In this thesis late medieval fight books (1350-1550) are placed in various martial contexts. In chapter 1 a proposal is made for defining the concept of ritual combat and this concept than is...Show moreIn this thesis late medieval fight books (1350-1550) are placed in various martial contexts. In chapter 1 a proposal is made for defining the concept of ritual combat and this concept than is applied to the late medieval period. Three types of ritual combat could be recognised: judicial combat, courtly combat and commoners combat. In chapter 2 a methodology is proposed for both for analysing and reconstructing the combat techniques described fight books, including filming the reconstructions, and a methodology for placing these techniques in the discussed ritual combat forms using ‘dimensions of meaning’. In chapter 3 both methodologies are tested on the two manuscripts of Johannes Lecküchner and demonstrate that his work was intended for the contexts of courtly combat and commoners combat.Show less
This thesis compares the property rights and inheritance rights of women in the Germanic laws of the Visigoths, Lombards and Anglo-Saxons from the sixth to the ninth century AD.
The thesis concerns a research on the medical theory present in fourteenth-century Florence and London and look at how this translated in the measures their local authorities took against the...Show moreThe thesis concerns a research on the medical theory present in fourteenth-century Florence and London and look at how this translated in the measures their local authorities took against the plague. Through this, an attempt has been made to determine how medical theory could be exercised in either a similar or different matter, and thus determine whether an English city was truly as backwards as some historians claim or if its authorities did provide sanitary regulations against the plague. The research limits itself to the period 1347 to 1400, thus on the plague outbreaks of the fourteenth centuryShow less
The use of 3D modelling allows us to research and visualize the construction history of archaeological structures. In this research, 3D models of demolished castles were created, in order to study...Show moreThe use of 3D modelling allows us to research and visualize the construction history of archaeological structures. In this research, 3D models of demolished castles were created, in order to study the construction of the buildings.Show less
In this MA thesis, the discussion focuses on a fourteenth century Middle Dutch text called the ‘Herzog von Braunschweig’ or ‘de hertog van Brunswijk’ of which the only remaining copy was found in a...Show moreIn this MA thesis, the discussion focuses on a fourteenth century Middle Dutch text called the ‘Herzog von Braunschweig’ or ‘de hertog van Brunswijk’ of which the only remaining copy was found in a German dialect in a fifteenth century manuscript. The thesis compares the motives and literary themes of the text in the background of fourteenth century Middle Dutch and Middle German traditions and places it in the first half of the fourteenth century. Secondly, a comparison with a part of the Middle Dutch text of the 'Roman van Heinrich en Margriete van Limborch' proves a relationship between the two texts.Show less
This thesis presents a new survey of archaeozoological data from 10 towns, with a total of 60 assemblages, from the medieval county of Holland to determine diachronic and geographic trends in the...Show moreThis thesis presents a new survey of archaeozoological data from 10 towns, with a total of 60 assemblages, from the medieval county of Holland to determine diachronic and geographic trends in the meat consumption in urban areas. The methods used are based on the recent article by Ervynck and van Neer, which suggested that integrating the archaeozoological data from the southern Low Countries with research from the Netherlands would be beneficial for current research (Ervynck and van Neer 2017, 72). The research was performed by calculating the relative frequencies of cattle, pig and sheep, and consequently, calculating the Pig/Sheep ratio. This data has been collected in one survey. The diachronic and geographic trends that emerged from this survey were investigated and compared to the results from similar research in Flanders. The results of this study suggest that environmental factors were a very important influence in the consumption patterns of medieval towns. There are similarities in the relative frequencies and Pig/Sheep ratios of towns with similar environmental factors, mostly those towns located in areas of salt marshes, peat bogs and alluvial districts. These environments are much more suitable for sheep herding than pig herding. Other trends are less clear. The Pig/Sheep ratio is somewhat higher in towns such as Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Haarlem than expected from the research done in Flanders. It is still uncertain what the main cause for these high Pig/Sheep ratios is. However, it does seem that the consumption of pig is likely to have been less than the consumption of sheep based on the relative frequencies. Future research on these towns in comparison to the countryside is therefore advised.Show less
This thesis discusses the development of medieval house cellars in urban context. This will be done through the study of three Dutch towns ('s-Hertogenbosch, Arnhem and Deventer). The questions...Show moreThis thesis discusses the development of medieval house cellars in urban context. This will be done through the study of three Dutch towns ('s-Hertogenbosch, Arnhem and Deventer). The questions addressed in this study concern their characteristics (such as vaulting types, visible chronology and city specific types) and their functions (such as fire-safe spaces and general functions of medieval districts). The conclusions will highlight which characteristics are distinguishable. Primarily, that the 15th century is the appropriate era for cellars and that there is a large local variation with city-specific cellars, which is particularly the case in Deventer. An overview of the dimensions of all the investigated cellars is given. Cellars were not only used as storage, but also as a workshop or living space. They might also be related to city fires and the demand for fire-safe areas. Finally, cellars can only contribute to a limited extent to the identification of the functions of urban districts.Show less
