The Polyptyque of St-Germain-des-Prés: Neuillay
In the European Middle Ages (c.500–1500 CE), a polyptyque was an economic survey of the lands owned by a lord that included a census of…
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The Confessions of Lady Nijō
Content Warning: This document describes the sexual exploitation and abuse of a teenage girl. Lady Nijō, who was born into a high-status Japanese aristocratic family,…
Read morePope Urban II: Speech at the Council of Clermont
Pope Urban II (ruled 1088–1099) is credited with inaugurating the crusading movement in medieval Christianity with his speech calling and sanctioning the First Crusade at…
Read moreHow the Jizya is to be Collected and from Whom
The jizya was the annual tax that all Christians and Jews (and some members of other religions) were required to pay to the Muslim government…
Read moreExcerpts from the Trial of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) was born in northeast France around 1412 and was executed in 1431. An illiterate young woman from a peasant family,…
Read moreExcerpts from The Distaff Gospels
The Distaff Gospels is a late-fifteenth century collection of popular folklore from Belgium and the north of France. The fictional story or “frame” of this…
Read moreExcerpt from Njál's Saga
Njál's Saga is often considered to be the best of the Viking-Age Icelandic family sagas. Set around the year 1000 (although not written down for…
Read moreContinuation of the Chronicle of Damascus
The Continuation of the Chronicle of Damascus was written by Hamzah ibn al-Quālanisī (c.1071–1160), an educated nobleman who, in his career as an administrator and…
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