The Vikings are attacking England, and it's up to Alfred, King of Wessex, to stop them. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly discuss this important battle in Anglo-Saxon England.
2024-02-20 18:30:05 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone - I am going to try to make this a weekly feature, where we update you on things going on. First of all, we created this video detailing the Rulers of the Carolingian Empire, from Pepin the Short to Charles the Simple. This is something we are trying out, and I'd love to get ...
2024-02-19 18:30:46 +0000 UTC View PostMichael Livingston and Kelly DeVries answer listener questions about medieval military history. What do we mean when we talk about lines at a battle? Could those first into a battle survive? Are there campaigns that do not lead to battles or sieges? What was their favourite scene of medieval warf...
2024-02-13 17:52:33 +0000 UTC View PostOver the last week we added a couple of new ebooks to our Patreon Shop - I didn't want to create a post for each of them so as not to flood your inboxes, but here is what you can now buy:
In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly take another look at this important battle from the Hundred Years' War. How do a visit to the battlefield and the writings of an Italian chronicler change their views on how Edward the Black Prince gained his victory?
2024-02-06 16:08:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Our Book of the Month for February is The King’s Gift Box: The Runic Casket of Auzon, by Alfred Becker.
The runic and Roman texts appearing on the Franks (Auzon) Casket are well-known to students of Old English. The iconography is likewise familiar but contains many un...
2024-02-02 17:21:27 +0000 UTC View PostAnother ebook from Arc Humanities' Past Imperfect series: The Peace of God, by Geoffrey Koziol.
"The peace of God surpasses all understanding," wrote Paul. This is a short book that tries to understand the movement known as "The Peace of God", in just 15...
2024-01-31 21:24:47 +0000 UTC View PostIn this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly look at how the imperial army of Frederick Barbarossa and a Milanese force suddenly encounter each other in northern Italy. How would this battle change the Holy Roman Empire's plans for Italian conquest?
2024-01-24 14:49:40 +0000 UTC View PostOur fifth book from Arc Humanities Press is Medieval Canon Law, by Kriston R. Rennie - read here an excerpt:
Medieval canon law is an invention— an evolutionary story of human industry, ingenuity, and change. This book explains part of its creation, adopting a slightly different interpret...
2024-01-23 16:15:41 +0000 UTC View PostNewly added to our Patreon Shop: Alfred the Great, by Daniel Anlezark.
According to this review:
"Written in a tone that might be...
2024-01-21 20:24:44 +0000 UTC View PostOur third ebook from Arc Humanities Press is now available on our shop - Byzantium Unbound, by Anthony Kaldellis. It's an important work for those interested in Byzantine Studies, by first examining why this state/culture has received such a negative reputation in the past, and then offe...
2024-01-19 19:11:54 +0000 UTC View PostOur second ebook from Arc Humanites Press is now available on our shop - The Mongols by Timothy May. Timothy made a name for himself by re-examining Mongol warfare, and has since gone on to be one of the top scholars in the field. Here he provides a guide to several topics, besides miltary matter...
2024-01-17 19:08:00 +0000 UTC View PostWe are very excited to start selling ebooks from Arc Humanities Press - for years I have a big fan of their Past Imperfect series, which offers shorter books (around a 100 pages or so) that give really good introductions to medieval topics.
Now we get to offer their Past Imperfect boo...
2024-01-15 18:10:41 +0000 UTC View PostIt is a clash between Viking kings, as Harald Hardrada of Norway faces off against Sweyn II of Denmark. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly discuss this naval battle and how it was told by the Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson.
2024-01-10 05:19:49 +0000 UTC View PostNew to our Patreon Shop is this ebook from Danièle Cybulskie - if you are a writer of historical fiction, or just want to know the origins of certain English words, this guide is for you! It explains when hundreds of different words came into use to describe all aspects of sexuality and romance,...
2024-01-08 22:47:15 +0000 UTC View PostWe have a new addition to our ebooks for sale: The Tragedy of Dafydd Ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, by David Pilling. It's a biography of the late 13th-century Welsh prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd, one of the most controversial figures in Welsh history. Dafydd has traditionally been viewed as a treache...
