Category Archives: history

Skinning your Own Apes: Researching from Primary Sources

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

An article in the Stanford magazine this month talks about a new method of teaching history to high schoolers using primary source material, having the teens read several documents about an incident and draw their own conclusions based on the … Continue reading →

Posted in books, fiction, historical medicine, history, medieval, research, worldbuilding, writing advice | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Handgun Control in Medieval Japan

Posted on May 1, 2013 by

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a nice exhibit of Japanese arms and armor. Toward the end of the exhibit hung two very elegant matchlock guns dating to the Edo period (the 17th century). A small accompanying sign stated … Continue reading →

Posted in guns, history, medieval, medieval technology, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What’s in a Name? The Naming of Elisha

Posted on April 17, 2013 by

It has come to my attention from two different and equally interesting directions that some people are wondering about the name of my protagonist, Elisha Barber, specifically, his first name. Some folks have even wondered if it’s my name (it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in books, character development, Elisha Barber, etymology, fantasy, fiction, history, medieval, writing process | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Hierarchy of Medieval Medical Practitioners

Posted on April 3, 2013 by

Elisha Barber, the first book in my Dark Apostle series, features a barber-surgeon protagonist. During the Late Middle Ages (about 1300 to 1450, depending on whom you ask) the barber occupied one of the lowest steps in the hierarchy of … Continue reading →

Posted in Elisha Barber, historical medicine, history, medieval, The Dark Apostle | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hack Writers and Falconry: What’s the connection?

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

One of the most popular sports of the Middle Ages was falconry, the art of training a bird of prey to hunt on its master’s behalf. There are places today, like the New Hampshire School of Falconry, where you can … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, history, medieval, research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Werewolves in Medieval History

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

Whether you’re more Team Jacob or “Werewolves of London” you know that werewolves are hot right now (both in sales, and apparently, in sex appeal). But their prevalence in the Urban Fantasy genre might obscure their long history. My eyes … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, fiction, history, magic, medieval, Uncategorized, witchcraft | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Edgar Allen Poe Meets King Charles VI: the True Tale of Hop-frog

Posted on February 20, 2013 by

I came across the most remarkable image and tale in Barbara W. Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror, one of the foremost works on the 14th century (the “calamitous” 14th century, as Tuchman calls it.) The illustration, from a French chronicle dated … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, fiction, history, medieval, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Papal Resignation: 13th Century Style

Posted on February 12, 2013 by

So both of my papers carried stories today about the historic resignation of the Pope. Definitely big news. And both of them referred to the occasion by mentioning the last time a Pope resigned, in 1415–when Pope Gregory XII stepped … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Characters of the Middle Ages, history, medieval, religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Original Prince in the Tower: Arthur, Duke of Brittany

Posted on February 6, 2013 by

All the talk right now is of the last Plantagenet, Richard III, whose bones were identified after being excavated from beneath a car park in Leicester. You remember Richard III–the vile hunchback of Shakespearean fame who slew the princes in … Continue reading →

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Great Characters of the Middle Ages: Rahere, Hospital Founder and King’s Fool

Posted on January 30, 2013 by

This is the second in an irregular series of the unsung heroes, villains, and fools of the fourteenth century. You’ll notice as the series proceeds that there’s a lot of crossover between these categories, but none makes that so clear … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Characters of the Middle Ages, historical medicine, history, medieval, profiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments