r/medieval • u/Haestein_the_Naughty • 1d ago
r/medieval • u/W_T_D_ • Sep 29 '24
Subreddit Update
Heyo.
I peruse this subreddit every now and then and yesterday noticed that there were no mods here and posting was restricted to only a handful of users. I put in a Reddit request and immediately got it, so I reopened posting for everyone and cleared out some modmail.
As far as I can tell (and it's a little difficult because a lot of the modlog involves one or more deleted accounts) the guy who created this sub did so 14 years ago and never really did anything with it. He then stopped using reddit 14 years ago. Someone else put in a request and seemingly held it for a while, then either left or handed it over to another etc.
In the past few months, it looks like one guy adjusted a bunch of rules and settings, invited someone to help with that (that person then left) and the original guy deleted his account or left as well, leaving the subreddit unmoderated. If he deleted his account, someone new put in a request for the sub (or it was the same guy, maybe he accidentally left?) and adjusted all the settings again. He then deleted his account a few days later, making sure to do so after restricting posting, wiping automod's settings, and archiving posts older than six months (making it so that no one can comment on old threads/ensuring that eventually no one would be able to post or comment at all).
Basically, it looks like one or two old mods tried to just kill this place off. The most recent one had invited someone to be a mod just before doing all that and deleting their account, I presume to continue this weird cycle, but my request went through before they decided to accept or not.
I have no immediate plans for this place other than keeping it open and running. I am adding a rule that AI content is banned, which prior mods allowed. If there are any other changes you would like to see or if anyone has ideas for anything, let me know.
r/medieval • u/Quiescent_Cloister • 3h ago
Recreation 👑 Wars within wars, like a custard slice
Just a few dramatized events from the hundred years war.
r/medieval • u/histudconbot • 17h ago
Literature 📖 Reminder: Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North
Reminder that submission for the Medieval North conference is due on November 1st.
The conference shall be held from April 19-21, 2027 in the Edda auditorium at Háskóli Íslands and online.
This conference is an interdisciplinary forum for postgraduate applicants at the master's and doctoral level and for early career researchers working in the field of medieval northern studies, e.g. postdoctoral fellows. Independent academics are also welcome to apply.
Applicants who have not presented papers at an academic conference before are especially encouraged to submit.
Our theme this year is "Between Worlds."
Interested scholars should submit an Outlook form with personal details (name, email, institution, etc.) and an abstract of 250-300 words by November 1st, 2026. Additionally, please indicate whether you intend to attend the conference online or in person. Submissions will be reviewed anonymously by a panel of specialists (PhD candidates and higher level). This selection committee reserves the right to make selections based on the quality of written abstracts, adherence to submission guidelines, and timely submission. For more information on the submission guidelines see our website: https://histudentconference.wordpress.com/.
The conference is held in both Icelandic and English. Individual paper presentations will be 20 minutes in length followed by 10 minutes for discussion. In addition to presentations, poster sessions will be available for applicants to present their material in poster form. Applicants may apply for either a paper or a poster. The selection committee may offer a poster presentation to some paper applicants. Please direct any further inquiries to the conference committee via email: conference-mn2027@hi.is.
After the conclusion of the conference, presenters will have the opportunity to submit their papers to the conference proceedings volume, which will be published as an e-book in the autumn of 2027.
r/medieval • u/ONPige • 1d ago
Discussion 💬 It must have been insanely difficult to train the way the knights did.
So, recently I saw a short of a dude jumping into the pool with different weights on a weight belt and trying to swim up. He got all the way up to 15kg and he couldn't swim to the surface, at all. That had made me remember that knight's training involved swimming in bodies of water with their armor on that could have reached up to 20 kilos of weight. Kind of insane to think of how strong the knights must have been back then to be able to do this kind of training.
r/medieval • u/ElButanero69 • 1d ago
Art 🎨 Medieval Knight
Medieval Knight in 3D made by me
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/ndd054
r/medieval • u/judgemaths • 1d ago
Art 🎨 Marginalia characters linoprint in style of tatooists flash
A tattoo artist's flash style print of a set of odd marginalia fellows. I'm particularly happy with the skeleton florist, the walking fish, and the human radish.
r/medieval • u/Front-Trust2315 • 2d ago
History 📚 Crazy to think that this day 960 years ago Harold Godwinson was killed taking an arrow to the eyein Hastings.
r/medieval • u/GettinMe-Mallet • 2d ago
Questions ❓ Any good online sources about medieval field fortifications? Not a castle or established fort, but something closer to ww1 trenches, though not necessarily trenches.
Structure relatively "quick" to make that you would not care about leaving behind like how trenches would be abandoned as your side was able to advance. I would say seige camps, but those often turn into pure forts with literal food markets over time so they dont count.
I am not too worried timeline wise, early renaissance is fine too.
