The Burbages: First Family of Theatre
There are a lot of myths about where Shakespeare might have been during his Lost Years. If he went directly …
Will and Anne: love story or shotgun wedding?
Many a romantic fantasy has been woven around Shakespeare’s early and hasty marriage, but the facts paint a rather prosaic …
Is this a Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man?
There are many portraits that purport to be of Shakespeare. The evidence for the Grafton Portrait is perhaps no stronger …
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 …
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 …