Abstract This article is devoted to a stylistic analysis of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Famagusta, Cyprus, known as Famagusta Cathedral (now the Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque), begun around 1300. The special relevance of the cathedral comes from the fact that it owes its shape to masters well acquainted with the buildings of both France and Germany, and thus it demonstrates the complex and at the same time ambiguous stylistic character of the architecture around the year 1300. This study goes beyond purely formal analysis of the church, however: The case of Famagusta Cathedral and its anonymous designer provides a starting point for a discussion of the modes of long-distance transfer of architectural forms in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, which in turn are inextricably linked to the question of the education and career patterns of master masons and to the ways in which they were employed by clients from distant countries.

ABSTRACT Altar foundation, also called chantry foundation, was practised by elite benefactors within the Nidaros province, but has yet to receive much scholarly attention. The practice is documented in this church province from the late thirteenth century onward and remained significant until the Reformation in the early sixteenth century. This article explores the practice as it appears in the surviving source material and considers its role as a means for elites to influence ecclesiastical networks and local communities, and finds that the often-claimed jus praesentandi allowed members of the nobility to appoint altar priests from within their own kin groups. Furthermore, the patrons’ ability to define the altar priests’ duties granted them agency to shape both the liturgy and everyday life within carefully chosen churches, chapels, and cathedrals.

This article re-examines the Grelley family, during the reigns of King John and Henry III, focusing on the careers of Robert Grelley II (d. 1230) and his son Thomas Grelley I (d. 1262). It argues that the actions of the Grelleys in the thirteenth century were shaped by three key factors: their social and political networks, their financial entanglements with the crown, and their service to the crown. By integrating both overlooked primary sources and recent scholarship, this study moves beyond early twentieth-century genealogical treatments to situate the Grelleys more firmly within the broader political landscape of the period. In doing so, it offers new insight into the careers of the two Grelleys, who were significant figures in some of the key political developments of the thirteenth century.

ABSTRACT This article analyses Ibn Taymiyya’s theological discourse on the precedence of frontier garrisoning (murābaṭa) over pious residence in Mecca (mujāwara), situating his argumentation within the tumultuous milieu of the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. Amid Mongol incursions, Crusader campaigns and pervasive internal discord, Ibn Taymiyya advocates for active frontier defence, arguing that genuine spiritual merit resides not in contemplative retreat within sacred precincts but in actions that safeguard and fortify the Muslim ummah (nation). Drawing upon Qurʾānic injunctions, Prophetic traditions and juristic consensus, he conceives murābaṭa as an essential dimension of jihad, whilst privileging communal welfare above individualistic devotional observances. His treatise challenges conventional notions of sanctity, demonstrating that spatial holiness emanates from virtuous conduct rather than from any intrinsic qualities. Through integrated historical and theological analysis, this article explores Ibn Taymiyya’s enduring intellectual legacy and examines how his reflections on religious obligation, spiritual excellence and collective responsibility continue to resonate within Islamic jurisprudential and theological discourse.

This study aims to analyze the role of Gujarat, India, as a major hub in the dynamics of the Islamization of the Indonesian Archipelago (Nusantara) and its impact on the formation of a distinctive Southeast Asian Muslim identity. This research employs a library research method by examining various primary and secondary sources, including historical manuscripts, travel accounts, archaeological findings, and relevant scholarly books and journal articles. The findings indicate that the arrival and spread of Islam in the Nusantara around the thirteenth century were strongly influenced by Muslim traders from Gujarat, who functioned not only as economic agents but also as carriers of religious and cultural values. The process of Islamization occurred relatively peacefully through trade networks, intermarriage, Islamic education, and political alliances with local rulers. The dominance of Sufistic teachings, which were adaptive and accommodative to local cultural traditions, facilitated a process of cultural inculturation that enabled Islam to be accepted without significant social conflict. This interaction produced a moderate and syncretic form of Islam, reflected in religious practices, local traditions, and Islamic architectural forms across the region. The study concludes that the Islamization of the Nusantara was a continuous process of cultural dialogue that shaped a tolerant, contextual, and harmonious Muslim identity in Southeast Asia, distinguishing it from Middle Eastern Islamic traditions.

Abstract According to a venerable historical narrative, a crucial step in the development of the modern picture of the mind occurred when Descartes argued that sensing occurs in the immaterial human mind, together with thought and volition. The mind, the story goes, had once been the home only of rational thought and volition, with sensations being embodied phenomena, much like digestion, growth, or weaving. However, I show in this article that the view that human sensations are immaterial, non‐extended modifications of the immaterial human intellect rose to prominence in the second quarter of the fourteenth century. In Section 1, I examine the background for this fourteenth‐century immaterial turn in the more familiar views of sensation prominent in the thirteenth century. In Section 2, I show how the view that human sensation is just as immaterial as thought emerged in the work of some of William of Ockham's associates in England. In Section 3, I bring to light two important developments in the way philosophers thought about the nature of sensation that led to the Immaterial Turn. In Section 4, I briefly discuss a puzzle about the way scholastics in the Immaterial Turn conceived of sensation.

