The stories of medieval women remain to be fully revealed and thoroughly explored, in scholarship and popular culture. Select textual and visual sources offer insight into their various roles within medieval society, but much more awaits discovery and interpretation.
The image on the cover, ornately carved in ivory, shows the early Byzantine Empress Ariadne (ca. 455-515). She is extravagantly dressed in royal attire and sits frontally on a bejeweled throne. This small object eloquently captures her presence and power, although the details of her life and deeds remain elusive, like those of many other medieval women.
This issue explores the activities of women as artists, fighters, leaders, and patrons, underscoring their impact in different contexts, ranging from courtly settings to military orders. From tactful diplomats to creative artists, women impacted much of the life, culture, and politics of the Middle Ages. Alice Isabella Sullivan, PhD Editor, Medieval World: Culture & Conflict
A rare twelfth-century pendant recently discovered
English archaeologists have discovered a rare pendant featuring three golden lions (or leopards) on a field of red. It was unearthed in Wormleighton, a village in Warwickshire, and likely dates from the late twelfth century when King Henry II (r. 113389) began using this image during
