The hottest Medieval Substack posts right now

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Walk Away From The Sea

The Abbey of Misrule • 324 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Medieval
  1. A life spent chasing wealth and the sea can be answered by a deeper call to leave it all and live simply in the woods.
  2. Dreams and quiet visions can push a person to change course, acting like a summons to a new vocation and a kind of rebirth.
  3. The wild—its trees, animals, and simple food—becomes a sacred home where humility, song, and transformation are possible.

Your Review: Joan of Arc

Astral Codex Ten • 18307 implied HN points • 01 Aug 25
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. Joan of Arc was a young girl who claimed she received messages from God, urging her to save France from English rule. She inspired others to follow her and fought in key battles.
  2. Despite facing a powerful enemy, she helped turn the tide for France, leading to the crowning of Charles VII as king. Her charisma and leadership rallied troops and boosted morale.
  3. After being captured, Joan was tried and executed for her beliefs. Over time, many came to see her as a martyr and a saint, highlighting the impact of her life and death on history.

Powder & Stone. Or, Why Medieval Rulers Loved Castles.

1517 Fund • 909 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. Early medieval castles were cheap, quickly built motte-and-bailey earth-and-timber forts that armies could throw up fast to secure conquered land.
  2. Castles acted as forward operating bases and supply hubs spaced about a day’s march apart, letting armies resupply, garrison territory, and project power despite limited logistics.
  3. Owning a castle concentrated military, judicial, and economic control, so castles crystallized local authority and helped centralize power even when rulers spent heavily to build them.

Invisible bonds

David Friedman’s Substack • 143 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. Established rules of allegiance and obligation create predictable political order, and leaders who follow those rules can rely on their supporters.
  2. When leaders break those norms and use raw power or betrayal, they lose respect and loyalty from key allies, which invites revolt and collapse.
  3. The same logic applies today: using sheer force to grab territory or ignore accepted norms (for example, trying to seize Greenland) is a strategic mistake because it destroys the invisible bonds that hold political order together.
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The Hostage Problem

David Friedman’s Substack • 323 implied HN points • 08 Nov 25
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. Fenrir the wolf doesn't trust the gods, so he wants a guarantee before they bind him again. He offers to take a hostage, which he thinks will make the gods keep their promise.
  2. In everyday situations like buying and selling, people often find it hard to trust each other to keep contracts. This can lead to problems if one party changes their mind.
  3. Using hostages can be a way to make sure both sides stick to a deal. But if one side overestimates the value of the hostage, it can backfire and lead to broken agreements.

The Medieval Monks Who Lived on Top of Giant Pillars

weird medieval guys • 1395 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. The history of medieval monks living on top of pillars goes back to the mid-third century with figures like Anthony
  2. Monasticism evolved from early hermit communities to more permanent monasteries, but some monks like Simeon Stylites continued extreme isolation on pillars
  3. Living on pillars was a challenging lifestyle with atrophied legs, but it spread widely across the Middle East and was popular for a while before declining

A (NEW, TRUE) MEDIEVAL GHOST STORY

History, etc • 1081 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. A chronicler visits a French castle and encounters strange events and stories.
  2. The count of Foix has a mysterious ability to know things instantly, possibly thanks to a ghost named Orton.
  3. Raymond, a lord from a neighboring land, strikes a deal with the ghost Orton, leading to unexpected consequences.

Rats!

Wrong Side of History • 527 implied HN points • 27 Jan 25
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. The Black Death, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, spread through fleas that lived on black rats. These rats were common in medieval cities and facilitated the disease's transmission to humans.
  2. Symptoms of the plague could vary, with bubonic plague being the most common form, marked by painful swellings or buboes in the body. Other forms like pneumonic and septicaemic plague had even higher fatality rates.
  3. The historical records show that the plague has struck multiple times through history, leading to massive fatalities and changes in society due to the horrors it inflicted.

Time Off in Old Times

Maximum Progress • 314 implied HN points • 26 Oct 23
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. Medieval peasants had more time off due to frequent breaks, long holidays, and seasonal slow downs in paid farm labor.
  2. Comparing work hours between medieval and modern times may not be accurate as the nature of work and leisure is different.
  3. Historia Civilis' analysis overlooks the harsh realities of medieval life, including torture by landlords and mandatory household chores.

