Medieval Society Research Articles

CRAFTSWOMEN IN MEDIEVAL SERBIA: A COMPARATIVE VIEW

As a research topic, women in medieval Serbian lands who were engaged professionally in skilled crafts is practically unexplored territory. In addition to a chronic lack of sources—which is clearly evident in the case of women’s work in producing commodities—exploration of the role of women’s work, even in medieval society, did not begin until the emergence of historiography of sex and gender, in particular at the end of the twentieth century. In addition to women from the ruling and aristocratic classes, who were noticeably preserved in the surviving sources in accordance with their status, the documents, primarily from the interior, mostly record widows due to their specific position in society, with the exception of a few legal provisions regulating women’s earnings. Narrative sources predominantly created within the Church view women through a Christian perspective and omit women’s work. However, information preserved in coastal cities such as Kotor or Dubrovnik, cities in the interior in neighboring states of what was previously Serbia and throughout medieval Europe, allow for parallels to be drawn and for issues related to the work of skilled craftswomen to be better understood. Through the comparative method based on currently established methodology, this paper will present women’s activities as professional craftswomen, their work as assistants in workshops, and their activities related to the infrastructure of a particular craft so that what is already known can be interpreted using source material and literature of both local and foreign origin in order to determine at least an approximate framework and role for women within the skilled crafts in medieval Serbia.

Women’s Perception in Late Medieval European Preaching: A Comparative Analysis

The perception of women in the late medieval European preaching is rather complex and interesting. The theological viewpoint against medieval women is constrained towards their moral and social deliverance and virtues. However, late medieval sermons of preachers have helped to understand and amplify the conception of medieval society towards the social standing of European medieval women. In retrospect, this article examines women’s representation in the sermons of three prominent preachers from the 14th and 15th centuries: Giordano da Pisa, Bernardino of Siena, and St. Vincent Ferrer. The research individually analyzes the preachers' sermons through a comparative analysis, addressing women's weaknesses in the European medieval era. The sermons focus on the societal perceptions of women and their moral constitutions, aiming to promote spiritual conversion. Although the preachers share common perceptions, they have also managed to adopt the use of vernacular language, thus condemning sins, for instance, lust and adultery. Moreover, the preaching style and context they present medieval women vary significantly. Giordano da Pisa addresses an educated audience with an academic approach, whereas Bernardino da Siena preaches the broader and intellectual society in an accessible and didactic style. St. Vincent Ferrer employs a vehement tone, centered on instilling fear of the Final Judgment. The analysis reveals the importance of the image of women in medieval preaching. Moreover, the sermons of the preachers also aim to reinforce and redefine the social and religious norms related to women of the medieval era, therefore emphasizing on their role in maintaining moral stability and developing the institution of moral enrichment and social nourishment of their offspring.

The exploitation of silver deposits in early medieval Europe: some documentary, economic and social problems

AbstractFocusing on Southern Europe, this article sheds light on the mining landscape of the early Middle Ages. Based on the current state of historical and archaeological knowledge, the article raises a number of questions that can be extended to other European regions. The documentary problem shows that the scarcity of sources is due to a less developed mining historiography of the early Middle Ages. The few references show that it was not a question of ignorance, nor of the terrain, nor of the potential, nor of the techniques, taking into account the work in Melle and in the Harz. The study of production from the angle of an economic problem forms the basis of a hypotheses for selective and centralized exploitation during the Carolingian period and of an unbridled mining boom from the early 11th century. Even with the current paucity of documentary evidence, it is reasonable to assume that early medieval societies did not choose to exploit all the resources available to them. Finally, there is the social question. Who was behind the work and trade in ingots? The model of elite dirigisme will be discussed and it will be suggested that the role of the elite be reduced in favour of other actors such as entrepreneurs. Finally, the article argues for the extension of archaeological research to production areas in order to date operations, establish reference systems for ores and read archaeological remains from a social perspective.

