Medieval Studies
59 Threads
Islamic armor is amongst the most obscure and under-depicted in all of Eurasia. Through Turkey, Egypt, Persia and India you can see the rich and very interesting shapes their equi...
In Autumn 1116 AD, a dying Alexios Komnenos marched East. The Turks were once again encroaching on lands he had dedicated his life to returning to the Empire. The last major bat...
There is much debate on how to properly periodize the ~2,200 years of Roman history. I have created a system that I believe works well: Kingdom (753-509 BC) Republic: Early (509-2...
I don’t think any other empire has been able to match the Assyrians for their gruesome & terrible proclamations of victory. They sound almost like something an evil alien invader w...
The Warrior Queen of the Seas, al-Sayidda al-Hurra nicknamed "The Pirate Queen of the Meditteranean" by the Spaniards and the Portuguese is perhaps one of the most intriguing figur...
The Byzantine Empire experienced both eddying heights & devastating catastrophes in the 11th century, what is the reason for this? The inability to solve the security predicament...
Today, 570 years ago, Ottoman Janissaries poured over the Theodosian Walls. The Genoese fled when their leader, Giovanni Giustiniani, was injured. The Emperor threw himself into th...
@byzantineprof Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I agree the famine & plague were much bigger factors in Byzantine decline but thought this was a point that at least warranted d...
The consequences of the Sack of Constantinople reverberated throughout the Christian & Muslim worlds. For 800 years Constantinople had been an impenetrable fortress & now it smolde...
This morning, 819 years ago, a northern wind blew from the Golden Horn. The Venetian Fleet engaged the Sea Walls & after a fierce, but brief fight, 70 crusaders managed to enter Co...
781 years ago today, the militiamen of Novgorod formed ranks on the frozen shores of Lake Peipus. Across the ice Teutonic Knights & Crusaders massed for a charge. Ravaged by Mong...
The Varangian Guard was the elite of the Byzantine military & recruiting missions were sent across the Norse world, from Gotland to Vinland. A thread on the incredible journey of...
According to Leo the Deacon, when a Bulgarian embassy asked Nikephoros Phokas for the customary tribute he called them “leather-gnawing Scythians,” had them slapped in the face & d...
The Rus are known as a great commercial power; linking Northern Europe’s wealth in raw materials to the luxuries & refined goods of the Byzantine Empire, Caliphate, & beyond. The...
Emperor Nikephoros Phokas is best known for being a talented general, warrior, and conqueror. But the “White Death of the Saracens” wasn’t just a soldier. A look into the surpris...
After centuries of cruel chattel slavery, African slaves rise up to massacre their oppressors. A protracted & bitter war ensues, the rebels taking refuge in the marshes & rivers th...
Riding across the steppe & desert are mounted men. They roam these lawless lands in search of riches, fighting & scheming, as eager to wear the sheriff’s star as the brigand’s band...
A thread with excerpts from Midway Through The Plunge by @byzantinemporia https://t.co/KundvvIZtV
Minor potentate invites group of foot-loose Norman brothers to help him win local quarrel was Medieval Europe’s equivalent of a New York small business owner seeking a loan from hi...
A thread with excerpts from Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood by Anthony Kaldellis. https://t.co/XrVeSBUNgs
Hot Take: Basil II’s conquest of Bulgaria saved the Byzantine Empire.
Emperor Basil II is best known for being a conqueror & disciplinarian. However, Psellos gives us a window into Basil’s personality, certainly informed by those who knew Basil pers...
There is a curious passage in the Grágás, a medieval Icelandic Law Codex, that suggests the links between “The Land of Ice & Fire” and Byzantium were deeper than the export of merc...
An unusual & fascinating figure sat the the heart of imperial power during the Byzantine Empire’s Golden Age. During a time of great conquests & generals, it was a common woman w...