Medieval Warfare Magazine

Editor-in-chief: Jasper Oorthuys Editor: Alice Isabella Sullivan Image research: Lauren van Zoonen Proofreader: Naomi Munts Design & media: Christy Beall Artwork advisers: Robert W. Jones (Advanced Studies in England, Franklin and Marshall College),

It is rare to find new information about the Norman Conquest of England, but a historian has uncovered a document revealing William I’s relationship with London shortly after 1066. Nicholas Karn, Associate Professor at the University of Southampton,

Justinian I (r. 527–565), also known as Justinian the Great, was a prominent Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) emperor under whose leadership and ambitions the empire expanded its borders and developed culturally and artistically. His reign and accomplish

A high school student participating in an archaeological dig in northern Israel has uncovered an exceptional find from the Byzantine period—a 1500-year-old ‘magical mirror’. Seventeen-year-old Aviv Weizman took part in an Israel Antiquities Authority

Dating to the sixth century, the central panel of the socalled Barberini Ivory shows a victorious ruler on horseback, usually identified with Justinian I. Above is a heavenly sphere with a figure of Christ framed by two angels, indicating divine supp

The foremost function of the royal household was to satisfy the king’s needs. It saw to his requirements both basic and complex, providing food, drink, shelter, security, companionship, money, and religious comfort. Structurally, it was divided into

The hereditary and exclusive nature of heraldry meant that it served as a serial shorthand, highlighting ties of kinship and feudal community. As these families became more established and the inter-relationships between them more complex, these were

Despenser, laden with supplies, returned to the main body, which was camped with the king on the edge of the forest. At last, the army could have at least one proper meal after two days of fighting and marching. On the morning of Friday 25 August, th

The Byzantines, centred in the strategically important Constantinople, would push their boundaries in all directions during their ascendancy in attempts to reclaim the glories of their Roman progenitors. But near the border of Armenia, Byzantine lead

His tireless zeal during his near 40-year reign would see the emperor institute lasting and substantial legal reform that covered nearly all aspects of Byzantine life, and from which much of European law would be based upon until the nineteenth centu

What followed was nearly three decades of ceaseless war, which would stretch the armed forces and economy of Justinian’s empire to its limits. And yet, despite the great cost, by 565, some of the most economically vital provinces of the old Western R

The teams were distinguished by colours: blue, green, red, and white. The supporters of the teams were found in every section of society, sometimes even including the emperor. The renowned ancient author Pliny the Younger’s statement on team supporte

The traditional date for the end of the Western Roman Empire is AD 476, when the last emperor, Romulus Augustus (or Augustulus), was ousted after a reign of less than a year. The child Augustulus was installed by his father, Orestes, the magister mil

Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565) built Hagia Sophia as an imperial Christian church following the Nika Revolt in Constantinople in January 532. The revolt had damaged much of the city, including the fourth-century church on the site, erected by the f

The two-day Battle of Dara in 530 would be the culmination of the struggle between two Mediterranean superpowers. The Byzantine general Belisarius and his army of 25,000 infantry and cavalry would confront the Persian king Kavadh’s (473–531) army of

At the core of Belisarius’ army rode the bucellarii, the spearhead of his troops. They were private armies raised by Roman generals and landlords to serve as their household troops and bodyguards, a common practice from the reign of Honorius. The ter

Emperor Justinian was both celebrated and castigated as the ‘sleepless’ emperor, who kept a tireless vigil and worked constantSo dedicated to his work was he that, according to at least one contemporary, the emperor could not even endure his bed, but

Sometime in the fifteenth century, artisans working in the Low Countries began to create a new S type of art object. Called prayer nuts, these new creations appear at first glance as very small pieces of wood, just 10 to 15 cm in diameter. But then y

A whole range of dyes was used; most colouring agents in food were plant-based. Roots, leaves, flowers, bark, seeds, and berries: everything was used for a colourful result. Our medieval ancestors also knew how to use animal-based colouring, such as

I imagine that this strawberry pudding, from an English cooking manuscript from around 1450, must have been spectacular on a medieval table dressed with a white tablecloth. The pomegranate seeds are a beautiful detail from the chef. It is a dish for

Marj Dabiq had both short- and long-term consequences on regional and international history. The Ottomans, under the leadership of Selim I (r. 1512–1520), defeated the Mamluk army, led by the sultan Qansuh alGhawri (r. 1501–1516), allowing them to oc

Friction between the two powers began decades before Marj Dabiq, during the reign of Mehmed II (r. 1451–1481). Initially, the two powers quarrelled over issues of prestige. The Mamluks monopolized and jealously protected their guardianship of Islam’s

So, what are the five swords that featured in the king’s inauguration as monarch, and where do they come S from? The newest of the bunch is the so-called ‘Sword of Offering’. This was made for the coronation of George IV in 1821, to his own design. I

The Bronze Horseman of Justinian in Constantinople By Elena N. Boeck Cambridge University Press, 2021 ISBN: 978-1108178341 Justinian: Empire and Society in the Sixth Century By Fiona K. Haarer Edinburgh University Press, 2022 ISBN: 978-0748636785 Bel