Medieval History Research Articles

Illegal Marriages

Pope Innocent III has drawn constant scholarly attention in the realm of medieval history. Not only was his papacy fundamental in the shaping of the modern-day Roman Catholic Church, but his time as Roman Pontiff is also considered the apogee of the medieval papacy. He expanded papal influence into realms previously dreamt of by Church reformers and exerted it over secular rulers. An often-contested topic of Innocent’s historiography is the motivations and justifications for his actions. Are we to view them through the lens of reform or the mind of a pragmatist? This paper contributes to this debate by analyzing Innocent’s letters and actions pertaining to the consanguineous marriages of Alfonso IX with Berenguela in the Iberian Peninsula and Otto IV with Beatrix in the German lands. By comparing the actions and justifications of Pope Innocent III in the Iberian Peninsula and the German lands—an area on the periphery of Europe and one central in it—this paper seeks to uncover, firstly, whether Innocent acted similarly in comparable situations from both areas and, secondly, whether Church reform or pragmatism influenced his arguments and measures. This paper finds that Innocent acted in a reformist manner (disregarding temporal outcomes in favor of spiritual strictness) in the Iberian Peninsula while he focused on temporal matters through a pragmatic approach in the German lands due to the severe threat the German Empire posed to Church independence and the ongoing Reconquista in Iberia. Utilizing a comparatist approach to this topic allows for conclusions to be made from his actions in different regions rather than a case study in a singular region.

Рецензия на книгу: Кузембайулы А., Абиль Е., Алибек Т. Сибирский улус и казахи: проблемы этнической преемственности и исторической памяти

Results and scientific novelty. The reviewed book consists of four chapters. The first one is devoted to the history of research of the Shaybanids and the Taibugid statehoods in the south of Western Siberia, as well as to the theoretical and methodological approaches to the issues of ethnic history reconstruction in the Russian and Kazakh historical fields. The second chapter deals with “Historical memory as the source of the history of the Siberian ulus”. It presents memory artefacts of the so-called Siberian ulus in the Kazakh epos poetry and in historical legends on “The materials on Kyrgyz land use”. The sources presented here are virtually unknown to Russian researchers and they open new opportunities for the study of some issues of the late medieval Siberian statehood history. The third chapter raises issues of the prehistory of the Siberian ulus, with special attention given to the ulus of Taibugi, the study of whose descendants has recently taken the lead in Kazakh medieval studies. The fourth chapter is devoted to the history of the Siberian ulus, divided into separate stages (13th–14th centuries, the period of the collapse of the Golden Horde, the Siberian Khanate). The reviewed monograph is an important stage in the formation of modern Kazakh historiography on the issues of further study of the late medieval history of Western Siberia. It reveals some new sources, unknown or little known in earlier Russian historical science; there are interesting and original ideas on ethnic relations of the Siberian and Kazakh population and the origin of the Siberian princely dynasty of the Taibugids, which need further reflection. However, ignoring many achievements of the latest Russian historiography and its selective quoting, refusal to build an accurate chronology, skipping entire decades in the generalising conclusions, and the choice of the term “Siberian ulus”, which has not revealed its full potential, raise the question as to what extent the authors were really able to create a quality study on the role of the Shibanid statehood in the history of the formation of the Kazakh people.

New Edition of Glagolitic Manuscripts in Croatia

The work is devoted to a critical review of the relatively recently published edition of the Scientific Center for Innovative Research of Croatian Glagolitic at the Old Slavic Institute of the Croatian Academy of Sciences, dedicated to the monument of the 15th century – the Second Beram (Ljubljana) Breviary, consisting of two volumes of text publication (facsimile and set) and a collection of comprehensive studies on this glagolitic code. The collection includes articles by leading Croatian historians and linguistic philologists on paleography, illumination, textual and language codex, as well as the medieval history of the Beram region.

