What did figures from various periods in history such as Mithridates I of the Bosporus, William the Conqueror, Alfonso X of Castile, and Matthias Corvinus have in common? They were all kings, obviously, but there is another thing, paradoxically: before reaching the crown, they were what is called antikings. That term is not official, meaning […]
Middle Ages
Posted inMiddle Ages, Modern Era
Sweating Sickness, the Enigmatic and Lethal Disease that Ravaged England between the 15th and 16th Centuries and Disappeared as Mysteriously as it Arrived
It seemed like flu, but it was much faster and deadlier because it killed the patient within a few hours; it has been compared to relapsing fever, but that, caused by tick or louse bites, causes a local black crust that was not present in this case; there is speculation about an infection by hantavirus, […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Pact of Theodemir, the Treaty by which a Visigothic Governor Saved his Cities and Inhabitants during the Muslim Conquest of Al-Andalus
The swift conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Umayyad Caliphate, taking advantage of the Visigothic kingdom’s succession civil war, cannot be explained so much by the strength of those troops, which were few in number, but by the implementation of a strategy of pacts that followed the initial resistance—especially in the south—after the Battle […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Edgar Atheling, the Lost King of England Who Was Born in Hungary and Joined the First Crusade
In his work Gesta Regum Anglorum (“Deeds of the Kings of the English”), the medieval historian William of Malmesbury gives the last and endearing known detail of one of the most curious characters in British history: Now he grows old in the country, in privacy and quietness. He refers to the last male representative of […]
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Varangian Guard, the Viking Escort of Byzantine Emperors
Among the Scandinavian archaeological heritage are the so-called runestones, stelae whose epigraphic content is written -obviously- in runes, with a quite broad chronology, from the 4th century to the 12th. There are about six thousand of them, the majority -three and a half thousand- are in southeastern Sweden and about thirty of them are called […]
Posted inAntiquity, Middle Ages
Takht-e Soleymān, the Fortress that Housed the Most Sacred Place of the Sassanian Empire
Takht-e Soleymān, known as the Throne of Solomon, is one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in Iran, located in the West Azerbaijan province near the modern city of Takab. This fortified sanctuary, dating back to the Sasanian and early Islamic periods, has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 2003, due […]
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Cyriacus of Ancona, the Italian Humanist Considered the Father of Archaeology Who Identified the Pyramids and the Parthenon
Although the German Johann Joachim Winckelmann is generally considered the father of modern archaeology, it’s important to note that this science didn’t suddenly appear in the 18th century but had roots hundreds of years earlier, particularly in the Italian Renaissance, which revived Greco-Roman artistic and cultural classicism. Consequently, one might call one of those multidisciplinary […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Kristina, the Medieval Norwegian Princess Whose Remains Were Found in 1958 in a Collegiate Church in Burgos, Spain
It was common for kings throughout the centuries to forge alliances and diplomatic relationships through marriage policies. In the history of Spain, there are numerous examples of queens consort from various parts of Europe, primarily from Portugal, France, England, Austria, and Italy. Sometimes they came from less frequent places, like Greece or the one we […]
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The Enigmatic Ring Forts of Ireland and Great Britain, Home to the Fairies and Giants from Legends
Scattered across the landscapes of Ireland, Great Britain, parts of Scandinavia, and northern Europe are enigmatic fortified structures known as ringforts. These circular or oval enclosures, bounded by earth walls and ditches, mostly date from between 500 and 900 AD, a period that spans the late Bronze Age to the early Middle Ages in these […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
The Genoese Brothers who Disappeared in Search of a Spice Route in the 13th Century
In the late 13th century, two Genoese brothers with a musical surname embarked on the daunting adventure of finding an alternative spice route. Their idea was to reach India with two galleys, aided by sailors from Majorca, but after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, they were never heard from again. They may have shipwrecked while […]