Відтворення слов’янського побуту шляхом натурного моделювання

The article is dedicated to one of the most promising directions in archaeological research – experimental archaeology. It outlines the significance of experimentation in modern archaeology in Ukraine and the world, explores the historiography of the problem, and shares the experience of archaeologist colleagues in reconstructing certain aspects of the lives and everyday activities of past generations. Key aspects of experimental archaeology include the creation of replicas or reconstructions to test hypotheses and enhance understanding of ancient objects and technologies. Furthermore, it underlines the practical meaning of experimental archaeology, such as the creation of open-air museums, which provide immersive experiences and contribute to the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage. The Northern Permanently Operating Archaeological Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is engaged in the scientific and scientific and protective direction of studying the suburbs of Kyiv. Research mainly concerns the ancient Rus period. The recreation of ancient Rus technologies through their full-scale modeling is not new for the employees of the expedition. Based on this, at the territory of the Khodosivka archaeological complex, models of Early Slavonic ovens were recreated as a source of knowledge about the everyday life of medieval society in Ukraine. The paper provides a detailed description of the construction of models of two heating devices, prototypes of which are dated mainly from the 12th to the first half of the 13th century. All stages of their creation are characterized: from studying general information about the ovens and planning the future reconstruction, to processing the collected data and implementing the experiment. Based on the modeling of these experiments, the functional capabilities of the reconstructed ovens are revealed. The significance of the conducted experiment lies in its ability to deepen our understanding of the daily life of the Kyivan Rus population. While previous research focused on technologies used in creating various economic and residential structures, this work demonstrates how reconstructed models aid in delving into the study of ancient domesticity. Since the chronicle tradition does not cover all aspects of ancient society’s life, and archaeological evidence alone does not provide a precise picture of the population’s spiritual and everyday life, this experiment allows for a more detailed exploration of these aspects. Key words: experiment, modeling, skansen, oven, heating device, Ancient Rus, Khodosivka.

Dominance within the ecclesia: the case of late medieval Portugal

This article aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of a theoretical perspective. It argues that, in medieval society, the ecclesia, in its threefold sense (the community of the faithful, ecclesiastical hierarchies, and cult buildings) played a determinant role in organising different interlocked social relations. Thus, this role is critical to understanding the reproduction of dominant groups, whose organisation must be conceived through the ecclesia. This article is based on the Portuguese aristocracy. The historiographical production of the last few decades on different themes is synthesised and organised according to this theoretical perspective, seeking to highlight its operability and the paths it opens for a more grounded understanding of medieval social dynamics.

Мистика любви Хадевейх Брабантской и Мехтильды Магдебургской

The Christian worldview of the late Middle Ages was quite diverse, but at the same time extremely contradictory. Northern France, Flanders, and the German towns in the Rhine Valley were fi lled with various spiritual movements and beliefs that largely determined the spiritual climate of medieval Europe. One such spiritual current was the Beguine movement, which was condemned by the Catholic Church, as were many other religious sects during this period of European history. Nevertheless, the reasons for the persecution of the representatives of female semi-monastic communities are still not clear enough for us. On the one hand, we know that the condemnation of the Beguine’s is directly related to their social activities, because they created serious competition to the Catholic Church. But on the other hand, limiting ourselves exclusively to social reasons, we miss the fact that the Beguine movement was largely mystical and many representatives of women’s communities experienced extremely intense extraordinary experiences. Therefore, turning to the problem of the condemnation of the female mystics, we fi nd that the root of these persecutions lay in their reinterpretation of religious ecstasy, rather than their social activities. To substantiate this position, we examine in detail the representation of love-mystical cognition in two of the most infl uential beguines, Hadewijch of Brabant and Mechthild of Magdeburg. We observe that they not only express their extraordinary experience, but they also theorize it. The mystics abandon the notion of love-mystical cognition as a passive process of perceiving God. Instead, they turn to an active kind of love and justify a form of vita activa. This allows them to bridge the gulf between God and man, and to move independently beyond their own female bodies, burdened by medieval patriarchal norms. The female mystics, as we show, change the very relationship between woman and the world, thereby endowing her with greater autonomy in relation to medieval society and divine reality.

Antizipation von Zukunft?

Abstract Current research in medieval studies focuses on how the future was dealt with in medieval culture. While Reinhart Koselleck has denied the Middle Ages any interest in an inner-worldly future, recent contributions show a variety of diverse endeavours to know and influence the future. By examining naval campaigns of the city commune of Genoa from the 12th–14th centuries, this article argues in favour of examining the social practice of medieval societies more intensively in terms of how people tried to influence what would happen in the future. The study of three military campaigns – the attacks on the Spanish harbour cities of Almería and Tortosa in 1147 and 1148, the conquest of Chios and Phocaea in 1346 and a failed expedition to Cyprus in 1383 – shows that in all cases the exercise of military force was at best planned in outline. As a rule, it was assumed that the available contingents and experience would be sufficient for success. Concrete tactics, but in the case of Chios and Phokaia also the targets of the attacks, were only agreed upon during the campaigns. A record of one such negotiation has even been preserved from Cyprus. On the other hand, there were diplomatic and, above all, economic planning horizons that stipulated long-term agreements even before the attack, in which precise deadlines and dates for payments were fixed as well as alliance obligations. The interference between these futures, which were planned and plannable to varying degrees, resulted in the inherent dynamics of non-synchronised temporalities.