PhD in History Adjunct, Karoli Gaspar University, Budapest, Hungary

. The Savirs played an important role in the early medieval history of the Caucasian people, and many historical sources mention them. They had involved in the Byzantine-Persian wars during the 6th century, then actively participated in the struggles against the invading Arabs in the 6-7th centuries. Most historical sources considered them to be Huns. They lived on the western part of the Caspian Sea, and we can find early historical sources, which mentioned them on the eastern parts of the Black Sea. Traces of the steppe horsemen can still be found in some parts of Azerbaijan, where some monuments preserved their memories. Archaeological excavations revealed their material culture almost the whole territory of Azerbaijan. In my presentation, I would present the memories left behind by the Savirs, referring some ancient historical sources and results of the archaeological excavations as well. Keywords: Huns, Savirs, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, Nomads, Byzantine, Persia

Between Sensibility and History: The Count de Rethel (1779) by Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

The Count de Rethel: An Historical Novel (1779) can be ascribed to Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757–1806) as a translation of Anecdotes de la cour de Philippe-Auguste (1733) by Marguerite de Lussan. The action is set at the court of Philip II of France, known as Philip Augustus, at the time of the war with King Henry II and the Crusade with Richard I, known as the Lionheart. This inspired revival of fictionalised medieval history heralding romanticism in the age of sensibility refashions the codes of chivalry according to the aesthetics of the second half of the eighteenth century. This essay focuses on the interplay between fiction and history, between the present of writing and the rewriting of history through Cavendish’s translational prism, featuring the Middle Ages as a golden age of heroism and the Count de Rethel as a paragon of ancient virtue set against contemporary men of fashion.

Where do field-specific notions of research quality come from?

Abstract Researchers’ notions of research quality depend on their field of research. Previous studies have shown that field-specific assessment criteria exist but could explain neither why these specific criteria and not others exist, nor how criteria are used in specific assessment situations. To give initial answers to these questions, formal assessment situations (reviews of publications) and informal assessment situations (seminar and conference discussions) in two specialties (plant biology and medieval history) were analysed through observations and qualitative content analysis. The empirical findings reveal a large variety of quality criteria used by researchers, which cannot be subsumed under conventional notions of originality, reliability, or validity. The identified field-specific quality criteria can be explained by differences between the two fields’ research practices and between the epistemic properties of the two fields.

Rodbina Apfaltrer v srednjem veku Začetki rodu in vzpon rojske linije

The paper in two parts constitutes the first attempt at providing a comprehensive and primary source-based discussion of the Apfaltrers’ medieval history. Throughout its nearly seven centuries-long existence, the family had an important bearing on the destiny of Slovenian territory and left an indelible mark on it. It had the closest affiliation with the former province of Carniola, whence it also spread to Styria very early on. Its modest beginnings in the ranks of the Spanheims’ ministerial nobility were followed by a gradual social ascendancy, which, from the fifteenth century onwards, enabled the Apfaltrers to form part of the Carniolan noble elite. In spite of not attaining the highest offices in the provincial princely administration during the Middle Ages, members of the family played an important role at local level. Even though the family’s genealogical composition is not entirely clear, it is possible to recognize the existence of two main lines at least from the mid-fourteenth century onwards. The first part of the paper deals with the beginnings of the family and the Roje family line.

The discovery of the church of Rungholt, a landmark for the drowned medieval landscapes of the Wadden Sea World Heritage

The UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea holds remains of a medieval cultural landscape shaped by interactions between man and natural forces. From the Netherlands to Denmark, human efforts of cultivating low-lying areas created a unique coastal landscape. Since the Middle Ages, storm floods widely drowned embanked cultural land and especially affected North Frisia (Germany), where once fertile marshland was permanently turned into tidal flats. One key region, the Edomsharde, was widely destroyed in 1362 AD. Medieval settlement remains still occur in the tidal flats around the island Hallig Südfall and are commonly associated with Edomsharde’s trading centre Rungholt—ever since a symbol for the region’s drowned landscapes and focus of this study. We present a first-time comprehensive reconstruction of this medieval settlement by means of new geophysical, geoarchaeological and archaeological data. Our results reveal remains of up to 64 newly found and rectified dwelling mounds, abundant drainage ditches, a seadike, and especially the discovery of Edomshardes’s main church as important landmark in this former cultural landscape. These finds together with the documented imported goods confirm a thriving society, involved in transregional trade and thereby close a significant gap in medieval history not only for North Frisia, but the entire Wadden Sea region.

Charlemagne and Rome. Alcuin and the epitaph of Pope Hadrian I. By Joanna Story. (Medieval History and Archaeology.) Pp. xxiv + 403 incl. frontispiece and 91 colour and black-and-white ills. Oxford–New York: Oxford University Press, 2023. £100. 978 0 19 920634 6

Charlemagne and Rome. Alcuin and the epitaph of Pope Hadrian I. By Joanna Story. (Medieval History and Archaeology.) Pp. xxiv + 403 incl. frontispiece and 91 colour and black-and-white ills. Oxford–New York: Oxford University Press, 2023. £100. 978 0 19 920634 6

Might a Sense of Place Approach Help the Public Connect to Brayford Pool’s Medieval Heritage?

