either as originals or more often as ancient copies. They provide a remarkable insight into the pressures at work in medieval politics, economics and society between the tenth and fourteenth centuries in England.
For example, historians can use these documents to study the rise and fall of military and religious organisations. A good example is the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, a religious and military organisation set up after the western conquest of Jerusalem in the 11th century (the First Crusade). Historians say the charters clearly show how the organisation became militarised in response to the call for a Second Crusade in 1145, triggered by Muslim forces recapturing various towns in the region. Clearly, these documents have huge historical value but there is a problem: most charters are not dated, particularly during the period of Norman rule between 1066 and 1307.
Click here to read this article from the MIT Technology Review
Click here to read the article Dating medieval English charters
- Glass Discovered At Glastonbury Abbey Dates Back To 7th Century, Researchers Find
New research led by the University of Reading has revealed that finds at Glastonbury Abbey provide the earliest archaeological evidence of glass-making in Britain. Professor Roberta Gilchrist, from the Department of Archaeology, has re-examined the records...
- Medieval Scotland Database Launched
A database identifying over 15000 people in medieval Scotland has been officially launched. Paradox of Medieval Scotland, 1093-1286 draws on over 6000 charters to construct a unique data-base that provides biographical information about all known people...
- Cfp: Digital Diplomatics 2011 (naples, 29.9.-1.10.2011)
CfP: Digital Diplomatics 2011 (Naples, 29.9.-1.10.2011) The study of medieval legal documents (charters, deeds, instruments ?) makes increasingly use of digital tools. The massive growth of documents online ? as images, as calendars, as texts ? and the...
- European Royal And Imperial Documents
he image inventory of the European royal and imperial documents before 1200 compiled by Irmgard Fees and Peter Worm has been updated and relaunched. You can find the new website at http://www.hgw-online.net/abbildungsverzeichnis/ In addition to the bibliographic...
- Anglo-saxon Charters
Anglo-Saxon Charters Series: Texts Now Available Online Since 1973 the texts of Anglo-Saxon charters, together with translations of those extant in an Old English version, have been published by archive in the Anglo-Saxon Charters series. The series...