Medieval medicine: wine

I thought wine's medicinal value was common knowledge--I mean really, not in a joking way, but the fact that it was the most prescribed treatment in medieval medicine. Which, given its antiseptic qualities, and the lack of other options for treating infections, actually makes sense. 

Wine Therapy, Middle Ages

Of course, there were plenty of warnings about the dangers of over-consumption, and there's more to wine in the medieval understanding than that: https://www.medievalists.net/2012/06/wine-the-physician-and-the-drinker-late-medieval-medical-views-on-wines-uses-pleasures-and-problems/

 But for now--that's more than I needed to know for this one scene. 

Buttons and 13th century medieval fashion and style...

 So... I wasn't procrastinating writing a scene, but in the middle realized--wait, does it even make sense for all these buttons to be flying around? Something in the back of my fashion history file is buzzing to the tune of "anachronistic"--did they even really use buttons on clothes like that in 13th century France? I know, burning questions...

But...

It turns out they did! The lesson, folks, is that contemporary manuscript illuminations, yet again, are great for figuring out all kinds of details you might not have guessed (even if they are stylized and all, there are some things they wouldn't invent just for the sake of inventing them...

So...

The most useful page I found (and can use for future 13th century French fashion reference!) is:

https://handcraftedhistory.blog/2023/01/31/13th-century-france-the-maciejowski-morgan-bible-look/

With pictures of the blogger's own recreations based on the manuscripts (which are also cited with pictures included)--fascinating!

Though I would be remiss if I didn't also put up the slightly later-focused-blog, that I found first, and may return to when I need 14TH CENTURY fashion research. https://cottesimple.com/about/site-history/

Heaps better than anything wikipedia or any other encyclopedic source offered!

Blood oaths (and related stuff)

 This isn't really much a post yet, but I figured this was too interesting a thing to leave out:

If I ever have to do a blood oath, where’s the best place on the palm to drag the knife?

Multiple helpful answers on reddit. 

Other interesting observation -- first search result is about getting help for self-harm. Obviously these are very different, but the different attitudes toward such a gesture are also manifest in the post's comments.

Now, how would this figure into a story about some impulsive characters...

13th Century France- Maps

Basic names of territories, right time

So, the English intertwining territory is pretty clear in this one.

But this is a little more detailed...

https://pages.uoregon.edu/mapplace/EU/EU20_France/Maps/EU20_70StLouisIX.jpg

More maps from the same site, by period: https://pages.uoregon.edu/mapplace/EU/EU20_France/France13Jan2011.html

This site also has more maps of France from different periods, but none quite when I wanted them: https://sites.pitt.edu/~medart/menufrance/mapsmain.html

 

What did Louis IX look like?

Only representation of Saint Louis known to be true to life - Early 14th century statue from the church of Mainneville, Eure, France

http://www.1066.co.nz/Mosaic%20DVD/whoswho/text/Louis_IX_of_France[1].htm

This has been trickier than I would have thought, and no one else is making such a definitive claim about their portraits of him. Beardless seems more popular in his depictions as king than not, but then, maybe that's because one of the most definitive contemporary images of him is this illumination, from around 1230, when he would have been 16.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_IX_of_France#/media/File:Saintlouis_(cropped).jpg

taken originally from this manuscript from:

https://www.themorgan.org/manuscript/77422?id=81

a little nicer image, but no, I am not paying $490 to take off the getty images sign--but if you really want it, you can find it here.

 

Medieval Swords

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Detail of a sword being drawn from its scabbard, Morgan Bible fol. 28v, c. 1250.

So, it turns out not only are rapiers not options for my early 13th century characters, but so are longswords--but that's good news, as the knightly arming sword that was in use at the time, is just what the story needs:

 "a straight, double-edged weapon with a single-handed, cruciform (i.e., cross-shaped) hilt and a blade length of about 70 to 80 centimetres (28 to 31 in)." (C.f. above link to straightforward wikipedia page).

And Renaissance and following ages' innovations notwithstanding, apparently people are still interested in this kind of weapon, and have provided interesting feedback on how it works as a wepaon (or at least how a modern replica feels to a swordsman). 

Medieval Music

 

Miniature (illuminated manuscript) from: Liber choralis parvus continens missas vesperas et alia officia par S. Leonardi confes

 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:A_as_an_initial_in_illuminated_manuscripts#/media/File:Liber_choralis_S.Leonardi_(MCM),_XLIII_Assumpta_est.JPG

 

 

Interesting Composer who would be fun to have cameo in first half of 13th century setting (i.e. wip):

Julian of Speyer

 

Medeival music with Manuscripts 

 

Farya Faraji -- not just medieval, but over all fascinating discussions of historically accurate performance, (though the following is close enough for current wip:)

Chevalier Mult Estes Guariz - French Crusader Song