It is challenging for people to perceive a particular aspect of an area’s rich history when it is not obvious, prominent, or interpreted (Hunt, 2021). This article draws on and develops this assertion by establishing the importance of the Brayford Pool in the Medieval Period (1066–1540) and explores the challenges people face when perceiving the influence of this time period within the current landscape. The article uses the perception aspect of Sense of Place as a framework to suggest that these challenges may be overcome through shared authority and public curation. The article argues that this approach could help to re-establish the importance of the area during the medieval period. The article then considers how the principal of shared authority might be applied to create a public history project on the medieval history of the area, owned by the different communities who live, work, study, and engage in leisure activities on and around Brayford Pool. Finally, it considers the way in which this might impact positively on the other aspects of a Sense of Place: how people value a place, how people describe and interact with it, and the importance of its sustainability.

Taking stock and moving forward: What makes a contribution in business history?

This editorial reflects on the research published in Business History in the last few years in the context of wider discussions in the field of business history. In particular, we consider the authors and their thematic orientation, reflection on the geographic and disciplinary distribution and gender balance in the field. Articles published cluster around specific time periods, countries and regions, with early modern or medieval history, and research beyond Europe and North America less well represented. On the basis of this survey, we consider the journal’s recently changed aims and scope and what we see as a contribution to knowledge in business history. We particularly consider the role of theory in historical research and affirm our commitment to a range of relevant contributions in the journal. These are empirical, historiographical and theoretical in nature, and support our strategy to maintain Business History as a journal publishing interdisciplinary and diverse research.

영국 역사교과서의 고고학 자료 서술 특징과 시사점

This paper examines the characteristics of archaeological narratives in British history textbooks, where modern archaeology was established early. In the England, the National Curriculum has been in place since 1988, and the government has provided guidelines on what should be taught in history classes. According to the recently revised National Curriculum, the study of British prehistory and ancient history is intensively taught at the Key Stage 2, which corresponds to the 3rd to 6th grades of elementary school in Korea, and it is very characteristic that archaeological descriptions are intensively taught in the upper grades of elementary school in history textbooks. In other words, according to the most recent national curriculum in 2014, English students focus on prehistory, the Roman Britons, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Viking Age in the Key Stage 2, and in middle school, they move on to medieval history, and in high school, the subject of study in history textbooks becomes similar to our world history. In this situation, the history textbook of Key Stage 2, which is the upper grade of elementary school in the UK, was able to point out the current situation of effective use of various archaeological materials. The astonishing quality of British history textbooks is likely to have significant implications for Korean archaeology at the present stage of the full-fledged pursuit of popularization of archaeology. However, at the middle and high school levels, modern and contemporary history is mainly discussed, so the proportion of archaeology in textbooks is relatively reduced. The archaeological narrative aspect of the British history textbooks is considered to be very different from the current state of history textbooks in Northeast Asia, including Korea, and it is necessary to examine the background of the archaeological narrative in the future and the effect of educational activities using the textbooks on students.

Az igazságosság mint indok a Kúria 21. századi magánjogi gyakorlatában

After a brief overview of the ancient and medieval history of the notion of justice in philosophy, and some anthropological remarks, the paper examines the precedent decisions of the supreme judicial forum of Hungary (Kúria) delivered over the past 10 years in the field of private law with respect to whether the legal reasoning of the judgments contain a manifest reference to the notions of “just” or “justice”. As a result of this research, we find that the judgments, without any further reference, and apart from the modern notions of substantive and procedural justice, are based mainly on the concepts of corrective (rectificatory) justice and on that of distributive justice as well, as if by instinct following the teachings of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas.

Forging the medieval amidst loss: The Public Record Office of Ireland and Ireland’s medieval history

In the aftermath of the destruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland (PROI) in June 1922 during the opening battle of the Irish Civil War, and with it seven centuries of records, historians and archivists have had to be creative in their search for sources for medieval Irish history. In response to this loss, they have forged a distinctive historiographical tradition using records now in English collections, as well as antiquarian transcripts and publications. Beginning with the work of Edmund Curtis in the 1920s, this tradition has sought to list, identify, and edit for publication replacement sources for records lost with the PROI for an Irish and international audience. More recently, scholars have made these collections digitally and publicly accessible worldwide with the CIRCLE and Beyond 2022 Projects at Trinity College Dublin. This article looks at how the lost records and a century of recovery efforts have shaped understandings of Ireland’s medieval past and its colonial relationship with England.

