Category Archives: Uncategorized

The York guilds sign up to produce plays

The full Corpus Christi production in York, England had a whopping 48 pageant-wagons with plays. There were records kept so that we know which organizations put on which plays, and when they petitioned to drop out, swap, or join, and … Continue reading

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Book includes medieval language samples!

This exciting student work/textbook explains how English changed through the medieval period. It even has a section with simple Anglo-Saxon man-on-the-street interviews so you can follow along and hear it spoken. A whole chapter each on the Danish migration and … Continue reading

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Sing the Brain Song!

Ellen’s Basement Workshop song to learn the parts of the brain!   “The Brain Song” (Digital Download)  

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Thaw, feed, serve: very old worms come back to life!

Worms are amazing creatures! These worms in Siberia were frozen thousands of years ago. In 2018, scientists took over 300 specimens and began carefully thawing them. Two of them came back to life! They began moving and looking for something … Continue reading

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Christian Egypt under Mamluk rule, 1382-1517

In earlier entries, you read about how the Mamluks, slaves raised to fight, became a ruling class with a complete bureaucracy as well as attempts to normalize into a hereditary monarchy. The Kipchak Turk Mamluks had their “Mafia” structure in … Continue reading

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Samarkand and the Math Emperor, 1405

Timur’s grandson Mohammed, son of Shah Rukh, was a huge nerd. It’s hard to be born into a notorious warlord’s family when you really just want to sit up at night in an observatory measuring the stars, or calculate Pi … Continue reading

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The Battle on the Ice: 1242

The Mongols had not touched the city-state of Novgorod, as it was just out of range to north and west. In this period, the region is known as the Novgorod Republic. Novgorod was ruled by a Prince who was appointed or … Continue reading

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Quia Maior and the Fifth Crusade, 1213-1215

The Fifth Crusade left a permanent mark on Roman Christendom, laying the foundation for the Protestant Reformation but even so, altering the way we look at serving in the church, even now. It was Pope Innocent III’s second attempt to … Continue reading

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The Children’s Crusade, 1212

If the Children’s Crusade took place, the year was 1212. Whatever happened, that was the year. Pope Innocent III had been preaching Crusade, and more Crusade, for years. He was promoting the Spanish Crusade, the Crusade against the Cathars, and … Continue reading

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The Spanish Crusade, 1212

During the Third Crusade’s years, power in Spain swung back in the Muslim direction, but by the time of the Fourth Crusade, the Christians were again ascendant. As in the Middle East, the key to not losing was to stop … Continue reading

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