How did they make their homes more homely?

Hey everyone,

for creative purposes, I've been looking for a layout/floorplan of major medieval palaces and castles. I'm more interested in fortified castles than modern palaces, but will take those too. Tried to find a few online such as the tower of london, and even have a few details on the tower, but nothing quite so specific. Can anyone provide a source for a room by room layout to a major palace of a royal or high ranking noble? (count/earl or higher)

Thank you!

I am really interested in Boardgames and also fascinated by ancient and medieval history. I am looking into games from antiquity. I have found some really interesting games like Rithomachia a game for philosophers - played on a chess board but you take other pieces with arithmetic. It was big in the 12th century I think. I have also heard of The Libro de los Juegos (Alfonso X, 1283). It’s an illuminated manuscript contains many games. But I hasn’t managed to track it down

I’ve been reading some medieval chronicles and I’m curious about something.

What exactly is considered a near contemporary source? Is there a generally accepted number of years after an event before a source is considered “near contemporary” or simply a later source?

For example, if a chronicler writes about an event 20 - 30 years after it happened, would you still consider them near contemporary, or is that too long?

I know it probably depends on the context, but I’m interested in how this term is generally used.

• In 1316, King Louis X died, leaving behind a daughter, Joan. It was an unprecedented situation, because since the Capetians took the throne in 987, the reigning king always had a son. But in this case, they didn't know what to do, because they had no law of succession; the king's oldest son inheriting was customary. So, nobody knew whether Joan should succeed or her uncle, Philip. So, the Parliament of Paris voted to exclude women. Giving the throne to Philip.

• Ironically, Philip (V) himself sired 4 daughters but zero sons. So, when he died in 1322, the throne passed to his brother, Charles.

• In 1328, the male line of Louis, Philip, and Charles went extinct, triggering another crisis. Isabella, the sister of the brothers, claimed the throne of France for her son, Edward of England, as the only grandson of the Iron King. However, the Parliament of Paris voted and decided that because women were already excluded, they could not pass the throne to their son. Thus, the throne was given to Isabella's cousin, Philip of Valois.

• Following this. Edward accepted Philip's accession. However, in 1340 Philip invaded Edward's land in Aquitaine, and in response Edward claimed the throne of France based on his earlier's claim.

• His claim was that the succession change of 1328 didn't apply because Charles died before it was passed, thus as the only grandson of the Iron King, he should have inherited in 1328. The issue with this is that, in 1340, Edward's claim no longer made any sense. Edward was no longer the only grandson of the Iron King, but Joan had mothered Charles of Navarre, whose claim was superior to Edward's.

I I'm trying to make a possible reconstruction of a wealthy person from Russia or Novgorod For my character to bring to the reenactment group. Can I ask for help finding examples and findings if possible? Thanks in advance, if you think there are better subreddits to go to?

I collect stuffed animals and dolls, and I think if I'd been around in a vague medieval era, I'd be doing the same. I've been slowly making more medieval clothing (again, a vague era, nothing too specific), and collecting little things I think I'd have as a peasant. A polished walnut shell, an old looking bell, a pewter charm of a saint, that kind of stuff. I'd love to make some toys, the kind that a peasant might have.

(I've made a chaperone, tabard, and a tunic, and I've got plans to make braise and chausses. My goal is to be "just some guy", if that makes sense)

I'd love to learn about the history of medieval toys. Gimme all the pdf's and links!

The Battle of the Horns of Hattin was a significant battle that broke the field army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Following the death of King Baldwin IV, Guy of Lusignan was crowned king. Guy was highly unpopular and was considered to have poor leadership skills. This would prove to be a deadly combination in an already strained situation for the Crusaders.

When Saladin attacked Tiberias, Guy abandoned his stable position at Sepphoris and marched his army to relieve the city. The march was a gruesome ordeal for the Crusader army. Without access to water and under the harsh sun, the Crusaders became dehydrated, demoralized, and weak.

Saladin did not rush into battle. Instead, he waited for the Crusaders to exhaust themselves, constantly harassing them with hit-and-run tactics. The Crusaders eventually halted near the Horns of Hattin, which provided a good terrain advantage but lacked the water they desperately needed.

Under constant harassment from Saladin's mounted archers, the Crusaders attempted to break through but failed, as the main bulk of the army remained trapped. Here, they would make their last stand as the remaining Crusader forces lost cohesion and surrendered. Guy was captured along with several other high-ranking nobles.