Administrative Role of Malla Kings of Later Medieval Period

In Nepali society, king used to be respected by people. Kings had role not only in political and administrative landscape but also in the cultural and social scenario. In Medieval Nepal, the king would enact law, enforce law and also impart justice. Justice was a well-established virtue in the polity of Nepal since the remote past. Nepal had been ruled by some royal dynasties, i.e., Gopalas, Mahispalas, Kirants, Lichhchavi, Malla and Shah. The medieval history of Nepal begins with the Malla dynasty. The first Malla king is Ari Malla (1207-1216). The later medieval period or the Malla dynasty of Kathmandu begins when King Jayasthiti Malla was in complete control in the valley. The study has aimed at to finding out how the kings of the later medieval period had played role in the administrative system of the then Nepal. So, this research article is designed to find out the role of king in the entire administrative system of Nepal under the later medieval period. It has been known about the administration system of Malla from the various sources, that are inscriptions, manuscripts, and other literary sources, beside the foreign accounts. On the basis of these sources, it has been described about the administrative system of Malla. Malla kings ruled under the monarchical system. Kings were all in all countries, and they had all the authority of supreme power and controlled their countries by being the commanders in -chief in justices and chiefs of the administration of the countries. The king himself handled the leadership of war and used to go in far places for it. Kings liked to possess different royal titles, such as 'Nepaleswor', 'Nepal Mandalesor ', Nepal Pundya Bhumesor', 'Rajrajendra, 'Sakala Sastra Sangitadi Vaidhya Parangat', 'Kabindra 'etc. Until arrival of the powerful Gurkhas from Gurkhas kingdom, the Malla kings ruled the valley which was cut into four kingdoms –Bhadgaon, Kathmandu ,Patan and Banepa. During the Malla period, the choice of who would be king rested with the tribes( Pradhans) who represented the nobility. Monarchy was limited and administration was decentralized. Public opinion played a vital in Malla administration. Nepal in that time remained politically disunited and weak because of the internal conflict between the Malla kings of the valley.

REMEMBERING HILDE DE RIDDER-SYMOENS, PAST PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF UNIVERSITY HISTORY

Hilde De Ridder-Symoens, internatonally appretiated professor of Medieval History passed away 5th March 2023 at the age of 80. The Belgian professor was one of the most excellent university historian of her age.

Narrative review: what constitutes contemporary, high-quality end-of-life care and can lessons be learned from medieval history?

In modern Britain, palliative and end-of-life care is governed by quality standards and guidance, which should consider spiritual and psychological needs. However, there are significant gaps in provision of services which was highlighted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic where many individuals and families suffered profound spiritual and existential distress. Significant gaps remain in the provision of services to support patients with spiritual and psychological needs which can affect the management of physical symptoms. During the medieval period in Western Europe, it was important to prepare well for death throughout life. It has been suggested that lessons may be learned from medieval preparations for death which might benefit those approaching end-of-life in contemporary society. It is therefore timely to consider medieval attitudes to death and reflect on how these might inform modern end-of-life care. The objective of this review is to synthesise literature addressing modern end-of-life care in the UK and contrast this with literature on preparations for death during the medieval period in Western Europe. Our aim is to determine whether there is wisdom to be gained from history which could inform our approaches to end-of-life care today. Using online databases and broad keyword searches along with experts in the field of medieval history, we identified literature and translations of texts with a focus on preparations for death during both periods. These were narratively synthesised and discussed. A key finding is that the medieval attitude to death was as an integral part of life, whereas in modern society death is not usually considered until the situation arises. The review highlights a need for a better understanding of the individuality of spiritual and existential needs during end-of-life care in modern society, which will vary according to individual choice, culture, societal group, religion, and belief. The lessons we can learn from our medieval counterparts include the need for lifelong and individual preparations for the end of life, with emphasis on spiritual needs. Alongside palliative interventions, we need to take time to appreciate what gives individuals spiritual support and provide the resources to facilitate this.

