No fate but what we make

[No fate but what we make]

medievalists.net

Danish Kings and the Foundation of Jómsborg - Medievalists.net

Jómsborg, the great stronghold and residence of that famous warrior band the Jómsvíkings, is closely related in the Old Norse tradition to numerous Scandinavian rulers and is also associated with several Danish kings.

[No fate but what we make]

[fjorn-the-skald]

Lesson 1 - The Viking Age and Our Sources

Starting today (25th of March, 2016), I will begin a series of posts regarding Viking History. I have noticed that I have failed to present Viking History in a more condensed and unified way, and so I hope these post will help solve that. I will do my best to post a lesson each Friday at 9 p.m. EST. (See my ‘about me’ section if you’d like to know my degree of credibility and background).

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The Viking Age

The Viking Age lasted between 793-1066 CE. The definition of this period is a modern invention that historians have used to describe the heightened activities of the northmen during the Early Middle Ages. It was a very dynamic period in which the people of Scandinavia restlessly expanded their activities outward, quite to the surprise of the rest of Europe. Taking Europe by storm, the Vikings (whose origins I will further discuss next week) made a massive impact, both negative and positive. 

The Viking Age is no simple matter. It was a period of complicated interactions and new relations. Throughout the period, Christianity seeped its way into Scandinavia by means of native royal powers. Raids on monasteries define the traits of these people, yet there is far more to their story than this. They were mercenaries, merchants, innovators, and settlers. Their age altered the foundations of many nations as well as shook those of others. It is a very broad period of history and often requires a lot of background in various other European people to understand the events of this age.

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[No fate but what we make]

[archaicwonder]

Hiberno-Norse Silver Penny of Ireland, 11th century, attributed to King Echmarcach mac Ragnaill or possibly King Murchad mac Diarmata , Phase III Hiberno-Norse coinage, uncertain mint

Showing a draped bust facing left. On the reverse, a voided long cross, with triple crescent ends; pellet in first quarter, ‘hands’ in second and fourth quarters. Countermark on obverse.

Echmarcach mac Ragnaill was a mid 11th century Norse-Gaelic king who, at his height, ruled a kingdom which spanned the Irish Sea region, and included Dublin, at least part of the Isles (the Hebrides and Mann), and much of Galloway. He first appears on record in about 1031 or 1032, when he was one of three kings in northern Britain who submitted to Knútr Sveinnsson, King of Denmark, England, and Norway. Echmarcach is recorded to have ruled over Dublin from 1036–1038, and 1046–1052. After losing Dublin for the final time, he appears to have seated himself on Mann. About a decade later, in 1061, Echmarcach appears to have been expelled from Mann, and may have then fallen back into Galloway.

Murchad mac Diarmata was a King of Leinster and Dublin. He was a member of Leinster’s Uí Cheinnselaig dynasty. Murchad was survived by his father Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó (died 1072). He was succeeded as King of Leinster by his son Domnall mac Murchada (died 1075), his brother Enna (died 1092) and Enna’s son Diarmait (died 1098).

The family of Mac Murchadha (MacMurrough) and MacMurrough-Kavanagh took their name from him. His grandson, Dermot MacMurrough was King of Leinster 1126–1171, and became known as the man who brought the Normans to Ireland.

[No fate but what we make]

[muspeccoll]

Manuscript Monday: Illustrations from Le Roman de la Rose

Le Roman de la Rose was one of the most popular and influential works of the Middle Ages.  It’s an allegory on courtly love written in two parts by two different authors.  Guillaume de Lorris started work on the romance around 1230 and wrote over 4,000 lines of verse, and Jean de Meun added around 17,000 more lines around 1275-1280.  Over 300 manuscripts survive today, and many of them are illustrated - demonstrating the importance of this work in medieval European culture.

Fragment from Le Roman de la Rose by Jean de Meun and Guillaume de Lorris, 1300-1350.  University of Missouri Libraries, Special Collections and Rare Books, Fragmenta Manuscripta 156.  See more at the Digital Scriptorium.

[No fate but what we make]

[beautiful-wildlife]

American Pine Marten by © Joe Wilson

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Hug a Medievalist Day!

[arthistorycq]

Originally posted by diario-di-una-ragazza-incasinata

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[thedaysofdisorder]

Kay Sutton, director of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, decodes the Ripley Scroll, a 17th-century alchemical treatise - Christie’s YouTube channel

[No fate but what we make]

medievalists.net

Who Were the Alans? Searching for an Early Medieval People

The Early Middle Ages saw many peoples migrating throughout Eurasia. In a talk given earlier this month at the University of Oxford, a Russian archaeologist offered new insights into the Alans.

[No fate but what we make]

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Bishop’s Ring.
Date: 13th century
Period: Medieval
Place of origin: United Kingdom, England
Medium: Gold and malachite.

[No fate but what we make]

[houghtonlib]

Catholic Church. Missal (use of Noyon) : manuscript, [ca. 1240-ca. 1250]

MS Typ 120

Houghton Library, Harvard University