ABSTRACT Promontory Cave 1 served as a culturally significant site in thirteenth century CE northern Utah, a region shaped by dynamic interactions between incoming Subarctic populations and established Great Basin groups. This study highlights the role of pronghorn, the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, in these social exchanges, suggesting that the species may have been central to communal gathering events held at the cave. Zooarchaeological analysis of almost 350 pronghorn specimens, representing at least 30 individuals, reveals that entire carcasses were likely transported to the site. The heads were processed with particular care, showing evidence of brain extraction and possible tongue removal. Several portions of the limbs were found in articulation, suggesting selective consumption or processing of specific body parts. Age profile assessments indicate that pronghorn of all age groups were consumed, with a predominance of juveniles and prime adults. The seasonality data propose a pattern of pronghorn consumption at the site during fall, winter, and spring.

Qazwini was one of the most influential scholars of the thirteenth century, distinguished by his encyclopedic knowledge of the natural sciences. Among his two major works, ʿAjaʾib al-Makhluqat wa Gharaʾib al-Mawjudat stands out for its scope and enduring impact. Widely circulated in both the Islamic world and the West, the work has been translated and annotated into numerous languages over the centuries. Although fundamentally cosmographic in conception, it offers a comprehensive portrayal of nature, addressing the order of the universe, celestial bodies, climates, and terrestrial elements. In addition to these topics, the work incorporates observations and explanations from diverse scientific fields, including geography, biology, geology, mineralogy, astrology, and zoology, while also engaging with cultural and religious elements such as historical events, mythological narratives, and theological perspectives. A particularly noteworthy aspect of ʿAjaʾib al-Makhluqat is its detailed treatment of human anatomy. Qazwini approaches the human body not merely as a physical structure but as an integral component of a divinely ordained order, created with wisdom and purpose. While describing the structure and functions of bodily organs, he simultaneously interprets each part within a metaphysical framework that emphasizes divine wisdom alongside physiological utility. This article examines Qazwini’s understanding of human anatomy in relation to the medical and scientific knowledge of his time and explores how his anatomical explanations reflect broader concepts of divine order and wisdom. In doing so, the study aims to highlight the significance of ʿAjaʾib al-Makhluqat for the history of medicine and for discussions concerning the relationship between religion and science.

This article aims to examine the transformations of the concept of pulchrum that took place in the thirteenth century between Thomism and early Franciscan thought. Specifically, it explores and compares the theme of “pulchra enim dicuntur quae visa placent”, introduced by Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologiae, and the theme of “creatural” beauty, introduced by Francis of Assisi and then taken up above all by Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, identifying these as pivotal moments of transition in the medieval discourse on the pulchrum.

ABSTRACT This article considers the procedural design of the early common law action mort d’ancestor, introduced in 1176. It first considers how the action was developed to provide swift justice while also allowing the defendant (or ‘tenant’) adequate opportunities to appear in court. It then examines the impact of this design on litigation at the eyre from 1198 to 1228. The interaction of the procedural rules of the action with the duration of the justices’ county visitations meant that, before 1215, a significant number of cases suffered postponements to later destinations on the justices’ circuits. This gives further context to Magna Carta’s demands for efficient local justice. Matters improved in the reign of Henry III, as county visitations tended to be longer. However, this was not the case across the whole country. Together with some localized experiments in procedure, litigants’ experiences of early common law litigation may therefore have varied considerably.

Little attention has been paid to how canon law interpreted religious poverty, an influential ideal in twelfth and thirteenth-century Christian Europe. Given that many involved in the apostolic poverty movement were educated in canon law, this omission needs to be addressed. Gratian held a reformist view, advocating for a secular clergy largely without private property, but subsequent canonists abandoned this ideal as impractical, confining poverty to monks and canons regular. This weakening of the ideal continued as Decretalists gradually allowed popes to relax vows of poverty. This canonistic trend is vital context for later doctrinal conflicts around apostolic poverty.