Political Obligation and Self-Sufficiency in Leonardo Bruni's History of the Florentine People

AbstractLeonardo Bruni (1377–1444), chancellor of Florence, is today more famous as an initiator of civic humanism and a proponent of early modern republicanism than as a historian of medieval Florence. He owes this position most of all to Hans Baron, who argued that Florentine civic humanism—an exemplary mode of communal existence dedicated to the active life—as found particularly in Bruni's writings, stemmed from the resurgence of interest in antiquity, which pointed forward to a liberating, civilizing, and progressive modernity. Though James Hankins has recently argued that the dual theses of civic humanism and republicanism are mischaracterizations of the larger thrust of Italian Renaissance political thought, the scholarly literature overwhelmingly portrays Leonardo Bruni as incipiently modern and, by definition, un-medieval. But in emphasizing the role of antiquity in Bruni's “modern” thought, scholars have overlooked the importance of medieval history in the formulation and the content of Bruni's arguments. This article seeks to rectify this misappreciation by demonstrating how that quintessential medieval struggle, the conflict between popes and emperors, plays a central role in Bruni's political thought as it is found in the History of the Florentine People, written from 1415/16 to 1444.

ON THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF VASILY DIMITRIEVICH DIMITRIEV

The relevance of studying the biography of a prominent Soviet and Russian scientist, Honored Scientist of the RSFSR, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Vasily Dimitrievich Dimitriev is due to the growing interest in representatives of the second post–war generation of historians who made a great contribution to the development of historical education and to studying the problems of national history in the second half of the twentieth – early 21st century. The purpose of the study is to reconstruct the biography of V.D. Dimitriev, who, mastering and successfully implementing research practices, in his writings focused on studying the medieval history of the Chuvash people and the Chuvash region, as well as problems of ethnography, demography and historical memory. Materials and methods. The analysis of V.D. Dimitriev’s organizational, pedagogical and scientific activities is based on the study of the historian’s scientific heritage, historiographical literature, memoirs and Internet sources. When writing the article, the principle of historicism, the historiographical approach, the biographical method, as well as methods of systematic and comparative analysis were used, which made it possible to reveal the scientist’s diverse activities during the longitudinal period. Study results. Three stages of V.D. Dimitriev’s life were established. During the first stage (1924–1942), his personality was developing, his studies at the historical faculty of the Chuvash Pedagogical Institute were effective, during which he was elected secretary of the Komsomol committee of the university. The second stage (1942–1945) was conditioned by the Great Patriotic War, during which, after graduating from military school, he showed heroism defending the Soviet Homeland. The talent of the prominent Soviet and Russian historian Vasily Dmitrievich Dimitriev was fully revealed in the post-war period. Completing his studies at the Chuvash Pedagogical Institute, working at the Chuvash Research Institute of Language, Literature and History, and studying at the postgraduate training program of Lomonosov Moscow State University gave a powerful impetus to his organizational, scientific and pedagogical activities, which significantly influenced the effectiveness of his research practices in studying the medieval history problems of the Chuvash people and the Chuvash Region. An assessment of the historian’s scientific heritage and his contribution to the development of historical education in Chuvashia in the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the 21st century is also presented. Conclusions. The role of V.D. Dimitriev in the development of the Chuvash Research Institute of Language, Literature, History and Economics, historical education in Chuvashia in the modern period is revealed. He is proved to be one of the leaders of historian’s scientific school of the Chuvash Republic.

Remaking the Past: Identifying Sramanic Traditions from Kerala

For historians and researchers, reconstructing the glorious but hidden Jaina and Buddhist antiquity of the Kerala region has proven to be a great challenge in the absence of necessary sources. But its influence in Kerala society is unquestionable. A wide range of socio-economic, political, and artistic endeavours expanded heterodox faiths like Jainism and Buddhism throughout centuries and across numerous geographical regions, from the mid-Gangetic valley to Kerala. The contributions of the Jains and Buddhists to the development of society and culture in Kerala have not been adequately highlighted and integrated into the mainstream of Kerala historical studies, despite the empirical and conceptual advances made in Kerala historiography over the last two decades. The history of the Jains and the Buddhists was pushed to the back burner in favour of the major focus of Kerala history and culture, centring on Brahmin settlements and temple-oriented sociocultural structures. To understand the socio-economic aspects of the spread of the heterodox Jain and Buddhist religio-cultural groups to Kerala, my article suggests setting a few epigraphical examples from the Jain and Buddhist relics in Kerala against the backdrop of Kerala's medieval history.