I've just finished a degree in Medieval Studies and I'd like to learn more about medieval PoC, as my course was pretty light on the subject. I love your blog and was wondering if you could recommend any good books or online resources. Thanks!
Thank you! Specifically, I’d recommend checking out both the Static Resources Page and the Resources tag, in which individual posts can explore the specific resources in more detail.
Some people like to quibble that some of the works i post aren’t *~*~medieval-y!*~*~ enough to “count”, which always makes me smile since I hardly plan to leave out works by the greats like Dürer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Bosch, Veronese, and the rest of your Art History 101 curriculum, which is is sore need of diversification and overly invested in arbitrary periodization. ;)
Some Medieval PoC of note you might be interested in include Sir Morien, the Black knight from Arthurian canon with very own entire romance; Illuminated Manuscripts and works in stained glass that depict the Queen of Sheba as a woman of color; the cult of Saint Maurice that gained popularity in Germany beginning around the 1200s and subsequent works and relics that depict him as a Black knight; Medieval European depiction of Jesus as a man of color in art and literature, Early modern global trade routes involving The Silk Road and Mansa Musa and the Trans-Saharan gold trade; Medieval European acknowledgements of christian allies in Ethiopia and Egypt, including the importance of the Prester John legends, and the history of diplomatic relationships and portraiture thereof.
That’s really just for starters, there are plenty more individuals, movements, and events that can capture the imagination of anyone interested in anything “medieval-y”! Best of luck down all your research rabbit-holes!