The Laṭakamelaka (LM) or ‘The Assembly of Rogues’ is a twelfth-century Sanskrit drama authored by Śaṃkhadhara of Kannauj. In the LM, Śaṃkhadhara has focused his energies on satirically deriding religious figures of various sectarian traditions, among whom he attacks a Digambara monk Jaṭāsura for his nudity and despicable sexual misconduct. This paper analyses the narrative tropes and stereotypes used in the LM to satirize Digambara monasticism through the character of Jaṭāsura ̶ who is presented as filthy and despicable to the audience. In this process, I will also present the depictions of Digambara monks in the Āgamaḍambara of Jayantabhaṭṭa (ninth century CE) and Prabodhacandrodaya of Kṛṣṇamiśra (thirteenth century CE) to argue that the stereotypes used in the LM are a part of the wider depiction of Digambara Jains in medieval Sanskrit literature. Finally, this paper will also have a superficial look at the contrasting attitudes towards issues like nudity and bodily hygiene in Brahmanical and Digambara ascetic theologies which shaped the literary polemics against Digambara monasticism in Brahmanical literature.

This study aims to examine the stone ornamentation repertoire of the Hasan Padişah Tomb, dated to the second half of the thirteenth century, within the context of Seljuk art at aesthetic, typological, and interpretive levels. The research focuses particularly on the geometric arrangements, stylized vegetal motifs, and inscription bands located on the exterior façades of the structure, approaching them as components of a multilayered symbolic language. In the analytical process, an iconographic and iconological framework associated with Erwin Panofsky’s three-stage method is employed, enabling the evaluation of decorative elements not only in terms of their formal characteristics but also through their cultural, cosmological, and metaphysical dimensions. The universe of the study consists of the entire decorative program of the Hasan Padişah Tomb, while the sample is limited to its exterior stone ornamentation. Although architectural and typological studies on the monument exist in the literature, a comprehensive theoretical analysis addressing the motif, pattern, and compositional relationship between stone ornamentation and the art of illumination has not previously been undertaken. In this respect, the study seeks to establish a conceptual link between Seljuk stone decoration and illumination art, revealing a shared aesthetic and symbolic language between these two artistic traditions. Geometric networks, star and polygonal compositions, rumi and stylized vegetal motifs, as well as inscription borders are examined as visual codes of meaning production in Islamic art. The findings indicate that these decorative elements are closely associated with concepts such as unity, infinity, cosmic order, divine wisdom, and metaphysical thought. Accordingly, architectural surfaces are interpreted not merely as ornamental fields but as meaningful spatial constructs imbued with symbolic significance. The parallels observed between stone ornamentation and illumination art—particularly in terms of motif typology, compositional principles, rhythm, symmetry, and center–periphery relationships—point to an interdisciplinary continuity within Seljuk artistic production. These similarities suggest that Seljuk art operates through a coherent visual language that transcends material differences and disciplinary boundaries. In conclusion, through the case study of the Hasan Padişah Tomb, this research demonstrates that Seljuk stone ornamentation shares a common symbolic and aesthetic framework with illumination art. This relationship offers an original interdisciplinary perspective on the processes of cosmological and metaphysical meaning-making in Islamic art.

ABSTRACT The original roof of the refectory of the Monastery of Las Huelgas Reales in Burgos is a largely unknown medieval structure, concealed behind the vaults that were later built in this space. Although a few earlier studies mention it only in passing, its technical and artistic significance has gone largely unnoticed due to the complex sequence of transformations it has undergone over time, with tie-beams and aliceres (decorated wooden panel positioned between the tie-beams) displaced or replaced by elements from different periods. Based on a structural, epigraphic and construction analysis, it has been possible to reconstruct its original morphology and to date it between the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, confirming that it is, until now, the only surviving original timber structure from the building commissioned by Alfonso VIII and Eleanor of Plantagenet. The results show that it is not a roof frame with Mudéjar decoration, but rather a genuine Andalusí wooden coffered ceiling, whose construction would have required the participation of craftsmen from al-Andalus. This study provides new insights into the transmission of technical knowledge and cultural exchange in twelfth-century Castile, while also offering a methodology applicable to the documentation and analysis of historic timber structures.

As a new and evolving polity in South Asia during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the Sultanate of Delhi experienced rapid regime changes and contested social hierarchies. Discussing social implications of political transition and disruption during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, this paper examines Persian advice literature, chronicles and inshā (letters) to analyse how social categories of ḵẖāṣṣ (elite) and ‘āmma (commoners) were constituted, contested and reconfigured. It explores how Persian literati advised new rulers on recognising the rights of subjects to maintain social order, and how this guidance contrasted with actual disruptions, when established ḵẖāṣṣ were displaced to create a new ruling elite. It is argued that literary representation of ideal social hierarchies provides critiques of the contemporary social milieu, as well as the expectations and anxieties of the authors. The paper also argues that social hierarchies under the Delhi Sultanate were neither stable nor predetermined, but historically contingent and actively negotiated. In light of this, the Persian literature of the Delhi Sultanate period becomes records of both social disruptions and social-political order, situated amid the tension between idealised norms and historical realities.