Английские топонимы с сильваническим компонентом как репрезентанты социально-экономического развития средневековой Англии (на примере «Англо-саксонских грамот» и «Книги Судного дня» / Domesday Book)

The aim of the paper is to determine the contribution of Old English sylvanic lexemes (wudu, hyrst, holt, lee, graf, wald) to the English toponymic system as conditioned by the socio-economic development of medieval England. The article discusses the semantics of the specified lexemes in the Old English period and its development as conditioned by social and economic processes and analyzes the toponyms of medieval England containing these lexemes as appellatives. The research is based on the material from the Anglo-Saxon Charters and toponymic dictionaries. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that toponyms with a sylvanic component from the Domesday Book are compared for the first time with the names of landmarks of previous centuries from the Anglo-Saxon Charters by their structure and semantics, which allows us to trace the dynamics of the formation of these toponyms. The results of the study showed that toponyms with the appellative wudu, hyrst, holt, lee, graf, wald are formed from free combinations of these terms with descriptors highlighting the distinctive features of the forest that were significant for medieval society (location, tree species, belonging, animals, vegetation, size, quality, color, function). The dynamics of the semantics of the lexemes-appellatives and the use of descriptors reflect changes in the categorization of space and the socio-economic development of medieval England. Active development of forest spaces during the medieval period was marked by a significant contribution of sylvanic lexemes to the toponymy of England (6% of toponyms found in dictionaries).

Piagetian Theory and the Psychogenetic Development of Humankind Throughout History. Towards a General Theory of the Human Being.

J. Piaget wanted to study children to find a key to understanding history of mind, culture, science, and philosophy. The new theory program, called the structural-genetic theory program, developed by the author of this article, is an off-spring of Piagetian theory and follows Piaget's main idea concerning the study of parallels between ontogenetic and historical developments. It maintains the full identity of the child's psyche and that of the adult archaic human being concerning traits and features of the preoperational stage and partially the concrete operational stage, thereby evidencing the total sally of the formal operational stage in the minds of archaic people. The identity of the stage structures is not partially given but rather entirely and implies even the smallest details. The article exemplifies this identity concerning several central issues, such as logic, physical understanding, categories such as causality and chance, animism, personification of plants and animals, belief in magic, metamorphosis, ghosts, and understanding of dreams and myths. Accordingly, there is no difference between ontogenetic stages and the psychogenetic development of humankind throughout history. Historically, humankind has gone through the same stages as children do. The new theory program presents the fundamental theory of the human being as he or she existed in history and peopled archaic, ancient, and medieval societies. Consequently, the world history of culture, mind, worldview, politics, law, science, philosophy, morals, religion, and arts must be reconstructed in terms of stages, a task already accomplished by the new program, at least to a certain extent.

Blood Revenge as a Form of Social Defense in Ancient and Medieval Societies

Blood Revenge as a Form of Social Defense in Ancient and Medieval Societies

Foreign trade and domestic networks — A few remarks on the organisation of tributary embassies to China in the Muromachi period

The aim of this article is to rethink the connection between foreign trade and domestic economy in late medieval Japan.The article takes a look at the financial side of the tributary missions to Ming China, investigating how commodities for tribute and for trade were organised. In the 1970s, Sasaki Gin’ya was the first to criticise that research on foreign trade and research on the domestic economy were being conducted separately. He emphasised the importance of complex interdisciplinary research in order to reveal the connection between foreign trade and the domestic economy. Even though this issue had been previously raised, no research had been conducted with the explicit purpose of connecting foreign trade and the domestic economy during the Muromachi period until the past two decades. Contributions that have been made in recent years have aimed at revealing the connections between domestic commercial or religious networks with foreign relations, mainly focusing on the role of Zen monks in diplomacy and trade and on the import and distribution of commodities from China. In Western scholarship, this topic is still under-researched and provides potential for further investigations. Thus, the paper tries to provide an inventory of case studies that help us imagine and understand what kinds of connections existed between domestic networks and foreign trade in medieval Japan that made the procuring of tribute items and commercial products for official trade in China possible. Being aware of networks in medieval society, such as the religious network—and also closely connected to that the commercial network—of Honganji or Tenryūji, can help us connect the scattered and loose information in the sources, in order to explain what contributed to the development of foreign trade. The paper argues that despite the weakening of shogunal power, tributary trade continued because the structure of ship management transformed. Tribute ships became part of commercial ventures backed by the flourishing late medieval Japanese economy, and the increase of capital led to an increase in investors who were ready to participate in trade with China. The way that products were procured shows different patterns that provide good examples to help us understand how local commercial, social, and religious networks were utilised for procuring Japanese commodities.

