Tag: 14th Century

Renaissance Serial Killers

To celebrate Halloween, and while we are in an in between period, I thought it would be fun to discuss some creepy topics from the Renaissance. Today, we will focus on what real humans terrorized the people of the era. *Warning: This article will go over some graphic events and crimes that would be described… Continue reading Renaissance Serial Killers

Crossbow of Matthias Corvinus

For our correlating post to the Holy Roman Empire, I decided to discuss art left from the King considered to bring the Renaissance from Italy, and that would be Matthias, King of Hungary and Bohemia. This crossbow belonged to him and was one of the earliest surviving that included heraldry in the decoration.  Crossbows are… Continue reading Crossbow of Matthias Corvinus

The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan

During the 14th and 15th centuries in France, lived a woman named Christine de Pizan, and she is the first female author of the Middle Ages. In a time when misogyny ran freely and unchecked, Christine de Pizan worked to build women up, and she was praised for it. She was born in Venice, Italy… Continue reading The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan

Salic Law

Do you remember learning about Joan II of Navarre and how her uncles worked tirelessly to keep her from the French throne by dreading up a forgotten concept called the Salic Law? Well, for the sake of transparency, Salic Law wasn’t actually used during that time, but applied later to justify those King’s actions. Truth… Continue reading Salic Law

Black Death (1343-1353)

L0072270 Boccaccio's 'The plague of Florence in 1348' Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org The plague of Florence in 1348, as described in Boccaccio's Decameron ('Il decameron'). Etching by L. Sabatelli after himself. Engraving By: Giovanni Boccaccioafter: Pier Roberto Capponi and Luigi SabatelliPublished: - Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Now that we have a better understanding of the 14th century and the major players (countries) involved, we should slow down and take a minute to discuss the events, concepts, people, and art from the century before we dive into the drama of the 15th century. If there is anything or anyone specific you would… Continue reading Black Death (1343-1353)

14th Century Ireland & Wales

There are two more countries from the British Isles we cannot forget to talk about: Ireland and Wales. Ireland at this point is fighting tooth and nail to maintain its independence and has been since the Anglo-Norman invasion led by Henry II of England in 1171. The attempts to hold Ireland failed. In 1210 King… Continue reading 14th Century Ireland & Wales

14th Century Scotland

Scotland in the 14th century is a country still finding its bearing and fighting for its independence from England. The population at the beginning ranged around 1 million, and they fought the harsh reality of their environment. They preserved and fought hard to carve out a future defined only by them. Edward I of England… Continue reading 14th Century Scotland

14th Century Italy

We enter Italy at the beginning of the century, and find a world on the brink of bursting with life through trade while also overcoming natural disaster.  The Holy Roman Empire has been revived and a power struggle ensued between them and the papacy. The Anjou dynasty is establishing itself in the country, and the… Continue reading 14th Century Italy