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12th century "Hoodies" terrorized medieval London
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2008/05/01 - 11:30. 1101 CE to 1200 CE | Costuming | English | Legal HistoryAccording to historian Professor Robert Bartlett, youth gangs are nothing new. They existed in 12th century London and wore hooded garments which hid their identities during rampages.
Mary Queen of Scots warrant will remain in England
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2008/03/16 - 21:46. 1501 CE to 1600 CE | English | Legal History | Scribal ArtsA copy of the warrant calling for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots will remain in England thanks to donations and a law hoping to keep important documents in the country. The warrant had been scheduled to be sold to a private buyer and taken overseas.
Remains of Sir Hugh Despenser the Younger identified at Hulton Abbey
Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2008/03/12 - 16:02. 1301 CE to 1400 CE | English | Legal History | TelegraphArchaeologists believe that they have identified mutilated remains found at Hulton Abbey as those of Sir Hugh Despenser the Younger, reputed to have been the lover of Edward II. The remains were first discovered in the 1970s.
700-year-old Magna Carta to be displayed at the National Archives
Submitted by Sabine Berard on Wed, 2008/03/05 - 13:20. 1201 CE to 1300 CE | English | Legal HistoryStarting March 12, 2008, a handwritten copy of the Magna Carta will go on display at the West Rotunda Gallery of the National Archives Building in Washington DC.
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Domesday Book online
Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2008/02/25 - 17:05. 1001 CE to 1100 CE | English | Legal History | Scribal Arts | TelegraphFor the first time, those wishing to do research on medieval England online will have access to one of the best resources, William the Conqueror's Domesday Book.
"Magna Carta and the World of King John" at Penn State
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2008/02/19 - 14:30. 1201 CE to 1300 CE | English | Legal HistoryThe Magna Carta will be the focus of this year's Medieval Conference at Pennsylvania State University March 28-29, 2008. The conference will "examine various groups and institutions of that society, in attempt to fill in the background of the Great Charter: the world of King John, and additional sessions will deal with teaching about Magna Carta and its time period.
Saxon cemetery offers grisly findings
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2008/01/22 - 22:45. 1001 CE to 1100 CE | English | Legal HistoryIn-depth examination of a Saxon cemetery in East Yorkshire has given archaeologists some insight into the society's system of justice with the study of a dozen decapitated skeletons.
Magna Carta sale brings more than US$21.3 million
Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007/12/29 - 22:54. 1201 CE to 1300 CE | English | Legal History | Scribal ArtsAn early copy of the Magna Carta, sold recently at auction, has brought over US$21 million. The documents was purchased by David Rubinstein, a founder of the Carlyle Group.
Britain's top ten stupid laws
Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2007/11/26 - 20:01. English | Humor | Legal HistoryA recent survey taken in Great Britain determines the country's ten most obsolete - or downright stupid - laws. Included was the one that prohibits the eating of mince pies on Christmas Day, and several that date from the Middle Ages.
Vatican publishes documents from Knights Templar heresy trials
Submitted by Elinor Strangewayes on Mon, 2007/10/15 - 17:48. 1301 CE to 1400 CE | Associated Press | Chivalry (historical) | Christianity | European | Legal HistoryThe Vatican is finally publishing Processus Contra Templarios, the report from the heresy trials of the Knights Templar that was lost in the Vatican secret archives for 700 years due to a filing error.
Magna Carta to be auctioned
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2007/10/02 - 23:18. 1201 CE to 1300 CE | English | Legal History | Scribal ArtsA rare copy of the Magna Carta could bring as much as US$30 million when it is auctioned in New York by Sotheby's in December 2007. The 1297 copy is one of only 20 reissued by King Edward I.
Genghis Khan enforced ban on gay lifestyle
Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2007/09/21 - 20:30. 1201 CE to 1300 CE | Legal History | MongolianChinese experts at the Research Institute of Ancient Mongolian Laws and Sociology in Inner Mongolia have determined that Genghis Khan's code of laws may have contained the earliest recorded ban on homosexuality.
Gay civil unions may have 600-year precedent
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2007/09/04 - 15:40. 1501 CE to 1600 CE | French | Legal HistoryIn an upcoming article for The Journal of Modern History Allan A. Tulchin cites the study of documents and grave sites as evidence for homosexual civil unions in 15th century France.
Papal dungeons to reopen
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2007/07/19 - 21:48. Architecture and Construction | Christianity | Italian | Legal HistoryThe Vatican has announced that the papal dungeons in the Castel Sant'Angelo will re-open after ten years of restoration. The dungeons were used to house criminals during the period of the Papal States.
Hamlet on trial?
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2007/03/25 - 21:40. 1501 CE to 1600 CE | English | Fine Arts | Legal History | NPRWas Hamlet guilty of stabbing Polonius behind the arras? A jury trial being conducted as part of the Shakespeare Festival in Washington D.C. will decide. Listen to the story from the March 16 edition of All Things Considered.