THE MESSAGE OF HARMONY AND HUMANITY IN MEDIEVAL SOCIETY IN THE LIGHT OF SANANDH BY MAHAMATI PRANNATH

This paper explores the message of harmony and humanity in medieval society as conveyed through Mahamati Prannath`s Sanandh. During the 17th century, under Emperor Aurangzeb`s rule, India was marked by significant religious and cultural tensions. Mahamati Prannath`s teachings in Sanandh addressed these issues by advocating for religious unity, peace, and enlightenment. By critiquing rigid religious dogmas and promoting a deeper understanding of sacred texts like the Qur`an, Prannath aimed to eliminate misconceptions and foster a spirit of brotherhood among Hindus and Muslims. His hymns reflect a call for self-awareness, ethical living, and the transcendence of superficial religious distinctions. This paper examines how Sanandh provided a framework for societal reform and spiritual awakening, emphasizing the importance of internal purity and universal harmony.

Spår av förändrande materialitet i en sockenkyrka under senmedeltiden. En fallstudie av Åseda kyrka

Traces of changing materiality of a parish church during the late Middle Ages – A case study of the church of Åseda. Åseda is located in the vicinity of Växjö in Småland, and during a restoration of the church in 1936, various archaeological objects werefound. These finds have been dated but never discussed in-depth by anyone. This article aims to further the understanding of this church by analyzing stained window glass, coins and what has been interpreted as the remains of a triumphal wall.The nave and western part of the chancel date back to the end of the 15th century, but there is evidence that an older church is located in the same location. The three categories of materiality are not discussed to contest the dating of the 15th-centurychurch. Instead, this article focuses on the reflection of Medieval society and the perception of the church, which can be interpreted through studying these objects. The three chosen categories of archaeological finds help shed light on the churcholder than the one dated to the late 15th century. Changes to the church architecture and contacts with other areas are highlighted by studying objects not directly tied to the construction of a church. These changes must have radically changed how the parishioners perceived the church.

Elite Attitudes to the ‘Public Sphere’ in Fifteenth-Century Castile

ABSTRACT This article examines the manifold and complex responses of fifteenth-century elite politicians and writers to ‘public’ politics in Castile. Through analysis of a variety of sources including chronicles, allegorical poems, treatises, glosses and letters, it shows how the multiple conceptions of non-elite agency and attitudes to it can nuance our understanding of Castilian politics in the late Middle Ages. It argues that fifteenth-century chronicles, glosses and allegorical poems demonstrate a new attention from the elite to wider contexts beyond the confines of the traditional political society, which responded both to literary fashions and to real changes in the political reality of late medieval society. Moreover, their complex and even contradictory responses, which denigrated, appropriated and addressed these wider ‘publics’, ought to be considered integral to the development of ‘public opinion’, as part of a set of discursive and institutional struggles for the right to express political opinions.

Remembering the Dead: Postmortem Guild Membership in Late Medieval England

AbstractAs in many areas of pre-Reformation devotion, the dead were a conspicuous presence in English religious guilds of all sizes. Members joined in the expectation that the guild would say prayers and perform masses for their souls after death, and previous members and benefactors would be commemorated with regularity. This article, however, investigates a new avenue of the fraternal relationship with the dead: the practice of enrolling people after their death. Doing so shifts the paradigm of our understanding of the multidimensional functions of pre-Reformation society, commemoration, and guilds, privileging the experiences of both the dead and living equally, while highlighting the interplay of the spiritual and socioeconomic. Taking the extensive membership records of England's “great” guilds as its basis, this article reveals that postmortem enrollment was a practice both common and widespread, and it addresses questions of practicalities and motivations. As such, the richness of commemoration in late medieval society is demonstrated, and the importance of postmortem membership brought to the fore.

