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Read about Middle Ages on new Leiden research blog

The Middle Ages are becoming increasingly more popular: just look at the popularity of such ‘medievalist’ TV series as Game of Thrones and Vikings, and let’s not forget popular re-enactments of medieval battles. Leiden University is home to many specialists of this fascinating period and this new blog will allow them to share their insights.

On Friday 13 October, the first three articles of the “Leiden Medievalists Blog” were published online. Researchers from various disciplines work together to post regular articles on a variety of medieval subjects.

Visit the blog now!

A blog for all Leiden medievalists

Marlisa den Hartog, PhD student at the History Department and one of the initiators of the Leiden Medievalists Blog, explains the purpose of the new platform: “The aim of the Leiden Medievalists Blog is to expand the knowledge about the Middle Ages by communicating research to a broader audience both in- and outside academia. The Middle Ages are becoming increasingly more popular: just look at the popularity of such ‘medievalist’ TV series as Game of Thrones and Vikings, and let’s not forget popular re-enactments of medieval battles. Leiden University is home to many specialists of this fascinating period and the blog will allow them to share their insights. Our bloggers come from various disciplines, including History, Art History, Archeology, Book History, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Dutch Language and Culture, German Language and Culture, and Middle Eastern Studies.”

Walking Dead, Lucky Pigs, and Knights Templar

On Friday 13 October, the Leiden Medievalists Blog will officially be launched. To mark the occasion, three blogposts will be published at once, one by each of the initiators. Their titles, “The walking dead. Fear of the supernatural in the Italian novella” (by Den Hartog), “Lucky pigs and protective boars: The medieval origins of the Glücksschwein” (by Thijs Porck) and “Wat hebben de Tempeliers met Vrijdag de 13e te maken?” (“What is the connection between the Knights Templar and Friday the 13th?”; by Jerem van Duijl), reflect the diversity of research on the Middle Ages at Leiden University. 

After the launch, many new articles by various specialists are scheduled to appear. Den Hartog: “Our goal is to publish a new article every two weeks. Of course, we welcome blogs from guest authors as well.  All Leiden researchers are invited to share their research on the Middle Ages as well as medievalisms via this blog. By including researchers from different backgrounds, we want to reflect the different angles from which the Middle Ages can be studied, and create a colorful panorama of all the remarkable, strange or familiar stories that the Middle Ages have to offer.”

Medieval Studies in Leiden

Apart from regular articles on a variety of medieval subjects, the Leiden Medievalists Blog provides an overview of the wide range of courses about the Middle Ages that Leiden University has to offer. From 2017-2018 onwards, the university has presented a new option for specialisation within existing master’s programmes,  “Medieval Studies”, which highlights the possibilities that students have for giving their master “a medieval twist”.

Master's programmes

If you would like to study MA courses in Medieval Studies and Early Modern Studies at Leiden, you should first enrol in one of these master’s programmes:

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