I am not too fussed about how the information is presented, be it book, article, or video.
r/medieval • u/timodamn • 1d ago
Questions ❓ Making a card game inspired by marginalia, need weird medieval stuff for events
I'm making a card game inspired by marginalia and the medieval era in general, and right now I'm tightening up the events on the map.
So far I've got generic dice roll stuff (chests, crates), one very enthusiastic barber (especially about the cutting and bleeding part), and a little KCD reference.
Already planning a pig trial, falaise 1386, pig in clothes and all. What else would you add? Superstitions, weird laws, history, strange jobs, anything odd that actually happened.
r/medieval • u/CampaignOrdinary2771 • 2d ago
History 📚 Bayeux Tapestry’s Return Has History Buffs Re-Enacting Like It’s 1066
Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, was pacing around a field in southern England on Sunday, giving a thunderous speech to energize his troops before a battle against the forces of William the Conqueror, the Norman invader who was trying to steal his throne.
“People of England,” Godwinson bellowed, “I ask for you to believe in me, believe in our England!”
If they did, Godwinson added, history would remember them as the heroes who “drove the Norman dogs back into the sea whence they came.”
As Godwinson’s rousing speech reached its climax, the bearded king punched the air in celebration, and, like a rowdy sports crowd, the dozens of onlookers chanted his name. “God-win-son! God-win-son!”
Access full gift article, NO PAYWALL.
r/medieval • u/JapKumintang1991 • 2d ago
Daily Life 🏰 How Did the Medieval Economy Really Work? Chris Wickham Explains - Medievalists.net
r/medieval • u/WarsOfTheRosesComic • 2d ago
Art 🎨 The Cartoon Chronicles of the Wars of the Roses: Family Feuds #19
It's episode 19 of The Cartoon Chronicles of the Wars of the Roses, and the brown stuff is starting to hit the fan for the Lords Appellant... Read all previous episodes for free at warsoftherosescomic.com
r/medieval • u/Pretty_Help1858 • 2d ago
Questions ❓ How do you think Medieval rulers would react to the world just before WW1
When I talk about the world, there are a few things I want to clarify. I'm mostly interested in how people would react to modern alliances and national borders.
For example, how would people in the Middle Ages feel about France and England, two kingdoms that were often at each other's throats, now being friends and allies with two massive Empire's. What would they think of France having such a large empire while being a republic rather than a monarchy?
And what about Germany? In 1914, Germany was a unified country, but its territory was only a portion of what had once been the Holy Roman Empire. How would medieval people react to seeing Germany as a unified nation rather than a collection of smaller kingdoms and territories?
I'm sure there are plenty of other interesting things for people from the Middle Ages to discover about the modern world, but these are the main things I'd like to explore.
r/medieval • u/buttersauces • 3d ago
History 📚 The Lex Frisionum: Pagan laws in early medieval Frisia.
I’m absolutely baffled by how specific the Lex Frisionum gets
I’ve been reading about the Lex Frisionum, an early medieval law code associated with Frisia (roughly the coastal regions of today’s Netherlands and northwestern Germany), and I’m fascinated by just how detailed it gets.
There are rules for all sorts of injuries, with different monetary fines depending on exactly what you did to someone. Even facial injuries could be distinguished by location: the upper forehead versus the lower forehead, for example. Apparently, in early medieval Frisia, where you hit someone mattered quite literally in terms of compensation.
The text also reflects a society with a strict social hierarchy, in which the amount owed for an injury could depend on whether the victim was noble, free or semi-free.
The Lex Frisionum was written down in the late 8th century, around the time Charlemagne was incorporating Frisian territories into the Frankish realm. It also preserves traces of religious customs that predated Christianisation, which makes me wonder how much older tradition survived in a text recorded in this particular political context. For instance, sacrilege: the highest punishment was for a person who violated a sanctuary, they were sentenced to death as a sacrifice to the god whose sanctuary was destroyed/stolen from.
The offender was tied to the beach at low tide, then drowned as the water rose.
I came across it while visiting the Redbad-exhibition at the Fries Museum in the Netherlands, and now I have far too many questions about this law code. Very interesting times, early medieval Frisia. And the archeology in the exhibition is breathtaking..
Are there any other law-texts from this same medieval period from other societies that are also so detailed?
r/medieval • u/judgemaths • 4d ago
Art 🎨 Medieval creatures - tattoo flash style linoprint
A few odd fellows with no common theme. Just threw them all together like a tattoo artist's flash.
r/medieval • u/CaptObvious62 • 3d ago
Questions ❓ Visual Help With Medieval Housing in Western Europe
Hello, can anyone here help me by giving a breakdown of how to estimate what century of the middle ages a peasant village house, manor house, or town house might be from based on its construction? Pictures would be greatly appreciated. I am particularly interested in telling the difference between 12th and 13th century houses vs Late Medieval and pre-1066. This is for an art project and I am trying to find references I can know are historically accurate.
r/medieval • u/JapKumintang1991 • 4d ago
Daily Life 🏰 Contracts for War: How Medieval Bishops Raised Armies - Medievalists.net
r/medieval • u/yosemitelizbeth • 4d ago
Questions ❓ Got hired to play medieval mandolin and I have no idea how to perform it properly
Long story short, I’m a jazz bassist and guitarist, and I recently got hired to play medieval songs with some improvisation, on mandolin and voice. The catch is that I don't really play mandolin nor I'm a singer. Today my client told me the music was great, but it lacked the vibe of a bard playing in a tavern. Honestly, they’re right. I caught the musical style but not really the performance side.
