La Caccia: Hunting in Medieval Italy
Hunting in all forms was popular in Medieval Italy, especially amongst the aristocracy. Italians have always loved hunting or …
Category: Medieval Italy
Essays based on the research for my historical novel ‘The Slave’ available from Smashwords.
The Duel of Honour
The Duel of Honour was invented by the Italians, and while brutal, it had an elaborate set of rules. …
A Warrior of the Golden Horde
The Golden Horde, the Mongol empire of the west, ruled by the descendants of Genghis Khan, roamed the Russian steppe, …
Slavery in Medieval Italy
Although largely hidden from history, slaves were a significant but largely unrecognised class in Medieval Italy. In the late …
Women and Marriage in Medieval Italy
Marriage in Medieval Italy was was more about cementing an alliance between families than finding love, and women had very …
La Pestilenza: The Black Death in Italy
The Black Death entered Europe through Italy where it brought with it utter devastation. The Black Death arrived in …
The Scourge of Italy: the Condottieri and their mercenary armies
The Medieval Italian city states outsourced their war making to mercenary armies, a cost cutting measure that would cost them …
The Merchant of Prato
Francesco di Marco Datini, better known as the Merchant of Prato, left a personal archive that has given us an …
The Medieval Italian City State
Northern Italy’s characteristic walled cities flourished during the late Middle Ages and laid the foundations for urban life in modern …
Northern Italy in the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages in Northern Italy were a tumultuous time marked by an economic boom which led to the foundation …