2025 Book Club Hangout (Transcript)

Breaking Smart • 23 implied HN points • 24 Dec 25
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. Modernity began earlier than commonly assumed—starting around 1200—and by about 1600 it had taken root in some places while remaining unevenly distributed across the world.
  2. Wider information flows—printing, trade, archives, and the ability to compare texts and ideas—were the main engines that made people more reality-focused and drove intellectual and institutional change.
  3. A new postmodern phase is emerging as complexity outpaces centralized control, producing bottom-up adaptations (underground economies, social media hacks, informal governance), and this may follow a multi-century cycle after modernity’s rise.

2.2 Early & Medieval Physics

Fields & Energy • 179 implied HN points • 27 Dec 23
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. The Ptolemaic model explained how planets move in terms of circles and smaller orbits called epicycles. This model was clever, even though it was eventually replaced by simpler ideas in science.
  2. During the Middle Ages, many people thought that science was stuck, but some scholars made important contributions and kept the spirit of experimentation alive, especially figures like Albertus Magnus and Roger Bacon.
  3. The study of more complex shapes, like conic sections, was overlooked for a long time. Eventually, scholars at places like Oxford started to explore motion more deeply and share their findings across Europe.

Love in the medieval world

Wrong Side of History • 612 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. Medieval ideas of love were heavily tied to social status and arranged marriages; noble marriages were often for financial or dynastic reasons, not love.
  2. The Catholic Church's emphasis on consent in marriage was revolutionary, allowing individuals to marry by choice rather than parental arrangement.
  3. The Church's rules on cousin marriage and restrictions on marrying relatives promoted individualism by breaking down extended family structures, paving the way for modern ideas of romantic freedom.

Shorts for January

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 671 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. In Finland, support for joining NATO increased over the years, leading to eventual membership in 2023.
  2. Winston Churchill's father expressed disappointment and criticism towards him, revealing a strained relationship.
  3. The student protests in Paris in 1968 reflected a rejection of societal norms and an influence of Situationism.

Plagued Again

Diane Francis • 479 implied HN points • 23 Dec 21
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. The Black Death was a major pandemic that hit Europe in 1348, causing massive deaths. It spread through fleas and rats, showing how important hygiene is in preventing disease.
  2. In response to the plague's recurrence in the 1600s, people used primitive methods like quarantining the sick. This shows how societies have tried to control outbreaks even with limited knowledge.
  3. Marking houses with red crosses symbolized the danger of disease and isolation. This historical practice reflects the ongoing struggle to manage public health crises.

On the Geography of Hell

Autoscriptorium • 19 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
đź“š Literature Medieval
  1. Certain human principles like justice may seem inevitable, and there is a satisfaction in poetic justice.
  2. Dante's _Commedia_ intricately weaves together theology, history, and philosophy, creating a unique map of Hell and a spiritual journey.
  3. The medieval model of the universe, as seen in Dante's work, portrays Earth at the center surrounded by celestial spheres, demonstrating a cosmic order and divine influence.

The Jester of Death

Marlene’s Newsletter • 4 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. Tom Skelton was a jester at Muncaster Castle, but he had a dark side. He sometimes directed travelers to their doom, showing his cruel nature.
  2. Tom was involved in a murder plot, killing a carpenter to please a nobleman. This act led to tragedy for many people, especially the nobleman's love interest.
  3. After his death, strange happenings at the castle continued, and his ghost is said to haunt the place, making it a site for eerie stories.

Shrewd Monk, Stubborn Emperor (Part IV)

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 15 Apr 24
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. Gregory VII's ex-communication of Heinrich IV and the Italian archbishops weakened the ecclesiastical support for the German monarch in northern Italy during the Investiture Controversy.
  2. Heinrich IV strategically sought redemption from Gregory VII's ex-communication, leveraging the pope's priestly obligation to allow him to seek forgiveness and restore his power within the Church and kingdom.
  3. The Investiture Controversy between Gregory VII and the German emperors ended with no clear resolution on who was supreme, showing the failure of medieval theocracy and highlighting the complexity of political and religious power struggles.

Shrewd Monk, Stubborn Emperor (Part III)

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 15 Apr 24
đź’ľ History Medieval
  1. The conflict between the Pope and the Emperor didn't stem from lay investiture, but from the papacy seeking influence over Northern Italy and opposing German Emperor's claims.
  2. Subinfeudation was a common political challenge in medieval monarchies, where nobility could claim control over lands, weakening the central monarch's power.
  3. Excommunicating a monarch, as Gregory VII did with Heinrich IV, was a potent political tool at the time, affecting the monarch's legitimacy and support.