Medieval society needed workers, but not every role earned dignity. Certain jobs were unavoidable, but still left people socially shunned and physically stained. Others placed people in danger or left ...

A German painting of the Danse Macabre from the 18th century. Nine women of different social rank from empress to fool dance with the dead. The entire economy of salvation is depicted, from the Fall, ...

A stained-glass window depicting Empress Matilda's voyage from England to Normandy Andreas F. Borchert via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 In three decades of teaching medieval European history, ...

The remains of numerous individuals unearthed on the former site of the Hospital of St. John the Evangelist, taken during the 2010 excavation on the site of the Divinity School building, St John’s ...

1. Opposition in the North There was support in the north of England for Edgar the Atheling to become king. This was a huge threat to William. Rebellions in the North could threaten his rule and ...

The material on the covers of books from a French abbey was too hairy to have come from calves or other local mammals. Researchers identified its more distant origin. By Jack Tamisiea Medieval scribes ...

The Futura Team represents the pulse of Futura’s editorial department, bringing together a collective expertise dedicated to the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Rather than the work of a single ...

Most people in medieval society lived in villages, there were few large towns. The majority of people were peasants, who worked on the land. There were a range of jobs and trades in towns and villages ...

Today, we see cats as furry friends with attitudes. However, medieval manuscripts depicted them as menaces to society - or did they? Cats in medieval times had a bad reputation - these furry friends ...

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. In the Halloween season, American culture briefly participates in an ancient ...