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The Medieval Scholar

@MedievalScholar

Apr 18

I’m frequently asked for book recommendations!

From great knights and kings to the dynasties that shaped entire kingdoms and the crusades.

Here are some of my favorite books. 🧵📚

(Bookmark this for later)

Henry V by Dan Jones.

It is no secret that King Henry V of England is my favorite monarch of the Middle Ages and Dan Jones writes an amazing comprehensive biography on England’s greatest warrior king.

Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

The Arthurian legends and the knights of the roundtable is what sparked my love for the Middle Ages and this book comprises Malory’s work with each tale accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

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The Medieval Scholar

@MedievalScholar

Apr 10

He was diagnosed with leprosy as a child. It was a certified death sentence.

Yet despite the odds, he went on to become one of Jerusalem's most remarkable rulers.

As legendary in death as he was in life, this is the story of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem.

The Leper King.

Note that unfortunately, despite looking very very cool. No, Baldwin IV did not wear a silver mask as depicted in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven."

There are no contemporary sources that support the idea of Baldwin wearing a facial covering, especially one depicted in the movie.

Baldwin was born in mid-1161 to Amalric, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon, and Agnes of Courtenay.

His godfather, King Baldwin III, joked that the Kingdom of Jerusalem was his christening gift. At the time, the kingdom was ruled by French-speaking Catholic Franks, despite being surrounded by Muslim states.

When Baldwin III died childless in 1163, Amalric became king, but only after annulling his marriage to Agnes due to noble opposition. Despite the annulment, Baldwin and his sister Sibylla were declared legitimate.

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The Medieval Scholar

@MedievalScholar

Mar 22

In the 15th century, England suffered a brutal struggle for the throne, as two rival houses plunged the kingdom into decades of war.

What ensued was a cycle of betrayals, shifting allegiances, and blood soaked battlefields.

This is the Wars of the Roses, a thread. 🧵

The Wars of the Roses refer to the dynastic civil wars between the houses of York and Lancaster. From the years 1455 to 1485 this conflict would ravage England, and precede the Tudor government.

Through the sons of Edward III, both houses made claims for the English throne.

Edward III had 5 sons who survived to adulthood, and as a result they were given duchies in the country. This ultimately led to the term of "Bastard Feudalism" coined in 1885 by Charles Plummer.

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The Medieval Scholar

@MedievalScholar

Mar 16

Saladin’s mighty Saracen host, marched in triumph but soon met an unexpected foe

King Baldwin IV, with his flesh rotting from leprosy, led his outnumbered knights in a charge.

Saladin's army is annihilated in what would be remembered as the Battle of Montgisard 🧵

In 1177, King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Philip of Alsace, who had recently arrived on pilgrimage, planned to form an alliance with the Eastern Roman Empire for a naval assault on Egypt. But these plans never ended up happening.

Instead, Philip chose to join Raymond III of Tripoli in an expedition against the Saracen stronghold of Harim in northern Syria.

Accompanying them was a large Crusader army, including the Knights Hospitaller and many Knights Templar.

As a result, the Kingdom of Jerusalem had few men to defend it back home.

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The Medieval Scholar

@MedievalScholar

Mar 12

He was born of noble blood but raised in purity. He surpassed all knights in virtue and skill.

He is Sir Galahad, the Grail Knight, the Sainted Champion of the Round Table.

Known forever as the perfect knight, untarnished and unwavering.

This is his story 🧵

Sir Galahad's story begins with the origins of his mythos.

Galahad's role in the Arthurian legend, particularly his quest for the Holy Grail, is a later addition to the mythos.

His character first emerges in the 13th century, within the "Lancelot-Grail" (Vulgate) Cycle, a series of Arthurian romances.

These stories expanded the legend and introduced new elements, with Galahad being a central figure in the Grail quest.

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The Medieval Scholar

@MedievalScholar

Mar 7

The banners of Christendom flew, a mighty coalition of French knights, Hungarian warriors, Burgundian lords and more marched against the expanding Ottomans.

In the ensuing Battle of Nicopolis, the forces of Sigismund would be almost annihilated.

This is the story 🧵

During the late 14th century, numerous small crusades were waged by individual kings and knights.

One of the most recent had been the failed 1390 crusade against Tunisia.

In Northern Europe, warfare along the Baltic coast continued, while in the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire had steadily expanded.

Following their victory at Kosovo in 1389, the Ottomans had taken most of the region and blockaded Constantinople from 1394 onward.

By 1393, the Ottomans had captured Nicopolis from the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Shishman, reducing him to a desperate position, while his brother, Ivan Stratsimir, became an Ottoman vassal in Vidin.

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