This video describes Jewish life in 13th century southern France according to the Song of the
Albigensian Crusade (Canso de la crozada) written in old Occitan by William of Tudela (Guilhèm de Tudèla). This presentation explains how one can learn about Jewish life during the period of the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229) from this song, including details about their location in Languedoc, the changes they witnessed and suffered, and their relations with Christians, especially their local lords.

This video discusses covenantal bromances, a known social practice amongst traveling
Jewish men across Europe during the high and late Middle Ages. These were exclusive
relationships between two men based on trust and some emotional connection, they
sometimes included shared finances and were sometimes sealed with oaths. As far as we
know, they were non-sexual yet intimate friendships.

This video presents the portrayal of Bible study from a will written by Eliezer ben Shmuel HaLevi of Mainz in 1357. Bible study was integral to Jewish life and identity in medieval Ashkenaz, even beyond the Rabbis and scholarly circles who were involved in exegesis and polemics. This video considers Eliezer’s description of how, when, and where ordinary Jewish men and women should study the Bible, situating his suggestions against the backdrop of religious reading practices amongst Christian laity of the period. 

This video presents a brief introduction to the story of Licoricia of Winchester. Opening with the twenty-first century statue of Licoricia that now appears in Winchester’s City Center, the video launches into a retelling of important details in the life of this medieval English Jewish woman financier (or moneylender), Licoricia of Winchester.

This video explores the earliest illustrated Yiddish manuscripts, which were all illuminated by their Jewish scribe.  Such manuscripts are sometimes overlooked because of their amateurish style, but they offer a window to understanding the middle rank of Jewish society.  The video focuses on a book of customs that presents a  positive view of the Jewish religion and community, highlighting the roles of women in ritual observance.

This brief video considers the formal elements and design of a pair of medieval Jewish maps of the region around Jerusalem, sets them in the contexts of their production in Europe and their response to Jewish biblical commentary, compares them to more famous medieval Christian maps, and then attempts to explain key differences in these mapmaking traditions.

This video introduces a rebellion against the abbess of Sainte-Croix, Poitiers, Frankia in 590 described by Gregory of Tours. Factions of nuns debated who has the right to lead: women born to elite families or anyone from the community. Rebels protested mismanagement and corruption, and took violent action to draw attention to their grievances.

This video introduces students to Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abdūn's (active between the late eleventh century and early twelfth century) risāla, which is a guide for medieval market inspectors. By providing students with a "slice of life" primary source, they can better understand the complex, nuanced ways that Muslims, Jews, and Christians interacted in al-Andalus.

What are Books of Hours, how do they work, and who read them? Can I really engage with manuscripts if I don't know Latin? This introductory exploration of Books of Hours offers a starting point from which anyone, including non-medievalists, can begin their study of the "bestseller" of the Late Middle Ages.

This video introduces the first tool produced within the "FEMIber" project (2022-present): an open-access website that provides structured information on every woman mentioned in the anonymous Crónica de Castilla (ca. 1300, Castile-León). This research and educational tool offers filtered and free-text search options to explore medieval women from multiple perspectives.

Florence As It Was presents point clouds of cultural heritage sites and photogrammetry models of the artworks inside, transcriptions of selected documents pertaining to their creation, annotations that explain their importance to Medieval audiences, translations of early modern descriptions of those sites through the eyes of Italian and German specialists, and a geo-referenced database of nearly 2000 images pinned to their original locations on the Buonsignori Map of 1584. In collaboration with the proprietors of two dozen historic institutions in Florence, this project begins the process of returning to their original locations some of the images that formed the backbone of the visual vocabulary of Medieval residents during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

This video surveys the significance of chess in medieval Europe, reflecting on the capacity of games to provide commentary on contemporary standards of behavior, respond to societal changes, and mediate relationships.

This video introduces the power of autodidactic inquiry as a way of gaining understanding of both the universe and ourselves by discussing twelfth-century Andalusi Ibn Tufayl’s Hayy Ibn Yaqzan.

European Christians were first introduced to the Talmud in the twelfth century. By the thirteenth century, the Talmud had become the subject of a public disputation in Paris, was condemned by papal and secular Christian authorities, and was publicly burned in France. Yet by the end of the thirteenth century some Christian theologians—Christian Talmudists—would investigate the Talmud in search of hidden support of Christian doctrines.

Hildegard von Bingen was a profound medieval mystic who scribed and illustrated her visions in a book titled Scivias. Given the intersectionality of religion and gender during the medieval period, Hildegard is important to study because she retained divine authority in her works that lent them credibility in the eyes of the monastic world. In this video learn about mysticism and the prophetess Hildegard von Bingen while understanding the complexities of medieval society. 

This video provides a brief overview of women’s education in the Medieval West, comparing and contrasting it with educational opportunities for men. The resource also provides an introduction to the figure of Christine de Pizan to prepare students for engaging with her written work.

This video briefly introduces the causes, developments, prominent figures, and historiography of the 12th-century renaissance. In particular, the video highlights the contributions of Adelard of Bath, an English philosopher and natural scientist, who embodies the 12th-century spirit of intellectual curiosity and cross-cultural interaction.

This video provides an overview of the significance and legacy of Charlemagne. It examines where Charlemagne expanded his empire and his primary method of imperialism. The primary sources provide two authors’ characterizations of Charlemagne through the lens of religion. 

This video focuses on how medieval Christians use mythical animals to tell their stories. It discusses how people of the Medieval world related to animals and why they would use beasts for symbolism. Beasts were used to represent the battle of good vs evil, as guides, and  allegorically. 
 

Kalila and Dimna is a book containing a collection of fables, translated into Arabic during the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century. The fables contain many animals as main characters as the stories explore various subjects, lessons, and morals. This video delves into specific fables, analyzing portrayals of good and bad rulers to understand medieval conceptions of effective leadership.