Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

The End in 112 Steps: Counting Down the Popes

The world was supposed to end after the 112th pope. Following Pope Francis’ death, an obscure prophecy attributed to Saint Malachy went viral once again. This post explores the prophecy’s origins, examines why scholars reject its authenticity, and asks why apocalyptic countdowns remain compelling.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Personae as a Historical Research Method

The writing of history is a continuous process. Speculative methods like personae can aid us in enriching our understanding of history with the stories of the peoples without history, and allow us to ask ourselves: “how was it then”?

Medieval and Early Modern Studies · Modern and Contemporary Studies

International Students in Leiden Across the Centuries

For centuries, international students have been key participants in Leiden’s scholarly community. This post is aimed at sharing some of the diverse international students who have participated in, and enriched, Leiden’s academic environment over the years.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

“I’ve got a blank space, baby”: Untangling Organizational Strategies in Early Modern Manuscript Compilations

How do you organize the texts you copy into blank notebooks? In this blog, Holly Riach reflects on the manuscripts she consulted at the Huntington Library, California, and explores what a blank page can tell us about the production and organization of textual collections in early modern England.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Mocking the Monarch: What Do Memes About Queen Elizabeth II Have In Common With Unruly Spectators of Renaissance Spectacle?

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Beowulf vs. Grettir: the 11th-century hero showdown you did need

We have all seen the Avengers, so we know who the strongest one is. But what about the heroes of old? What would happen if, let’s say, Beowulf, the great Geat warrior would have to fight against Grettir the Strong? What happens when Anglo-Saxon epic clashes against Icelandic sagas? Read to find out!

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Whose words are they, anyway? Visiting 'Elizabeth and Mary: Royal Cousins, Rival Queens'

In this blog, Clodagh Murphy reflects on her recent visit to "Elizabeth and Mary: Royal Cousins, Rival Queens" at the British Library. The first exhibition to consider both queens jointly, "Elizabeth and Mary" tells their remarkable story through the queens’ ‘own words’.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Enlightened Spaces: The eighteenth-century interior and the study of decorative arts at Leiden University

The University has long fostered the study of the decorative arts and domestic culture and has produced several notable specialists in this field. A new series of public lectures on the eighteenth-century interior organised by Alexander Dencher continues this tradition.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

#ArchiveEmotion: my eighteenth century telenovela

In a previous post, I mentioned the slow-pace of working with archives. Reading through metres of paper is however anything but boring. Besides finding material for our research we often find extremely interesting stories. Think of it as a paper telenovela of people that lived hundreds of years ago.