Many of our posts doth contain actual historical articles and anecdotes alongside our typical fare of satire news. Here are links to many of these “addenda”.
Peasants, serfs, etc.
Do You Work More Than a Medieval Peasant? (Spoiler alert: No, probably not)
How Affordable Was Life in the Middle Ages? It pays to be a peasant.
Wergild. The “man-price.” How much money you owed if you killed a man, based on his social status.
Bog Bodies. Some ancient people who died in bogs, and their stories.
I Am Wont to Get Mediæval Upon Thine Asse. Images from medieval combat manuals.
Serf Promotions. Was it possible for a serf to get promoted to not a serf?
People doing medieval shyt
Tulipomania. On the famous Dutch tulip craze of the 1600s.
Danced to Death. On the many dancing sicknesses of the Middle Ages.
Jester’s Privilege. To what extent were jesters allowed to speak truth to power?
The Last Court Jester. Muckle John was his name, jesting for the soon-to-be-decapitated King Charles I was his game.
Kid Crusaders. On the Children’s Crusade(s)
Tax Rebellions. Not on The King’s watch! A look at some famous tax rebellions over the centuries.
Throwing Turnips at the Emperor. Thus began a long and storied tradition of crowds pelting people with foodstuffs.
Ye Olde Diss Track. On “flyting”, the medieval/Renaissance version of rap battles.
Kissing the King’s Feet. It didn’t always go as planned.
Fighting Blind. King John of Bohemia’s last stand.
Lindisfarne. The raid that launched the Viking Age.
The Best Ways to Die in London in 1632. Sooo hard to choose.
Technology
The Physicians of Myddfai. How to prevent toothache in medieval Wales.
In Praise of Scribes. From oral storytelling, to the printing press, and beyond.
Ye Olde Suggestion Box. A brief look at the history of the suggestion box.
Birch Bark Letters. About a type of letter common in Kievan Rus’.
Novgorod. An anecdote expanding on the one above.
Longship Food. A look at what Vikings ate when they went out raiding.
Castles. A brief look at the evolution of castle building and its effect on warfare.
Ye Olde Artyfycial Yntelligence. Some initial experiments with AI art.
The Caxton Advertisement. On the oldest surviving advertisement in the English language.
Not My Calendar. Whence the Gregorian calendar.
Will You Ever Be as Famous as Cheese? (Spoiler alert: No, not unless you’re Jesus)
Misc.
Men (and Women) Who Row. A few short biographies of the first leaders of Kievan Rus’.
I - Famous Centaurs, and II - How to Survive as a Centaur. Useful advice if you’re a Centaur.
Pollice Verso. Get you thumb direction right when ordering a gladiator to his death.
A Love Letter About Eating Your Meat. Charming.
Tree Fellows. Some famous tree creatures.
The Last Feudal Levy in England. (Until the next one)
Ancient Easter Eggs. On the origin of Easter eggs.