Medieval Courts & Dynasties

Dynastic marriages, courtly culture, feasts, and power politics from the Plantagenets to the Valois dukes of Burgundy.

Articles on Medieval Courts & Dynasties (9)

Medieval World

Chivalric Rivalry and the Cultivation of Courtly Virtue in 14th-Century Aragon

Chivalric rivalry in 14th-century Aragon shaped courtly virtue, noble conduct, and power politics during a...

Medieval World

Marriage Alliances and Court Politics in the House of York, 1450–1485

How marriage alliances shaped court politics in the House of York between 1450 and 1485, fueling factional...

Medieval World

The Plantagenet Matrimonial Web: Dynastic Marriages and Anglo-French Politics, 1152–1234

How Plantagenet dynastic marriages from 1152 to 1234 bound England and France together, driving alliances,...

Medieval World

The Court Entertainers of Medieval Burgundy: Culture, Power, and Performance under the Valois Dukes

Discover how entertainers at the Burgundian court shaped culture and wielded political power during the reign...

Medieval World

Courtly Banquets and Culinary Diplomacy: The Role of Food in Capetian France, 1100–1250

Capetian court banquets turned food into an instrument of political authority, social hierarchy, and diplomacy...

Medieval World

Noblewomen as Patrons: The Artistic and Spiritual Legacy of Eleanor of Aquitaine’s Courts

Eleanor of Aquitaine's patronage reshaped the artistic, literary and spiritual life of the courts of France...

Medieval World

What Did Kings Eat? Feasts, Power and Food in Medieval England

Medieval royal banquets were political theatre. What English kings really ate, and how feasts displayed power,...

Medieval World

Power and Politics in 15th Century Navarre: The Kingdom’s Struggles for Survival in a Turbulent Medieval Europe

How the Kingdom of Navarre survived the 15th century between Castile, Aragon and France, and how dynastic...

Medieval World

The 1177 Crisis in the Kingdom of Sicily: William II’s Struggle to Secure Authority

How the young King William II held the multicultural Norman Kingdom of Sicily together through the crisis of...

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