2023-12-27 17:04:19 +0000 UTC View Post
We have for you two more ebooks on our Patreon Shop
Alfgar's Stories from Beowulf, by Edward L. Risden, is a work of original fiction by a noted medieval literary scholar. Inspired by the original epic, Risden has created a work of gripping adventure an...
2023-12-22 17:08:44 +0000 UTC View PostThe most famous battle in Scottish history took place at Bannockburn in 1314. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael Livingston and Kelly DeVries examine how Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, was able to defeat the English led by King Edward II.
2023-12-20 22:05:42 +0000 UTC View PostAnother ebook up on our Patreon Shop - this one by Danièle Cybulskie. It's aimed at authors and novelists - anyone creating historical fiction. Danièle has gathered together a few ideas to help you find and work historical detail into your fictional world. It’s her hope that you’ll be able ...
2023-12-20 19:10:44 +0000 UTC View PostOur latest addition to the Patreon Shop, this map created by Tina Ross details the Italian city of Florence around the year 1470. It shows the walls and street plan, plus the important buildings of the city.
2023-12-19 22:58:35 +0000 UTC View PostOur latest addition to the Patreon Shop is an 18th-century edition of an 11th-century homily. It's described as “as a landmark in the history of Anglo-Saxon studies.” Elizabeth Elstob penned this work in 1709, where she translated the Latin text written by Ælfric of Eynsham. It's an interest...
2023-12-18 21:35:34 +0000 UTC View PostJust added to the Patreon Shop a map created by Tina Ross featuring Ireland in the early 11th century. Tina depicts the various kingdoms in Ireland, plus the areas under Viking control. It also marks over 40 sites on the island, such as towns and monasteries, as well as the location of the ...
2023-12-15 22:05:46 +0000 UTC View PostWe added another ebook to our Shop. This one will be for those interested in medieval Christianity, as it deals with an 11th-century letter that reviews, book by book, the Christian Bible, its meanings and its contents. Here is how it begins:
The beginning of a little book about the Old...
2023-12-14 20:52:40 +0000 UTC View PostOur latest addition to the maps on our Patreon Shop is West Asia / Middle East in the Year 1000. Created by Tina Ross, it details the states and important cities at the start of the 11th century. This digital map comes in JPG and PDF versions
Also, we have created our first bundle, wh...
2023-12-13 20:45:21 +0000 UTC View PostOur latest ebook addition to the Shop is a practical guide to understanding—by re-creating—the forms of outstanding artwork of the Insular tradition from the British Isles in the Early Middle Ages.
If you want to know how to create the imagery found in works such as the Tara Brooc...
2023-12-12 22:52:06 +0000 UTC View PostOur latest addition to the our ebooks section comes from Steven Muhlberger, who has been our columnist for chivalry and the Hundred Years' War. In this book, from Witan Publishing, Steven writes about formal combats both among nobles and non-nobles, questioning what these deeds meant practically,...
2023-12-10 18:39:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Beowulf: A Verse Translation for Students, by Edward L. Risden
This ebook from Witan Publishing offers the famed Anglo-Saxon epic in Modern English. Noted Beowulf scholar E. L. Risden has crafted a transla...
2023-12-08 19:06:10 +0000 UTC View PostWe keep rolling out the items on our Patreon Shop! Here is a map by Tina Ross it details the regions in the Scottish kingdom and the towns and communities that can be found throughout its lands.
By the way, if you are a member of our Patreon, you can 2023-12-07 21:43:10 +0000 UTC View Post
We are very happy to start including ebooks from Witan Publishing on our Patreon Shop. We have been friends with the people behind Witan for many years, and it's been great having their titles as our Books of th...
2023-12-06 18:11:28 +0000 UTC View PostIn their eighth Q&A, Michael Livingston and Kelly DeVries answer your questions, including who were the almost famous leaders of the Middle Ages, the importance of languages for medievalists, and their favourite battle sites.
2023-12-05 18:02:06 +0000 UTC View Post