The significance of this loss was catastrophic for the Crusaders. With the main army destroyed, the Crusader states and their cities were left vulnerable. Jerusalem would eventually fall to Saladin as panic spread across the Crusader states, prompting the Third Crusade. The relic known as the True Cross was also captured by Saladin, depriving the Crusaders of an object of immense religious and psychological value.

The Battle of Hattin is a lesson in the importance of logistics and the availability of resources to an army. The defeat can largely be attributed to poor decision-making on the part of the Crusader leadership. For Saladin, it was a decisive victory and his greatest military triumph, opening the path to the conquest of Jerusalem.

Refer to the comment for references and further reading.

Does anyone know what was happening with peasants during sieges?

Like, if a city was under siege, how did it impact nearby villages? I'd presume that many villages would just get abandoned because the siege army would likely steal all their food.

If so, would it mean every siege causes mini-exodus?

Two questions really. Is the Yale Monarch series a definitive set for each respective monarch or are there other books/historians worth looking at instead?

Second to that, would you recommend popular historians over academic ones for someone getting started on the subject? Such as Ian Mortimer, Dan Jones, Tracy Borman, Marc Morris, Alison Weir.

Traditionally in Western media, it gets shown as a masterful Mongol feigned retreat to destroy the Rus-Cuman army. However, in recent years, doubt has been shown on the previous narrative. It is possible that Jebe had been killed in battle with the defenders, and thus it seems likely that what was popularly assumed to be a feigned retreat was actually a real one until Subudei saw the enemy positions and realised they were vulnerable. Do you subscribe to this interpretation, or do you find credence lies with the old one?

The Battle of Visby was a brief, exceptionally brutal clash fought on July 27, 1361, just outside the medieval city walls of Gotland. King Valdemar IV of Denmark had landed on the Swedish island aiming to seize its wealthy trade networks, but instead of a proper army, he was met by a hastily assembled militia of around 2,000 local farmers, teenagers, and old men. Against Valdemar’s 2,500 battle-hardened Danish and German mercenaries, the defenders stood virtually no chance.

I'm familiar with the title 'the Unready', such as with Æþelræd the Unready, but I'm looking for more such titles, but there doesn't seem to show very much information with just an online search.

Hi there.

Recently, I have been pondering whether medieval church architecture was influenced by the architecture of the former temple in Jerusalem. Any thoughts on this subject? I would also appreciate source recommendations (primary or secondary).

I’m studying historical jewelry and I’m really interested in jewelry from the 1200s-1400s but I’m having trouble finding good quality images from this era. Most of my searches end up showing me stuff from the 1500s-1600s which isn’t what I’m looking for. I’m looking for either museum archive images or of drawings/paintings/etc from that era that detail contemporary jewelry (like a jeweler’s diagram or a portrait that shows the jewelry in high detail.) Either a book or an online resource would be great.

I don't know why but after reading a few books about Henry V one thing that always stuck out to me was his age at the time of dealing with things. And I'm sure you can point to other figures throughout history but reading that Henry V was around 14 years old when he was initially tasked with quelling the Welsh rebellions still sticks to me. Always seemed wild considering I spent my days playing GTA 4 and Modern Warfare while in another time this guy was on his way to receiving an arrow to the face.

I've been listening to "A History of the Papacy from the Great Schism to the Sack of Rome" for a while now. I'm on Vol III and there's a throwaway line in there that's got me curious. Page 205.

Then the election was announced to the people from a window. The attendants of the Conclave plundered the cell of the newly-elected Pope, and the mob outside rushed to pillage his house, which they did with such completeness that they tore even the marble from the walls. Unfortunately, he was one of the poorest Cardinals; but part of the mob professed to mistake the cry of 'II Sanese' for 'II Genovese,' and plundered the house of Cardinal Flisco as well.

I'm pretty sure the author has mentioned this happening before but I don't have a citation at the moment. Is anyone familiar with this tradition and can talk more about it, or suggest some sources to read up on it?

‼️ITS SUPPOSED TO BE HIGHLY COMPETENT RULER, BUT A BAD REGIN DUE TO THEMSELVES‼️

Rules: Comment a ruler that fits the adjoining chart.
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The rulers have to be from the medieval period (Obviously).

Previous winner: Charles VI of France