The Black Death inspired medieval writers to document their era of plague. Their anxieties and fears are starkly reminiscent of our own even if their solutions differ.
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During the Black Death of the 1300s, medieval writers struggled to make sense of the disease just as we are now during the COVID-19 pandemic
Warrior women: Brienne of Tarth, left, and Arya Stark sparring.
©2017 Home Box Office, Inc.
The young assassin and wannabe knight stand in the background but if their medieval influences are anything to go by, they could end up leading the final battle.
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Medieval churches have often suffered fires. A look at those in Britain shows that Notre Dame can be rebuilt.
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From speaking out over domestic abuse in medieval times to telling the realities of war, these female poets present a very different version of Welsh life.
British Library MS Harley 4379, fol. 182v
From Scarecrow to Scabby William, what can medieval names tell historians today?
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Male monks were not the sole producers of books throughout the Middle Ages.
Comet in the sky, 1340. Wellcome Collection
Science fiction has been around for centuries.
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How medieval scientists grappled with the conflicting ‘truths’ of creationism and the eternity of the world.
Medieval teaching scene.
gallica.bnf.fr / BnF
Back in the Middle Ages, as well as speaking English and Latin, many people living in Britain also spoke French.
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The new Black Panther film has a lot in common with medieval romance tales.
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How do different species have sex? Medieval illuminated manuscripts contain some surprisingly varied depictions.
The Achievement of the Grail / Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Is the Grail the chalice from the Last Supper – or the Crucifixion? Does it contain the elixir of life? Or is it Mary Magdalene’s womb?
The virgin martyr Saint Agatha of Sicily.
Wikimedia/Sebastiano del Piombo
The virgin martyrs were slaughtered to stop them speaking out, and yet their stories have prevailed.
US President Donald Trump.
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Old habits die hard.
The Norman-built keep at Cardiff Castle.
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At one point, the Welsh, Cornish, Scottish, Bretons and northern English were all “Kymry” - so what changed?
In Sir Thomas Malory’s ‘Le Morte d'Arthur,’ a character complains that young people are too sexually promiscuous.
The British Library
The anxiety that young people are messing things up goes back centuries.
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Much of what the English know about the Vikings comes from the court of King Alfred – who didn’t like them much.
A recipe for an eyesalve from ‘Bald’s Leechbook.’
© The British Library Board (Royal MS 12 D xvii)
A team of medievalists and scientists look back to history – including a 1,000-year-old eyesalve recipe – for clues to new antibiotics.
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Trump would not have had a great time navigating the political intrigue presented in the Icelandic Sagas.
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Historic heroes like King Arthur have helped audiences through the ages to cope with troubling times.