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  1. #11

    Understanding Medieval History Helps

    On RPG games that deal with medieval times, it can greatly help your success by understanding more of the details of Medieval history.

  2. #12
    Senior Member Jaleela's Avatar
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    Books on Medieval Crime, Punishment, and Law

    Having a break in my grad work, I've focused on adding some spice to the legal codes of my campaign.

    Books:
    • The Medieval Origins of the Legal Profession: Canonists, Civilians, and Courts by James A. Brundage
    • The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager
    • By Sword and Fire: Cruelty and Atrocity in Medieval Warfare by Sean McGlynn
    • Sanctuary and Crime in the Middle Ages, 400-1500 (Just Ideas: Transformative Ideals of Justice in Ethical and Politcal Thought) by Karl Shoemaker
    • Imprisonment in Medieval England by Ralph Bernard Pugh
    • The Humiliation of Sinners: Public Penance in Thirteenth-Cent​ury France
      by Mary C. Mansfield
    • The Interdict in the Thirteenth Century: A Question of Collective Guilt by Peter D. Clarke
    • Inquisition and Medieval Society: Power, Discipline, and Resistance in Languedoc
      by James Buchanan Given
    • A History of Medieval Heresy and Inquisition by Jennifer Kolpacoff Deane
    • Medieval Canon Law by James A. Brundage
    • The Consumption of Justice: Emotions, Publicity, and Legal Culture in Marseille, 1264-1423 by Daniel Lord Smail
    • Crime in Medieval Europe 1200-1550 by Trevor Dean
    • Captivity and Imprisonment in Medieval Europe, C. 1000-C. 1300 by Jean Dunbabin
    • The Medieval Prison: A Social History by Guy Geltner (focuses on Italian prisons)
    • Crime and Justice in Late Medieval Italy by Trevor Dean
    • Medieval Crime and Social Control (Medieval Cultures) by Barbara A. Hanawalt
    • The Criminal Trial in Later Medieval England by J.G. Bellamy
    • Crime, Law and Society in the Later Middle Ages by Anthony Musson, Edward Powell


    Movies:
    Luther (2003)
    Joseph Fiennes as Martin Luther
    This was a nicely put together film about Martin Luther and had a really nice flavor for the 16th century. Does a nice depiction of how a monk can agitate or become a popular hero, or start a potential holy war, though Luther himself was not a proponent of Holy War, even at a time when the Ottoman Turks were threatening Germany with invasion, he viewed them as the scourge of God to punish the people.

    The Advocate (1993/2003)
    Colin Firth
    Interesting case of a lawyer in 15th century Paris defending a pig. (Yes, animals could be tried for crimes.) this movie was less about the trying of the pig, though it does open with a fellow and his "she ass" on the gallows for "misconduct". There are a few different crimes happening from heresy to murder to a lovely twist at the end that the "witch" predicts. It's a bit earthy and there's no real "action" to speak of, but it does give a flavor of a small medieval village.
    Last edited by Jaleela; 08-31-2011 at 04:36 PM. Reason: added some details about the movies.
    d'estre bons et leaulx amis et vrais ensemble et de servir l'un 'autre envers et contre tous

  3. #13
    Site Moderator Sorontar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jaleela View Post
    The Advocate (1993/2003)
    Colin Firth
    Interesting case of a lawyer in 15th century Paris defending a pig. (Yes, animals could be tried for crimes.)
    And I think witchcraft.

    For Cerilia I guess the claim would be that your pig has the Blood of Azrai and it tried to harm my innocent daughter and infect her!

    Sorontar
    Sorontar
    Information Communication ILLUMINATION!!

  4. #14
    Senior Member Jaleela's Avatar
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    In defense of the white boar that put an end to the former King of Rohrmarch. ;-)

    The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals by E.P. Evans
    Last edited by Jaleela; 08-26-2011 at 12:41 PM. Reason: added a book on the prosecution of animals for crimes.
    d'estre bons et leaulx amis et vrais ensemble et de servir l'un 'autre envers et contre tous

  5. #15
    For those that are fluent in French, "Les Rois Maudits" from Maurice Druon, either the TV miniseries from the 70's or the book.

    Also, you can subscribe to your local SCA chapter and you will then have WAY too much information for what you can process.

    The Book of the Courtier, by Baldassare Castiglione. You get an insider's view of the life of a Courtier and what one has to do to become good at it. A bit late for BR, but you get the mindset. Written between 1508 and 1528.
    Last edited by sperigny101; 09-01-2011 at 04:23 AM.

  6. #16
    Site Moderator AndrewTall's Avatar
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    Personally I quite liked the TV series 'Brother Cadfael' I am no scholar to know how accurate it was but it had a very interesting feel to it and gave me several campaign ideas.

  7. #17
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    At 02:05 PM 9/5/2011, AndrewTall wrote:

    >Personally I quite liked the TV series `Brother Cadfael` I am no
    >scholar to know how accurate it was but it had a very interesting
    >feel to it and gave me several campaign ideas.

    That show had the occasional good adventure ideas for a BR campaign too....

    Gary

  8. #18
    Ehrshegh of Spelling Thelandrin's Avatar
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    The Cadfael novels are excellent. Just reading them is frequently an education in mediaeval law and culture!

    Ius Hibernicum, in nomine juris. Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

  9. #19
    Senior Member Jaleela's Avatar
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    I had forgotten about Brother Cadfael series, it's been awhile since I've looked at them. They always struck me as giving the proper look and feel, and the history was pretty decent. They're very good for adventure seeds.

    Sharon Kay Penman has a number of Medieval mysteries as well that are pretty decent.
    d'estre bons et leaulx amis et vrais ensemble et de servir l'un 'autre envers et contre tous

  10. #20
    Senior Member Jaleela's Avatar
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    For a personal research project, I've been focused recently on Medicinals, Magic, Alchemy, and Astrology. Some titles of interest:

    Unlocked Books: Manuscripts of Learned Magic in the Medieval Libraries of Central Europe (Magic in History) by Benedek Láng

    According to popular lore, magicians of the Middle Ages were trained in the art of magic in "magician schools" located in various metropolitan areas, such as Naples, Athens, and Toledo. It was common knowledge that magic was learned and that cities had schools designed to teach the dark arts. The Spanish city of Toledo, for example, was so renowned for its magic training schools that "the art of Toledo" was synonymous with "the art of magic".
    Magic in Medieval Manuscripts by Sophie Page is a quick introduction to the subject with some interesting color images and descriptions, many of which I haven't seen before.

    Astrology in Medieval Manuscripts by Sophie Page. Another quick introduction to a subject. Informative, yet short.

    The Middle English `Boke of Stones' by George R. Keiser. Basically a treatise of a working paper on the virtues and magical qualities of stones.

    Alchemical Symbols: Tables Of Alchemical Symbols And Gematria With A Glossary Of Latin Terms by Philip Wheeler

    A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery by Lyndy Abraham

    Medicine and Society In Later Medieval England by Carole Rawcliffe. Though if you have easy access to healers and clerics...not as necessary in a magical campaign.

    Different topic of potential nterest:
    Art of Falconry; Being the De Arte Venandi cum Avibus of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen by Frederick Second of Hohenstaufen, et al.
    Very nice study by an early Renaissance man on the care, training, and use of birds of prey. Based on observation of nature rather than using any of what many modern folks consider "superstitious" aspects. One I found particularly interesting was the right and wrong way to mount your horse with a falcon on your glove.
    d'estre bons et leaulx amis et vrais ensemble et de servir l'un 'autre envers et contre tous

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