My latest, for your viewing pleasure. A scabbard for the Albion Brescia Spadona. Feel free to share, I would appreciate it.

Extra Illustration

The early reader of this early German book of sermons clearly had some artistic talent…which absolutely cannot be said for many (most?) others.

Tauler, Johannes. Sermon Des Gross Gelarten in Gnade[n] Erlauchte[n] Doctoris Johannis Thauleri Predigerr Ordens… Durch Cunradum Kachelouen, 1498.

Read This…Or Else

Earlier this spring we hosted a “virtual” class visit for the Theological German language class at Harvard Divinity School. For the occasion, we brought out our oldest printed German work, a collection of sermons attributed to 14th century mystic Johannes Tauler.

We took the opportunity to take a closer look at this copy, which turns out to be FILLED with great marginalia, including notes and drawings. We’ll be posting more from this book in coming weeks. 

Tauler, Johannes. Sermon Des Gross Gelarten in Gnade[n] Erlauchte[n] Doctoris Johannis Thauleri Predigerr Ordens… Durch Cunradum Kachelouen, 1498.

Before the battle of Hexham, fought on 15th May 1464, by Graham Turner.

Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, was just nineteen when his father was killed at St Albans in 1455, the beginning of a vicious cycle of retribution that would come to characterise the series of conflicts now known as the Wars of the Roses. He would gain revenge at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, where his father’s nemesis the Duke of York would die, followed by another victory at the second Battle of St Albans, but the catastrophic defeat at Towton would see Beaufort and the other surviving supporters of Henry VI take refuge in their Northumberland fortresses as they desperately tried to keep their king’s cause alive.

Although he could be as ruthless as any of his contemporaries, the new young Yorkist king, Edward IV, did at times try to balance this with a policy of reconciliation, and when Somerset was captured at the close of 1462, he was fortunate to not only receive a full pardon, but become a close companion to Edward ‘who loved him well’. Somerset’s brief sojourn with the other side lasted until December 1463, when he headed north again with the aim of being reunited with his men at Newcastle.

At Durham he was recognised and narrowly avoided capture while he slept, escaping barefoot in his nightshirt and leaving his armour behind. His retainers in Newcastle attempted to steal away but ‘… some of them were take and lost their heads for their labour.’ Somerset managed to make his way to Bamburgh where he joined King Henry and the remains of his resistance, and from here they organised raids, taking Norham Castle and several towns.

Defeated by Lord Montagu at Hedgeley Moor on 25th April 1464, the remains of Somerset’s army were seemingly caught by surprise early on 15th May near Hexham, Montagu’s soldiers sweeping down into their camp and scattering the survivors. With their back to the aptly named Devil’s Water, there were few escape routes, and many were cut down or drowned as they tried to cross the fast-flowing river.

Twenty-eight-year-old Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, found his luck had finally run out and following his capture he was promptly executed in Hexham.

Teresa Thompson doll dressed in costume fashionable at court during the reign of  Edward IV of England (1442-1483) 

medieval-women:

Christine de Pizan

Author, historian, poet, philosopher

Born 1364 or 1365 – Died 1430 (age 65 - 66)

Claim to fame: An advocate for women’s education, Christine is the first European woman known to have made her living as a writer.

Born the eldest child of the personal physician to King Charles V of France, Christine was well educated and benefited from access to the King’s vast library.

Christine was married at 15 and widowed just 10 years later. After her husband’s death, she turned to writing to support herself and her family, serving as a court writer for several dukes as well as Charles VI of France.

Her 1405 book, ‘La Cité des Dames’ (‘Book of the City of Ladies’), catalogued female accomplishment and helped establish her popularity. This book is considered by many as the inaugural text in the field now known as women’s studies.

