A Medieval Atlas By Melissa Snell Nothing helps bring the past into focus quite like a well-executed map. Here at the Medieval History site, I've provided some maps depicting parts of the world as it was during the Middle Ages. The time frame for the Medieval Atlas is from the late fifth century to the year 1700. For everything you could possibly want to know about geography and maps in general, don't miss Matt Rosenberg's super Geography site here at About.com. Types of Map There are several different types of medieval map available on the Internet. continue reading below our video Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% A period or antique map is one that was drawn during the middle ages of the world as it was at that time. Many of the maps you'll encounter are old historical maps -- maps depicting the Middle Ages that were drawn centuries later, but are nearly a century old now themselves. In addition to maps that depict political boundaries, some topic maps are available. Finding Maps A Work in Progress
EyeWitness To The Middle Ages and Renaissance Life in a Christian Monastery, ca. 585"When he was dead his body was not placed with the bodies of the brethren, but a grave was dug in the dung pit, and his body was flung down into it. . . " Crime and punishment in a medieval monastery: the monastery's Abbott provides insight into the monastic life. The Vikings Discover America, ca. 1000"There was no want of salmon either in the river or in the lake." Five hundred years before Columbus, the Vikings discover a New World. Invasion of England, 1066The Norman conquest of Anglo-Saxon England described through the images of the 900 year-old Bayeux Tapestry. Anarchy in 12th Century EnglandThe Anglo-Saxon Chronicle paints a sobering picture of life in 12th century England that contrasts strikingly with Hollywood's image of the Middle Ages. The Murder Of Thomas Becket, 1170The killing of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Crusaders Capture Jerusalem, 1099The assault and capture of the Christian "Navel of the World"
Germanic History ROLL Reunion Ancient Customs of the Germans - Victory feast after a battle. Germanic Tribes. Up to the last century, it was a widely held belief that German history began in the year A.D. 9. Nowadays a less simplistic view is taken. Much of what is known about the Germanic people comes from historical accounts written by two Roman authors: Commentaries (51 BC) by Julius Caesar and Germania (98 AD) by Cornelius Tacitus. The first clash between the Germanic peoples and the neighboring Romans was in the 2nd century BC, when the Cimbri and Teutons invaded Gaul and were defeated in present-day Provence, France. Germany on-line map - Multimap.com mapping web site. The word deutsch (German) probably first became common currency in the 8th century and initially defined only the language spoken in the eastern part of the Franconian realm. There are four main national minorities residing in Germany from early times: the Sorbs, Frisians, Danes, German Sinti, and Romas. High Middle Ages.
Middle Ages Anglorum - A Brief History of Anglo-Saxon England The Anglo-Saxon settlement of England was no overnight affair. The late-Roman army had many Germanic elements and from the fourth century they and their families had settled in Britain. It is, therefore, not surprising that after the withdrawal of the legions at the beginning of the fifth century individual towns looked to Germanic mercenaries to maintain their security. Vortigern, the post-Roman Kentish king, is often left to take the blame, but he was no doubt only one of several leaders who took this course. The fifth and sixth centuries saw increased Germanic settlement although the balance of local power fluctuated between Britons and Saxons. Ultimately, even in areas such as Northumbria, where Germanic settlement was sparse, the English language became the predominant one and the celtic language and lifestyles became marginalised to Wales, Cornwall and northern Scotland. The end of the sixth century saw another major new influence on the Germanic invaders - Christianity.
Reliquaries: Saints Preserve(d for) Us! Reliquary of St. Anania, Rome. St. Anania is said to have been the disciple who baptised St. I first discovered reliquaries on visiting Italy, years ago. Since then, I've seen a lot of reliquaries, in France and other countries, but it was that first time, in the Cathedral Museum in Florence, that I saw the best reliquaries of all. "Casket of Teudericus" reliquary from the second half of the 7th c. (?) For a nice, clear explanation of the reliquary concept I'm going to quote the Virtual School, a defunct part of the EC's European Schoolnet site, which is a portal for lower education in Europe. Reliquary of St. Here we go: "Relics are holy objects associated with holy people, and is prevalent in Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity, among others. "In a world where people believed that evil and the Devil existed all around in the natural world, it was comforting to believe that good was also something that could be seen and touched. Foot reliquary of St. If you've ever read P.D.
Medieval Pilgrimage Project - European Virtual School History Department Relics are holy objects associated with holy people such as Jesus or the saints. The use of relics was by no means a new phenomenon, it existed previously in Judaism, Buddhism and several other religions. In a world where people believed that evil and the Devil existed all around in the natural world, it was comforting to believe that good was also something that could be seen and touched. The motivation for most pilgrimages was to see and touch something holy and consequently benefit from being in contact with good. Two types of relic 'He who wishes to pray before the tomb opens the barrier that surrounds it and puts his head through a small opening in the shrine...Should he wish to bring back a relic from the tomb, he carefully weighs a piece of cloth which he then hangs inside the tomb. These early relics were often carried in small, purpose built containers called reliquaries which were hung around the neck, almost like good luck charms. The relic business: faking and thieving
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