Savoiardi biscuits You would have never thought that Savoiardi, the famous biscuits also used for the preparation of many homemade desserts, date back to the Middle Ages? To be precise, at the end of the 14th century and the name derives from that of House of Savoy ( see also https://www.
Portrait of Louis IX What he really died of Louis IX, king of France became, after the canonization, San Luigi ? As is known, he died under the walls of Tunis after the eighth crusade suffering from an unspecified disease ( see also https://www.pilloledistoria.it/4256/storia-antica/ales
Portrait of Ladislao I of Naples How Ladislao I di Napoli really died , called the Magnanimous ? Was he the victim of an illness, as the official version wants, or of a murder with risqué? Officially the cause of the premature death was a prostate infection, probably due to his well-
Part of the Jewish cemetery found in Bologna An archaeological discovery important and certainly unexpected has recently concerned Bologna, where the Jewish city cemetery was unearthed , which with its 408 burials it is, so far, the largest in Italy. After having been for about 200 years
A page of The Forme of Cury, a medieval English cookbook (1390) from which the recipe for Fruit Croquettes reported in the post is taken The cooking recipe which I report in this post is taken from The Forme of Cury , the most important medieval English cookbook (first publication 139
A typical medieval public bath, actually a place of prostitution How prostitution in the Middle Ages was seen ? In principle very bad, but in fact much less. sexuality out of wedlock it was considered sinful and therefore always wrong, but with the passage of time we became more tolerant (
Burning of witches In the Middle Ages witches were burning. Everyone takes it for granted, but the truth is different. In reality, there are many clichés, beliefs and myths to dispel about the Middle Ages (and not only) and this is just one of the most widespread. How are things really,
The ius primae noctis, contrary to what many believe, was only a tax due to the lord What really was ius primae noctis ? On this rule in force for much of the medieval era , it gets a bit confusing. Most of the people, if questioned about it, respond confidently that it did nothing but s
Dracula in a 1931 film adaptation The disturbing Count Dracula is the protagonist of the eponymous Gothic novel by Bram Stoker , published in 1897, therefore he is a literary character , moreover of great luck (who does not know him?). However, the writer, to outline the physical and chara
897:Synod of the corpse. Pope Formosus is found guilty during a post mortem trial One can imagine something more grotesque than a one trial dead ? In the Middle Ages this also happened. The event went down in history as the synod of the corpse ”And was set up for Papa Formoso , who
Charlemagne Despite the high rank, Charlemagne he had rather simple tastes, even in clothing . Eginardo, secretary of the sovereign, informs us in detail about it, writing the following: “She wore the national costume of the Franks:in contact with his body she wore a linen shirt and line
Portrait of the Emperor Charlemagne. The monarch had an exceptional physique The Emperor Charlemagne , according to the chronicles of the time, he had an extraordinary physique, quite common at that time (https://www.pilloledistoria.it/1490/medioevo/laltissimo-carlo-magno). A detailed portrait
The drawing depicts Charlemagne with one of his most famous wives, Ermengarda. The monarch was an unrepentant womanizer Charlemagne , king of the Franks and a highly skilled politician, had a rather turbulent private life and he was, as attested by the sources, an unrepentant womanizer . T
Wine in the Middle Ages In the Middle Ages wine and beer flowed in rivers. A sober period par excellence, the so-called middle age however, it was not such in the consumption of alcohol, which were drunk daily with greed and pleasure by people of all ages and walks of life. From this
Joan of Arc, also known as the Maid of Orleans in the only contemporary portrait that has come down to us By Joan of Arc , the brave Maid of Orleans condemned to the stake for heresy in 1431 (https://www.pilloledistoria.it/7340/medioevo/la-morte-di-giovanna-darco-secondo-un-testimone-oculare
Joan of Arc in prison (from a film) On the five months of imprisonment that Joan of Arc he lived in a cell of the castle of Rouen from the very beginning of the trial that finally led to the stake, we have received several testimonies, all agree in reporting severe and often too harsh condit
A market from many centuries ago During the Middle Ages the market it was a place for shopping, but also for meetings and socializing, as people from all social strata met there. Rich and poor, men and women, young and old, all looking for bargains, made medieval markets crowded and lively p
A typical medieval house. Usually the houses, in the Middle Ages, were on two floors How a medieval house was made ? An unambiguous and precise answer to this question cannot be given, as there were significant differences from one place to another and even within the same city, but in princ
Fruit and vegetable market in the Middle Ages In the Middle Ages the market A famous fresco provides us with an idea of how it unfolded and the ferment that animated it. located in the Issogne Castle (Aosta Valley), which you can admire in the attached image, depicting a fruit and vegeta
A medieval “cheesemaker” (engraving by Tacuinum Sanitatis) The cheese it is an ancient food, even prehistoric (https://www.pilloledistoria.it/9672/preistoria/preistoria-la-scoperta-del-formaggio), but the profession of cheese maker , intended as cheese seller, it was established only in medi
Does the Amber Room still exist or did it burn down during the British attack on Królewiec in 1944? After World War II, there were witnesses who said that they saw the burned remains of the treasure for themselves ... Following Badowski, we will quote excerpts from two letters, the content of wh
Medieval cuisine. The croutons of bread and leeks were Christmas but not only From the sguardosulmedioevo.org site, I report a medieval Christmas recipe which can easily find space on the table even today. To make toasted bread with leeks: Take the white of the leeks and cut it finely, boil i
Personal hygiene in the 1700s (painting by Francois Boucher). In Versailles there were toilets, but they were practically never used As is known, at the palace of Versailles the apparent splendor actually concealed an unimaginable dirt, both of the environments and of the people who lived ther
The Korean War (1950-1953) went down in history as a long and bloody conflict that ended in an uncertain compromise. In October 1950, however, nothing indicated such a development. After several difficult months, the Americans took over all of South Korea and 90% of North Korea. And they would proba