ABSTRACT This article examines patterns of status, legal rights, and property possession among the indigenous Baltic population living under Christian rule in Prussia during the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. After arriving in the region in the 1230s, the Teutonic crusading order had begun stabilising its rule by the 1280s. The Order undertook a mass effort to oversee the settlement or resettlement of a heterogeneous population of western (mainly German-speaking) migrants and native Balts. Narrative chronicles and charter records reveal a spectrum of relations between Teutonic colonisers and indigenous subjects, from violent resistance to close collaboration. This study draws on postcolonial and Indigenous scholarship to argue that even as many Baltic elites secured their social status and legal privileges under Christian rule in accordance with ecclesiastical ideals of parity and liberty, colonial fear of native resistance structurally disadvantaged native Balts as naturally, or even racially, predisposed to treachery and apostasy.

ABSTRACT The civic clerk was a key figure within medieval urban government. However, due to the scarcity of early civic records, the identity, titles, and functions of York’s early civic clerks remain insufficiently understood. This article addresses these issues through an extensive examination of external sources. The findings show that by the late thirteenth century, numerous clerks were active in York’s city court, though they should not be identified as civic clerks. Early civic clerks were referred to as clerici civitatis, and it was not until the 1370s – amid shifts in the city’s political landscape – that the title clericus communis began to appear. In the early fourteenth century, civic clerks played a prominent role in external affairs, including parliamentary representation and financial administration.

Abstract: With his Summa Aurea ("Golden Summa"), William Auxerre, was a pioneering secular (i.e., non-mendicant) master at the University of Paris in the first quarter of the thirteenth century. Though typically eclipsed by a more famous, younger generation of scholastic masters at Paris, including Alexander of Hales, Albert the Great, and, of course, Sts. Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas, William made important, seminal contributions to the emerging mode of scholastic theology, including its scientific character and its systematic presentation. But William also strove to hold on to older theological traditions, which viewed theology as both the pursuit of sapiential insight into the coherence and fittingness of its overarching account of reality and also as having a contemplative, indeed experiential telos. In these ways, William's theology stands as a kind of transition and watershed moment, which merits greater scholarly appreciation.

Today’s two-name anthroponymic system is the result of a gradual evolution from the one-name system used in the early Middle Ages, through a transitional period when a person was identified more precisely by means of a byname or nickname, to the lasting formation of a two-name system, with anthroponyms consisting of the first name and a surname. From the thirteenth century onwards, the one-name system was gradually replaced by a two-name system – the father’s name, degree of kinship, social rank, occupation, features of appearance etc. were added to the family name. Around the fifteenth century, we can speak of the formation of basic types of surnames. This article fouses on the analysis of selected Slovak surnames that indicate not only native motivational background, but also the influences of neighbouring ethnicities and languages. The forms of some Slovak surnames were influenced by languages such as German, Polish, Latin, Hungarian and Romanian, which points to ethnic migration in the area of central Europe.

The discussion on the date of the construction of the Church of Beheading of John the Baptist in Kerch has been being continuing from the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. P. I. Sumarokov was the first to mention the epitaph carved on one of the marble columns supporting the church vault. N. N. Murzakevich, F. K. Brun, and other researchers determined the chronology of the construction of the church according to this epitaph dating to 757 AD. In 1883, V. V. Latyshev published corrected text and translation of the epitaph, considering this source not an argument for the date of the construction of the church, which in his opinion was erected in the thirteenth century. N. P. Kondakov used architectural features to date the church from the ninth or tenth century. In 1927, N. I. Brunov examined the architecture of the Kerch church in details, but on the contrary to the data of his own architectural analysis, he dated the construction of the church to the first half of the eighth century according to the epitaph. T. I. Makarova supplied arguments against the epitaph as the substantiation of the date of the construction of the church, and dated the latter to ca 900 according to the pottery materials from the layer where the foundation had been laid. A. I. Komech and V. V. Sedov ignored archaeological materials discovered by the excavations and restoration. Based on the architectural features of the church, A. I. Komech dated it to the second half of the fourteenth century, and V. V. Sedov to the second half of the thirteenth and the first half of the fourteenth century or to the late-thirteenth century. According to finds of resonator amphorae from St John the Baptist’s Church, it was constructed in the eleventh century. The find of a coin of Prince Oleg-Michael minted in 1078 AD is slabbed grave no. 11 in the churchyard allows the one to limit the chronological frame of the building the first – third quarters of the eleventh century.