Marriage, divorce and whiskey in Ireland
Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2007/02/07 - 22:29. 601 CE and Earlier | Christianity | Cooking | Irish | Legal HistoryThe February 2007 issue of the Chivalry Sports online newsletter includes two new articles: Marriage and Divorce Laws in Early Medieval Ireland and A recipe for Irish Whiskey Cake.
Four Frightened to Death by Fairies in Lamplugh
Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2006/12/13 - 13:40. 1601 CE and Later | English | Legal HistoryLife in 17th century England was dangerous, if the death records from the town of Lamplugh can be believed. Causes of death listed ranged from "Sleep coughing" to "Broke his neck robbing a hen roost" to "Frighted to Death by faries." Sarah Getty of the London Metro has the story.
Political Ads of Ancient Rome
Submitted by Ursula on Wed, 2006/11/08 - 04:43. 601 CE and Earlier | Legal History | Modern Society | Roman"The mid-term campaigns have offered up perhaps the most venomous volleys of political advertising in U.S. history....Yet as Americans ponder how much of it is true and how much pure vindictive blather, we might note that we're rather backward compared to the pointed, frank and refreshingly honest political ads of the Romans more than 1,900 years ago."
Today in the Middle Ages: October 8, 1361
Submitted by Ursula on Sun, 2006/10/08 - 16:26. 1301 CE to 1400 CE | French | Legal History | Martial Activities | Today in the Middle AgesChronicles record that on October 8, 1361, Robert Macaire defended himself on trial by combat against charges of murder. The duel was fought on the Ile de Notre Dame, and Macaire's opponent was the murdered man's dog.
Today in the Middle Ages: October 3, 1470
Submitted by Ursula on Tue, 2006/10/03 - 18:27. 1401 CE to 1500 CE | English | Legal History | Today in the Middle AgesThe readeption of previously deposed King Henry VI of England occurred on October 3, 1470. The mentally ill king had to be led by the hand during the celebratory parade.
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Today in the Middle Ages: September 30, 1139
Submitted by Ursula on Sat, 2006/09/30 - 15:58. 1101 CE to 1200 CE | English | French | Legal History | Today in the Middle AgesMatilda, also called Maud, the daughter of Henry I, landed in England to claim its crown on September 30, 1139. She was the first woman ever to rule the kingdom of England.
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Medieval Law Saddles Queen with Rat-Infested House
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2006/08/31 - 23:50. 1301 CE to 1400 CE | CNN.com | English | Legal HistoryResidents of Manchester, England have declared Her Majesty owner of of an abandoned and vandalized house thanks to a 607-year-old law that turns over ownership of abandoned buildings to the Crown.
Medieval Punishments "Sensible and Humane"
Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2006/08/25 - 19:00. Legal HistoryThink you know everything about the cruelty of medieval justice? An article by Heather Whipps of LiveScience may surprise you. A new view is that justice in the Middle Ages was quite progressive.
Domesday Book now Online
Submitted by jofoster81 on Sun, 2006/08/20 - 14:09. 1001 CE to 1100 CE | Associated Press | Legal History | Norman | SaxonThe Domesday Book, a handwritten recording of lands and properties under William the Conqueror, is on display and also available on the internet.
Obscure Medieval Law Frustrates Britons
Submitted by Vallawulf on Sat, 2006/08/12 - 12:00. Architecture and Construction | English | Legal History | Modern SocietyA law dating back to the Middle Ages is causing mayhem in the British real estate market.
Latin for Beginners
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2006/07/25 - 17:51. English | Legal History | Linguistics | RomanThe British Archives has posted a tutorial for those who want to learn Latin. Latin 1086 – 1733: a practical online tutorial for beginners uses early documents to demonstrate how Latin was used and to teach the basics.
Today in the Middle Ages: July 10, 1376
Submitted by Ursula on Mon, 2006/07/10 - 13:52. 1301 CE to 1400 CE | English | Legal History | Today in the Middle AgesThe "Good Parliament" ended in London on July 10, 1376. It was nicknamed by the people of England in recognition of its efforts to end corruption at court.
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Today in the Middle Ages: June 23, 930
Submitted by Ursula on Fri, 2006/06/23 - 18:32. 901 CE to 1000 CE | Legal History | Scandanavian | Today in the Middle AgesThe first session of the Icelandic Althing, often considered the world's first parliament, began on June 23, 930.
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Today in the Middle Ages: May 22, 1216
Submitted by Ursula on Mon, 2006/05/22 - 19:52. 1201 CE to 1300 CE | English | French | Legal History | Today in the Middle AgesOn May 22, 1216, French troops entered England by invitation in the First Baron's War, a rebellion ignited by King John's refusal to follow some provisions of the Magna Carta.
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Today in the Middle Ages: May 19, 1214
Submitted by Ursula on Sat, 2006/05/20 - 03:59. 1201 CE to 1300 CE | English | Legal History | Today in the Middle AgesThe City of London received a charter allowing it to elect its own officials on May 19, 1214.
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