Corruption is inherently present in Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth. The representation of corruption, both in Follett’s work and in the Medieval English church, however, has not yet been...Show moreCorruption is inherently present in Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth. The representation of corruption, both in Follett’s work and in the Medieval English church, however, has not yet been studied to its fullest extent. This thesis aims to explore whether Follett has successfully depicted the Medieval church of the twelfth century by further delving in to the several depictions of corruption that are featured in the novel, and to examine whether these can also be attributed to the Medieval church Follett is aiming to describe. Financial corruption is attested in the world of Follett by the uncertainty as to where the money to build the Kingsbridge comes from. In contrast, it is seen in the Catholic church in the appearance of indulgences. The question whether indulgences can be linked to corruption will be answered by looking at the way Follett has decided to include any form of these contracts. Indulgences were, in fact, an inventive means to have a cathedral built. The erection of the New Saint Peter’s Basilica was supported by financial support of indulgences. Historians, predominantly Protestant, in the nineteenth century have castigated the practice of indulgences. 3 This thesis also aims to present an impression as to in what extent our ideas of corruption in Medieval England has been shaped by these ideas. By including corruption of power and the corruption of faith and looking at it in both Follett’s work and the Medieval English church, this thesis will present a satisfactory answer to the question whether the picture Follett presents is a valid example of a Medieval view of the church.Show less
Bujangga Manik is a fifteenth-century story from Sundanese-speaking West Java about an ascetic who travels around Java and Bali before ascending to heaven. Its central narrative trope, of narrating...Show moreBujangga Manik is a fifteenth-century story from Sundanese-speaking West Java about an ascetic who travels around Java and Bali before ascending to heaven. Its central narrative trope, of narrating the ascetic's journey through a recitation of place names, has no clear parallels in South Asian literature, and I argue that it derives from an ancient Malayo-Polynesian tradition, similar to what the anthropologist J. J. Fox named the 'topogeny'. I attempt to show this through a dissection of Bujangga Manik and detailed comparison with ethnographic data from the Malayo-Polynesian-(Austronesian-)speaking world.Show less
In this paper data has been gathered from excavation of the last century dealing with the town defences of Utrecht. Using this data and other historical sources a reconstruction has been made of...Show moreIn this paper data has been gathered from excavation of the last century dealing with the town defences of Utrecht. Using this data and other historical sources a reconstruction has been made of the medieval town defences of Utrecht. Central stands the question whether the construction of the town defences was a plan or process and how this enormous endeavour was realized. First the general history and background of Utrecht are discussed, followed by the reconstruction of the town defences. Then the town defences are divided into different phases. Finally a comparison between the town defences of Utrecht and different other towns in both the Netherlands and abroad will be made.Show less
This research is about the mammal remains that were found during the excavation at the IPSE site in Delft. The aim of this research is to determine the domesticated animals which were slaughtered...Show moreThis research is about the mammal remains that were found during the excavation at the IPSE site in Delft. The aim of this research is to determine the domesticated animals which were slaughtered and consumed in the periods between 1350 and 1800 AD, the age of the animals and the ratio between the species of “De Paardenmarkt” area in Delft. Observations were made to determine the change in animal consumption by the inhabitants through these periods. Not much is known about the poor people in the Dutch Middle Ages, because most historical information is used to focus on the rich or middle class people. The population living on the site is proposed to belong to the lower and middle class of society. But the less wealthy citizens had an important place in society as well. They were a large portion of the class society, which consisted of the clergy at the top, then nobility and lastly farmers and labourers. With this archaeological approach, the research will contribute to the reconstruction of the poorer part of the community of the city of Delft in the Late Middle Ages and early Renaissance.Show less
King Edward IV of England’s collection of Flemish manuscripts has often been connected to his exile in Burgundy and his friendship with the bibliophile Louis of Gruuthuse. But this king did not...Show moreKing Edward IV of England’s collection of Flemish manuscripts has often been connected to his exile in Burgundy and his friendship with the bibliophile Louis of Gruuthuse. But this king did not start collecting these manuscripts immediately after his exile or his acquaintance with Gruuthuse. This study looks into the question of how Edward IV came to collect Flemish manuscripts by focusing on his known interest in Burgundian culture. As a result, it is argued here that the collection of manuscripts was an expression of this king’s emulation of Burgundian magnificence.Show less
Medieval manuscripts are our most important sources about more than a millennium of history and culture. Because they are kept in repositories all over the world and because they are valuable and...Show moreMedieval manuscripts are our most important sources about more than a millennium of history and culture. Because they are kept in repositories all over the world and because they are valuable and vulnerable artefacts, access to them has always been very limited. This is changing as a growing number of medieval manuscripts is digitised and made available online for everyone, everywhere. However, it has been claimed that digitisation programmes are often focused more on preservation of the manuscripts than on serving the user community. This thesis explores to what extent online collections of medieval manuscripts currently meet the needs of their main user group, humanities scholars. First, it is investigated which characteristics interfaces of such collections should ideally offer, and then three websites with medieval manuscript collections are analysed to find out whether they meet these criteria. The overall structure and design of the analysed websites were found to meet most of the criteria, but functionalities at the level of the manuscripts can still be expanded a lot. This includes image manipulation tools and tools for extracting, adding and sharing information.Show less
