Category: European & World History

Medieval Monday: Five Myths about Medieval Women and Power

08/27/2012

The Middle Ages isn’t generally thought of as a period friendly to women at all, much less to powerful ones. Still, we’re all familiar with a handful of medieval and early modern women who had extraordinary influence: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of Castile, Elizabeth I of England. The subject of my book, Berenguela of Castile, is one of their lesser-known peers. But the focus on women like Berenguela as “exceptions to the rule” has the strange effect of reinforcing old myths about medieval women.

The Language of Love in the War of 1812

07/31/2012

Recounting Perry’s move from the Lawrence to the Niagara, Tait gushed, “even after victory had perched on the standard of the enemy, awarding her favor to superior force, Captain Perry, by the gallantry of his continued perseverance, enticed her back into his arms.” Victory, in the form of the winged goddess Nike, had perched for a time on the British flag mast. But the “gallant” Perry had successfully wooed the lovely lady and won “her” feminine favor. Politicians portrayed Perry’s action as the successful suit of a godly lover, one who lured victory away from his rival and into his own embrace.

Medieval Monday: Ruth Mazo Karras on a Case of Medieval Unmarriage

07/23/2012

Those in search of simple, old fashioned models of love and marriage might be disappointed by some of the realities of medieval coupling. “Tradition is always invented,” says Karras, who reminds us that the traditional marriage that people in the twenty-first century have invented for themselves is not really that similar to the state of matrimony in the Middle Ages.

Five Facts from China and Africa: A Century of Engagement

07/13/2012

China and Africa: A Century of Engagement, the new book by David H. Shinn and Joshua Eisenman, is as comprehensive as its title suggests. This book, the first of its kind to be published since the 1970s, examines all facets of China’s relationship with each of the fifty-four African nations. Selecting just five facts from this detailed study was a bit of a challenge, but nowhere near as labor-intensive as Shinn and Eisenman’s research.

Shakespeare’s Shrine–Now Available

06/28/2012

Shakespeare's Shrine: The Bard's Birthplace and the Invention of Stratford-upon-Avon Julia Thomas 256 pages | 6 x 9 | 23 illus. Cloth 2012 | ISBN 978-0-8122-4423-6 | $34.95 | £23.00… READ MORE