Musings on the Apparent Prejudices of ASC Manuscript D By Eleanore Debs Entry for 1066, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Manuscript D “In this year Harold came from York to Westminster at the Easter following the Christmas that the king died, and Easter was then on 16 April. Then all over England there was seen a sign in the skies such as had never been seen before. Some said it was the star ‘comet’ which some call the star with hair; and it first appeared on the eve of the Great Litany, that is 24 April, and so shone all the week. "And soon after this came Earl Tostig from overseas into the Isle of Wig ..read more

In What Ways Did Access Reflect Questions of Status and Power in Early Modern European Palaces? By Eleanore Debs Access to the prince was of axiomatic significance to both the courtiers and the diplomats of Early Modern Europe. Not only did increased access to the prince imply a level of intimacy or favour, in itself conveying status upon the recipient, but in controlling access the prince could both elevate and demote the perception of an ambassador or courtier’s status at will. As is especially clear in the case of ambassadors, therefore, the regulation of access, and thereby status, reflec ..read more

A closer look at the narrative of William the Conqueror's ascension to the English throne By Eleanore Debs It is apparent to the historian from the surviving Norman sources available to us that the legality of William’s claim to the throne of England was important to him and to the Normans, as it is alluded to if not explicitly justified in every single source. The aim of this article, therefore, is to assess the extent to which the Norman accounts of William’s claim are correct, and thus determine the legality of his claim to England. The chronological time frame provided, on the whole, by N ..read more

A Romano-Visigothic Renewal or a Lament to an Umayyad past? By Eleanore Debs The Great Mosque of Córdoba was completed in four major campaigns of construction, begun under Abd al-Rahman I in 785 and finished over two centuries later by Al-Mansur in 988. Nevertheless, al-Rahman I’s original design was continued and developed by his successors. This can be seen most clearly in the hypostyle prayer hall, where the horseshoe arches, the double-tiered arcades and the alternating red and white voussoirs are constant throughout. Through these aspects of the Mosque in particular, it is possible to ob ..read more

New York, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.644 By Eleanore Debs What is the Morgan Beatus? The Morgan Beatus is a tenth century illustrated manuscript of the Commentarius in Apocalypsin, a work by the cleric Beatus in the late eighth century that inspired over forty-one known illustrated manuscripts throughout the Middle Ages. Although Beatus’s original manuscript no longer exists, his Commentary is known to us through these copies, and is essentially a discourse on the Apocalypse as revealed in the Book of Revelation.[1] In the Morgan Beatus, as in the other surviving manuscripts of the ..read more

Cultural tolerance and cohabitation By Eleanore Debs By the time that Sicily came under Norman rule in the eleventh century, its population undoubtedly reflected it diverse cultural history. However, the extent to which Sicily served as a multicultural melting-pot, or as a place of convivencia, remains the subject of scholarly debate. As this essay will demonstrate, the Norman appropriation of Islamic and Byzantine customs, as well as artistic motifs, presents an image of cultural assimilation that suggests that Sicily was indeed a multicultural melting-pot. This does not, however, necessaril ..read more

Cultural Barrier or Cultural Gateway? By Eleanore Debs While there are many ways to approach a question concerning medieval frontiers, and, as David Abulafia emphasises, there are many different types of frontier to consider, this article will focus primarily on the frontiers between Latin Christendom and the East (namely, in this period, Islam).[1] In assessing the extent to which such frontiers served as either cultural barriers or gateways, the most obvious point of sustained cultural interaction worth consideration is Iberia, followed closely by Sicily. A Cultural Barrier? In the ‘frontie ..read more

In What Ways Did Access Reflect Questions of Status and Power in Early Modern European Palaces? By Eleanore Debs Access to the prince was of axiomatic significance to both the courtiers and the diplomats of Early Modern Europe. Not only did increased access to the prince imply a level of intimacy or favour, in itself conveying status upon the recipient, but in controlling access the prince could both elevate and demote the perception of an ambassador or courtier’s status at will. As is especially clear in the case of ambassadors, therefore, the regulation of access, and thereby status, reflec ..read more

New York, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.644 By Eleanore Debs What is the Morgan Beatus? The Morgan Beatus is a tenth century illustrated manuscript of the Commentarius in Apocalypsin, a work by the cleric Beatus in the late eighth century that inspired over forty-one known illustrated manuscripts throughout the Middle Ages. Although Beatus’s original manuscript no longer exists, his Commentary is known to us through these copies, and is essentially a discourse on the Apocalypse as revealed in the Book of Revelation.[1] In the Morgan Beatus, as in the other surviving manuscripts of the ..read more

Art as a Display of Power in Early Modern Europe By Eleanore Debs Commissioned by Pope Alexander VII and thought to have been completed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1666, the Scala Regia is a central part of the ceremonial entrance to the Apostolic Palace. Notably, the staircase features a decorative arched entrance and a narrowing, colonnaded ascent, and at its base stands Bernini’s sculpture of The Vision of Constantine, completed in 1670. The staircase leads to the Sala Regia, used for the reception of royal ambassadors and European princes. The Scala Regia fulfils a practical function whils ..read more