Vatican Secret Archives

From the Telegraph:

A 13th-century letter from Genghis Khan’s grandson demanding homage from the pope is among a collection of documents from the Vatican’s Secret Archives that has been published for the first time.

The Holy See’s archives contain scrolls, parchments and leather-bound volumes with correspondence dating back more than 1,000 years.

High-quality reproductions of 105 documents, 19 of which have never been seen before in public, have now been published in a book. The Vatican Secret Archives features a papal letter to Hitler, an entreaty to Rome written on birch bark by a tribe of North American Indians, and a plea from Mary Queen of Scots.

Scotland: Medieval Celtic Psalter

From the Telegraph:

The pocket-sized book of psalms dates from the 11th century and has been described as Scotland's version of the celebrated Book of Kells in Dublin.

It contains hand-written psalms in Latin, with Celtic and Pictish illustrations of dragons and other “beasts” and is normally only available to scholars, although it was exhibited in 1967.

t is thought to have been produced at the monastery on the island of Iona and although the original binding has been lost, the script is clear and the text can still be read today.

The psalter will go on display in the main library at the University of Edinburgh for the next three months, with other items including an edition of Romeo and Juliet that was published during Shakespeare's lifetime.

A Little Bit of History

Just a few snippets of what's making news in the world of history:

From the Times Online:

A medieval book is to become the first item from a British national museum to be returned to its rightful owners under a new law governing looted artefacts.

The Benevento Missal, which was stolen from a cathedral in southern Italy soon after the Allies bombed the city during the Second World War, has been in the collection of the British Library (formerly the British Museum Library) since 1947. After a change in the law, it could be back in Italy within months, according to The Art Newspaper.

From BBC News:

A hoard of silver coins hidden in a Northamptonshire field during the Wars of the Roses has fetched more than £29,000 at auction.

The 186 coins, found in Brackley in 2005, were sold at Morton and Eden by the metal detector enthusiast who found them and the owner of the field.

It is thought they were hidden in the summer of 1465 by someone who went into hiding during the dynastic civil war.

From the Telegraph:

A copy of Edgar Allan Poe's first book fetched $662,500 at a Christie's auction in New York, smashing the previous record price for American literature.

The copy of "Tamerlane and Other Poems", published by Poe anonymously in 1827 when he was just 13, had been estimated to sell for between $500,000 and $700,000 (£ 302,000 to £442,000).

The Amazon

From BBC News:

A rare Jacobean manuscript of a play about women's liberation, which was found in a trunk at a castle, is expected to fetch £90,000 at auction.

The unknown play by Lord Edward Herbert was found during a valuation by auctioneers Bonhams at Powis Castle in Welshpool, Powys.

It is believed the play was to have been performed before James I and his court in 1618, but it was cancelled.

The manuscript of the play, called The Amazon, includes crossings out.

Bonhams said the play was about women's liberation, and "how well women would do without men" and "how useful divorce is".

Medieval Items of Interest

Hope you enjoy these little items of medieval interest:

Lost Renaissance Man @ BBC News:

A celebration is taking place to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of a Welshman who helped develop the idea of a British empire.

John Dee, a scholar who excelled in science and maths, delved into early Welsh history to identify a common identity for the Welsh and the English.

But, despite being dubbed the "Renaissance Man" of the Tudor era, his achievements have gone unremembered.

John Dee and his contemporary and fellow-magi, John Kelly (Kelley), spent some time under the patronage of the Habsburg Emperors at Prague.

Fr. Serra by Dan Krieger @ the Tribune

St. Francis of Assisi is probably the best known and most beloved of the medieval saints. Francis was born in 1181 during the age of the troubadours. His life quickly became the stuff that poets sang about. These stories about Francis and his band of “little brothers” was eventually written down. In medieval Italian, the most popular account is known as the “Fioretti” or “The Little Flowers of St. Francis.”

Medieval Travel Book @ BBC News

A 13th Century copy of a medieval travel writer's book has returned to Wales for the first time in 20 years to form part of an exhibition. Gerald of Wales trekked more than 500 miles (804.5km) in 1188, primarily to recruit soldiers for the third crusade in the Middle East. A copy of his "Journey through Wales" has been lent to The National Museum in Cardiff by The British Library.

Nuremburg Mahzor by Jen Thomas @ Associated Press

A rare Hebrew manuscript written in 14th century Germany is going on display for the first time, just before the Jewish New Year, Israel Museum officials said Wednesday. The text, called the Nuremberg Mahzor, is one of the largest surviving medieval texts in the world. Written in 1331 in Germany, the prayer book remains mostly intact — only seven of its original 528 leaves are missing. Officials said the 1,042-page manuscript will be on display at the Israel Museum starting next Tuesday, days before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year holiday, which begins Sept. 18.

Cambridge University Library: Online

From the Telegraph:

A treasure-trove of books that are more than 500 years old are to be catalogued online by the University of Cambridge.

The selection includes a 1455 copy of the Gutenberg Bible, the first book printed in Europe using movable metal type, and the first printed edition of Homer's works, from 1488.

Currently only a small selection of the university's 4,650-strong body of pre-1501 works are included in its Online Catalogue.

The Song of the Cid

The movie "El Cid" is one of my favourites - I have this "thing" for Charleton Heston.

Anyway, this article from Medieval News caught my eye and I thought you might enjoy reading it too - El Cid written by an Arab

"The medieval epic poem "El Cantar del Mio Cid" (The Song of the Cid), a Spanish-language account of the adventures of a warlord and nobleman during the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims, is not as Spanish as generally believed but instead was written by a Arab poet, a scholar says."

"Medieval Imagination"

The State Library of Victoria (Australia) is playing host over the next few months, to some of the world's most unique medieval manuscripts.

Manuscripts have been collected from the collections based at Cambridge University. Over 90 manuscripts will feature - coming from such places as England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The exhibition will feature five sections: The Bible, The Book and Church Services (Liturgical services and rituals), The Personal Prayer Book (Books of Hours and Psalters), The Book and Knowledge, and The Book and the Renaissance.

There will be featured talks, guided tours, medieval sacred music, and the medieval faire (20th April).

Carmel Bird from Melbourne's "The Age" newspaper has written an excellent article on this event: "Hundreds of years ago, hundreds of people, most of whom are unknown, worked for untold hundreds of hours to produce the texts, images and decorations and to construct the books that they formed ...... To move through the exhibits, to gaze at the glowing detail of the pages, can be to experience a kind of meditation. "

Visit: State Library of Victoria - Medieval Imagination