Freedom of speech in universities: between competence and geopolitics

Academic freedoms, including freedom of speech, were one of the fundamental pillars of the university system. They allowed the European medieval society to consolidate and form nation-states. But in their competition, freedom of speech was seen by the authorities as an obstacle to achieving world leadership. With the end of the Cold War, the perception of freedom of speech changed, on the one hand enhancing the freedom of movement of students, but on the other hand limiting it to a utilitarian approach to learning.

Family in Medieval Society: A Bioarchaeological Perspective

One of the periods with the greatest social, cultural, and religious changes was, without a doubt, the European medieval period. The concept of “Family” was one of the fields that gradually evolved, from individuals who shared the same biological lineage, to members of the same “House”. One of the ways to study the concept of “Family” in ancient periods is through a bioarchaeological perspective, where both anthropology and genetics have proven to be essential disciplines for studying “Families”. Through burial rituals, observing whether the graves were single or multiple, as is carried out in the study of human remains, we discuss the profound contribution of anthropology to the “Family” investigation, through mobility studies, the investigation of biological sex, observing certain congenital anomalies or, even, the study of certain ancient infectious diseases. Concerning genetics, the study of bones or teeth allows us to determine whether individuals were from the same close family or if they belonged to the same lineage through the maternal and paternal sides, being one of the only scientific ways of proposing social relationships between individuals, such as that created through adoption.

Emotions in Contexts: Cultural Conceptions in Ancient and Medieval Societies

The papers in this special section derive, directly or indirectly, from a workshop on current methods and approaches in emotion research held at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz on 25–26 February 2019 in association with the tenure of a Mercator Fellowship (2018–2019) by Douglas Cairns (Edinburgh) under the aegis of the Mainz Graduiertenkolleg (GRK) 1876, Frühe Konzepte von Mensch und Natur: Universalität, Spezifität, Tradierung (Early Concepts of Humans and Nature: Universal, Specific, Interchanged), funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). byDouglas CairnsUniversity of Edinburghorcid.org/0000-0003-4408-8967douglas.cairns@ed.ac.uk

The Role of Transport in Formation of the «Advancement Effect» in Ancient and Medieval Societies

Transport has played a very significant role in formation and development of ancient and medieval civilisations. At the same time, since ancient times, the transport factor has contributed to advancement of various social communities and societies (manifested in achievement of leadership by the corresponding cities, regions, countries) and formation of the «advancement effect», the essence of which is the possibility of more efficient use of available resources and implementation of existing advantages to ensure successful development.The influence of transport on formation of the «advancement effect» of societies is based on a wide range of socio-economic effects that are generated during movement of goods and passengers. These include, inter alia, adding value to goods as a result of movement, stimulating growth in the volume, scale and efficiency of goods production, disseminating knowledge, ideas and stimulating innovation.Because of the effects generated by transport activities, the centres of this activity develop rapidly and achieve economic, and often also political and cultural leadership. At the same time, transport leadership is associated both with geographical location and with socio-economic (primarily institutional) conditions that provide the opportunity to implement the benefits of the geographical location.The provided analysis covering approximately five thousand years of existence of ancient and medieval civilisations, using many examples, showed that transport indeed played an important role in advancement of certain societies localised within cities, regions and countries. Their advancement to leadership positions was achieved due to the synergy of an advantageous geographical location, innovative development of technical means of transport and institutions that facilitate the efficient conduct of transport activities and development of transport and commercial ecosystems. In turn, the cessation or significant weakening of the beneficial effects of the transport factor led to the loss of leadership positions by societies and the decline of the corresponding economic centres.

Геоархеология и археологическая минералогия «во всем пространстве сего слова»

The paper presents the information about the Annual All-Russian Conference with international participation named after Professor Victor V. Zaykov “Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Mineralogy”, which has been held since 2014 at the South Ural Federal Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology UB RAS in Miass, Chelyabinsk Region. The main topic of the Conference is devoted to the analysis of technologies and raw material base of ancient and medieval societies. The scientific reports consider the topical problems of geoarchaeology and archaeometry, the practice of applying mineralogical and geochemical research methods to study archaeological monuments and artifacts, GIS, analysis of the use of rocks and stone material processing techniques in ancient societies, key issues of analysis of ancient ceramics, archaeometallurgy and metal production. In recent years, one of the key areas of the Conference has been the study of migrations, individual mobility and the food system of ancient communities by analyzing the isotopic composition of C, N and Sr.