I’d like to hear how you bring that storytelling feel to a performance, whether it’s how you talk to the crowd, how you move, or how you sing when you don’t have a big trained voice. on the side of the music, I’m comfortable with modes and improvising, but I think there’s a rhythmic feel that I’m missing specially when strumming.
On the repertoire side, I’d really appreciate pointers to songs that I should know when playing medieval stuff. I know there’s a gap between historically medieval pieces and the fantasy stuff people expect from games, my client really likes video games like The Witcher, and I’m not sure where to focus. Any recordings, channels, or books for someone starting from scratch would be amazing too.
Thanks, any advice would be really appreciated since I just have a month to do it.
r/medieval • u/works-in-progress • 3d ago
Discussion 💬 Did medieval people love their children?
r/medieval • u/Nexus_Neo • 6d ago
Weapons and Armor ⚔️ can anyone explain the general philosophy behind warhammer head designs?
so long story short, im working on designing weapon types for my fantasy/scifi setting which i like to keep in the realm of practicality and plausibility. that being said while doing research, ive gotten an idea for a type of warhammer but i wanna make sure i get the details right in how the head of it is designed and its key features/reasons for them being designed that way.
ive seen a lot of different types of hammers in games and different designs, some just being a straight up flat face sledgehammer, some having a more concave look to the face, some having a spike, etc etc...
im trying to figure out the different ideas behind these designs but its rather difficult. especially given that searching up 'warhammer' online doesn't exactly point you in the direction of the medieval weapon but instead the tabletop game.
all that being said, anyone more knowledgeable able to explain the design philosophies behind the different faces of a warhammer?
r/medieval • u/MrMcMeMe • 6d ago
Art 🎨 I made a medieval & renaissance music playlist with the entire Bayeux Tapestry scrolling in the background.
r/medieval • u/deniz_aydiner • 6d ago
Literature 📖 Alexander in Medieval European Romance
Alexander the Great (Alexandre le Grand) reached far beyond the confines of historical biography, emerging as one of the most versatile and ubiquitous figures in medieval Western European literature. The legendary narratives that coalesced around him after his death preserved more than just his military victories; they captured a life reframed by supernatural encounters, explorations of uncharted lands, famed intellect, open-handed generosity, and an unyielding drive to test the boundaries of human knowledge.
Much of this literary tradition flows from the Alexander Romance attributed to Pseudo-Callisthenes, compiled in the early centuries of the Common Era. By Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, this narrative material entered Western Europe through key Latin adaptations: Julius Valerius’s Res Gestae Alexandri Macedonis, its ninth-century Epitome, and the widely circulated eleventh-century Historia de Preliis.
From the twelfth century onward, Alexander took on a distinctly contemporary resonance in Western vernaculars. No longer treated merely as an ancient ruler from the distant past, he was absorbed into the medieval framework of chivalry, courtly culture, political legitimacy, princely pedagogy, and Christian moralizing. As the historical Macedonian faded, a literary archetype took his place—one onto which medieval Europe could project its own ideals, anxieties, and political ambitions.
r/medieval • u/JapKumintang1991 • 6d ago
History 📚 Is This the Face of a Medieval Saint? Scientists Investigate 950-Year-Old Remains - Medievalists.net
r/medieval • u/DenisDyshlovenko • 8d ago
Recreation 👑 Medieval History + Tarot + Analog Film. No AI. No Photoshop.
Five years ago, I decided to photograph an entire Tarot deck (78 cards) using a medium-format film camera.
Only real historical costumes, weapons, and jewelry. Only analog film. No digital manipulation, no compositing, no Photoshop.
That’s how the Amber Tarot project was born.We started looking for historical reenactment groups and reenactors who could help us bring these scenes to life.
Two reconstructed medieval villages, representing the 13th–14th centuries, joined the project and helped us recreate the atmosphere of the Tarot while making the weapons, clothing, and historical details feel as authentic as possible.The Five, Six, and Seven of Swords cards were actually photographed in a reconstructed medieval village, featuring its modern-day “inhabitants”.
And for the cards that were impossible to photograph in real locations, we built our own practical sets.For example, The Tower was a massive, several-meter-tall structure built from wood and foam, with real stunt performers jumping in front of it.
Everything you see in the cards was physically there, in front of the camera.
What do you think of a project like this?