The Great Famine of 1315–1317 was one of the worst catastrophes of the late Middle Ages. Persistent rain destroyed crops, livestock starved, and diseases spread among the weakened population.

Christmas is a Christian holiday that observes the birth of Jesus. But did you know that the earliest followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth? Or that Santa Claus is ...

Poetically, Tolkien’s long struggle to realize his vision — the self-doubt that led to long pauses in composition, his frustrations with publishers and his general inability to be satisfied enough ...

Contrary to popular belief, illuminated manuscripts were not exclusively made in Europe—one of the most impressive is from ...

High incomes aren’t just helpful in securing a financially comfortable retirement, but they’re also the backbone to aging well — very well, in fact — according to a new Pew Research Center report ...

Since the days of Roman persecution of Christians, when martyrs were praised for their enduring faith, Christians have continued to turn to saints for inspiration in difficult times. The recent ...

Among the most popular books of the time, bestiaries were filled with real and mythical animals and their lore, the protagonists of intriguing stories symbolizing human virtues and faults. SCULPTED IN ...

For hundreds of years, a period often referred to as ‘the Dark Ages’, covering the 5th to the 10th centuries, was looked down upon by historians, especially during the Renaissance and Enlightenment ...

The medieval period, also known as the Middle Ages, lasted roughly from the 5th to 15th centuries in Europe. It was a time of massive political, social, and cultural change which was marked by the ...

A man digging for worms at his summer house in Sweden has unearthed a stupendous treasure: a silver hoard of up to 20,000 coins from the Early Middle Ages. When you purchase through links on our site, ...

But then came the Renaissance, the narrative tells us, and people discovered the idea that they had rights and that political rulers ought to be restrained by the law. These novel ideas were then ...

The idea of tourism is a relatively new one. In the medieval period, no one traveled for fun. In fact, most people never ventured further than twenty miles from their hometown. If they did, it was ...