Odorannus of Sens was a prolific author of mid-eleventh-century France, writing works on musical theory, political and monastic history, canon law, ordines for bishops and archbishops, and other assorted texts. He compiled a selection of his various writing in a single autograph manuscript, which he himself describes as an opusculus, a little collection of works.…
After Empire is very pleased to announce that we are sponsoring two strands, one at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo, May 9-12, 2019; the other at the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds, July 1-4, 2019. For a detailed list of papers and participants at both conferences, plus the other…
The centrepiece of the Chronicle of Alfonso III, written in the late 9th or early 10th centuries, is the description of a certain Pelayo and his rebellion against the Saracen foreign rulers of the Iberian Peninsula. Pelayo, as the chronicle describes it, led a small group of Asturians in the pathless mountains in the North…
Date: first half of the 10th century Place of Production: England Description: A large, 4.4m stone cross, featuring elaborate carvings representing scenes drawn from Norse mythology as well as a depiction of the crucifixion of Christ. Held at: St Mary’s Church, Gosforth. Images licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Image by Doug Sim.
Place of Production: England. Date: circa 9th century. Description: This fragment of an embroidered piece of silk incorporates metallic thread with metal beads. It is around 17cm x 5cm. Held at: Los Angeles County Fund Accession Number: 55.57.1 Image in the Public Domain.
Date: 9th century Place of Production: England. Description: These pieces of embroidered material are believed to be the oldest extant Western European embroideries. Though they were identified as textiles made by Saints Relindis and Harlindis, two Frankish noble sisters from the convent of Aldeneik, it is now thought that they are of Anglo-Saxon English origin from some point…
Date: Early 10th century Place of Production: England, possibly Winchester. Description: When St Cuthbert’s coffin was opened in the nineteenth century, several well-preserved textiles dating from the early tenth century were found inside, including a stole and maniple. Both were embroidered with ‘Ælflæd ordered this to be made’ on the reverse; this is most likely the second wife…
Date: c. 1070s Place of Production: England Description: The Bayeux Tapestry (or Bayeux Embroidery) is a remarkable achievement of eleventh-century textile art. At 50cm x 68m, it is an exceptionally large example of embroidered artwork, with scenes depicting the lead-up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 embroidered in wool on a linen background. The origins of…
Over the last two decades there has been much discussion of why so few women are described as hostages in early medieval sources. Yet to date, there has been very limited interest in the role of women as active participants in hostage practices, here interpreted as brokering agreements, giving hostages, receiving them, or releasing those…
On 26 January 2018 eight members of After Empire gathered in Exeter for an internal project meeting, where we also had two collaborative meetings with our project partners. Firstly, we met with Rebecca Sullivan, CEO of the Historical Association, for a productive meeting discussing how the project might best meet the needs of teachers whose…
