Richard III Society

Cut-price Magna Carta ‘copy’ now believed genuine

Published on May 16, 2025 by r3waLeave a comment

A manuscript once considered an unofficial copy of Magna Carta is now believed to be a genuine version and ”one of the world’s most valuable documents”, according to UK academics.

Harvard Law School paid $27.50 (then about £7) for it in 1946 and for years it has remained tucked away in its library, its true identity unknown.

But two medieval history professors have concluded it is an extraordinarily rare and lost original Magna Carta from 1300, in the reign of King Edward I, that could be worth millions.

Royal Danish Library Treasures

Published on April 16, 2025 by r3waLeave a comment

Denmark’s ultra-modern library hides a treasury of rare, unique books.

Standing along Copenhagen’s waterfront is the Black Diamond, a Neomodernist complex completed in 1999 as part of the Royal Danish Library. It houses numerous public facilities in addition to the library, and one of its hidden gem is the Treasury. Read more ….

Voynich Manuscript

Published on January 18, 2024December 3, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

Many call the fifteenth-century codex, commonly known as the “Voynich Manuscript,” the world’s most mysterious book. Written in an unknown script by an unknown author, the manuscript has no clearer purpose now than when it was rediscovered in 1912 by rare books dealer Wilfrid Voynich. The manuscript appears and disappears throughout history, from the library of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to a secret sale of books in 1903 by the Society of Jesus in Rome. Beinecke.Library

6 ingredients for a memorable medieval feast

Published on December 27, 2023December 3, 2023 by r3wa1 Comment

In 1491, Ercole I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara in northern Italy, threw a feast for his son’s wedding. Among the highlights of this culinary extravaganza was a series of elaborately designed sugar sculptures. HistoryExtra.com

To Pay Rent in Medieval England, Catch Some Eels

Published on December 19, 2023December 3, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

John Wyatt Greenlee, a medieval historian focusing on cartography, never intended to become the “Surprised Eel Historian,” as he dubs himself on Twitter. AtlasObscura.com

In 11th-century England, people used more than half a million eels in rental payments. Album/Alamy Stock Photo

Medieval warfare: five deceptive ways to win a battle

Published on December 11, 2023December 3, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

1. Pretend to run away… then attack

2. Play dead (and keep a rotting chicken handy)

3. Don a disguise before storming the battlefield

4. Strike when the enemy’s sleeping

5. Make agreements with your fingers crossed

Listen to a version of this article from History Extra

The Broomway, Essex.

Published on December 3, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

A perilous medieval road leading right into the sea.

The Broomway is a centuries-old footpath which begins as a rickety causeway at Wakering Stairs and, at high tide, abruptly disappears into the sea. There is evidence the path has been around since 1419 and was the only access to Foulness Island before a road bridge was built in 1932. AtlasObscura.com

The Broomway at high tide. Julieanne Savage

The Wall of Philip II Augustus

Published on September 20, 2023August 22, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

Sandwiched by typical Parisian townhouses, the remains of the late 12th-century city wall stands largely forgotten and little appreciated. It’s one of the few remnants of medieval Paris, built on the orders of Philip II Augustus to defend the city from the Plantagenet forces in his absence while he was away for the Third Crusade. AtlasObscura.com

A portion of the wall, rue de Jardins St Paul

‘Like blood, then turned into darkness’: how medieval manuscripts link lunar eclipses, volcanoes and climate change

Published on September 14, 2023August 22, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

The researchers compiled hundreds of records of lunar eclipses from across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, documenting 187 eclipses between 1100 and 1300.

In particular, they searched for descriptions that provided information on the brightness and colour of the Moon during the eclipse. Most of these turned out to be from European monks or clerics, writing in Latin.

Based on these descriptions, the researchers ranked the colour and brightness of the Moon reported in each total eclipse. The brighter the eclipse, the clearer the atmosphere at the time: darker eclipses indicated a higher level of aerosol particles in the upper atmosphere – a marker of recent volcanic activity. TheConversation.com

The Mystery Manuscript Found in a Used Copy of ‘Alice in Wonderland’

Published on August 29, 2023August 22, 2023 by r3waLeave a comment

When a strange document appeared in her shop, an Australian bookseller turned detective.

The top of the document had been cut into a zig-zag, and below that were tight lines of handwriting, in a language didn’t look quite like English. And the document, Smith says, didn’t feel like paper, but rougher, like some sort of parchment. She couldn’t read most of the writing, but at the bottom were recognizable numbers—1583. AtlasObscura.com

The front of the document. Lorraine Smith