Christine completed forty-one works during her career. Her work contradicted negative female stereotypes and countered unjust slander of women within other literary texts. She argued that women have the same aptitudes as men and thus the right to the same education. Christine’s influence in the otherwise male-dominated field of rhetorical discourse lead Simone de Beauvoir to acknowledge her as the first woman to “take up her pen in defence of her sex”.

Boston College Magazine

Wiki

medieval-women:

Jeanne Laisné (nicknamed Jeanne Hachette - ‘Jean the Hatchet’).

Born 1456 - died ?

Claim to fame: a French military heroine who prevented the capture of Beauvais.

In June of 1472 Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, laid siege to the French town of Beauvais. Over the course of the three week siege, a peasant woman named Jeanne Laisne joined a contingent of women and children responsible for loading the town’s cannons, delivering munitions and dumping boiling liquid over the walls onto the attackers.

By 27 June, many of the French defenders had lost hope and begun to flee as an assault from the Burgundians seemed set to defeat the town. An officer was about to plant the Burgundian flag on the wall and claim Beauvais when Jeanne grabbed a hatchet and flung herself upon him, hurling him off the wall and tearing down the flag. Her bravery revived the courage of the garrison and the French soldiers returned to their posts, keeping the Burgundians at bay until reinforcements arrived and the town was saved.

By way of recognition, King Louis XI heaped favours on Jeanne and ordered for the ‘Procession of the Assault’ to take place in Beauvais every year with women marching at the head of the parade. This tradition still continues.

In 1851, a bronze statue sculpted by Gabriel-Vital Dubray (pictured above) was unveiled in Beauvais by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte.

Sources:1.2.3.4.5.

Christmas scene in a 15th century manuscript by e-codices
Via Flickr:
Christmas, also known as Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus mainly based on the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Traditionally, scenes of Nativity, portray the Holy Family in the stable at Bethlehem. The Christ child is represented lying in a manger or upon the straw, whilst Virgin Mary kneels in adoration before Him. In some scenes Virgin Mary is represented lying next to Jesus. Joseph is portrayed standing at one side. The scene also includes depictions of an ox and a donkey, usually in the background, gazing quietly at the scene in front of them. Some Nativity scenes depict one or more angels who proclaim Jesus as the savior for all people, and portrayals of shepherds who come to adore Him. There are also scenes representing the wise men (The Maggi ) who, after following a star, arrive to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus. 

Link to the “Christmas scenes”set

Manuscript title: Book of Hours from Paris 

Origin: Paris (France)

Period: 15th century

Image source: Utopia, armarium codicum bibliophilorum, Cod. 108: Book of Hours from Paris (www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/utp/0108/65v)

Christmas scene in a 15th century manuscript by e-codicesChristmas, also known as Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus mainly based on the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Traditionally, scenes of Nativity, portray the Holy Family in the stable at Bethlehem. The Christ child is represented lying in a manger or upon the straw, whilst Virgin Mary kneels in adoration before Him. In some scenes Virgin Mary is represented lying next to Jesus. Joseph is portrayed standing at one side. The scene also includes depictions of an ox and a donkey, usually in the background, gazing quietly at the scene in front of them. Some Nativity scenes depict one or more angels who proclaim Jesus as the savior for all people, and portrayals of shepherds who come to adore Him. There are also scenes representing the wise men (The Maggi ) who, after following a star, arrive to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus. 

Link to the “Christmas scenes”set 

Manuscript title: Book of hours 

Origin: Florence (Italy) 

Period: 15th century 

Image source: Genève, Bibliothèque de Genève, Comites Latentes 54: Book of hours (www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/list/one/bge/cl0054)

fuckyeahcostumedramas:

Leelee Sobieski in ‘Joan of Arc’ (1999).

A nice chicken I encountered in the margins of a Haggadah, the ‘Ashkenazi Haggadah,’ with commentaries attributed to Eleazar Ben Judah of Worms, c. 1430.

The British Library

Gold Pendant in Form of Anthropomorphic Being, Panama (Chiriquí), ca. 1200-1550