This paper discusses the role of ‘towns’ in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on insights from the discipline of archaeology. How did the Chronicle depict... Show moreThis paper discusses the role of ‘towns’ in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on insights from the discipline of archaeology. How did the Chronicle depict these places? Can we discern changes over time? Through an analysis of the Chronicle texts as a living set of documents, the paper comments both on the role of ‘towns’ in early medieval England and on the function of the Chronicle in contemporary society. It concludes that ‘towns’ in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle existed between material reality and literary topos: their physicality carried as much symbolism as their literary depictions. Show less
Historians have hypothesised that the increase of medical knowledge in the early modern period led to a shift away from religious towards ‘scientific’ explanations and prophylactic measures. The... Show moreHistorians have hypothesised that the increase of medical knowledge in the early modern period led to a shift away from religious towards ‘scientific’ explanations and prophylactic measures. The writings of contemporaries belonging to the ‘middling’ ranks of society tell a different story. This chapter presents a long-term perspective on how 104 non-medical experts coped with and reflected upon epidemics in the Low Countries. By using the corpus of the Chronicling Novelty project, I demonstrate that the middling sort used both religious and non-religious practices side-by-side. I show that between 1500 and 1850, natural explanations became more detailed and complex, but they remained in service of, or subordinate to, divine explanations. Moreover, although the idea of an angry and vengeful God was never far away, the notion of a benevolent God gained prominence in the seventeenth century. Show less
This article considers the Dutch translation of the section on the emperors of Martin of Opava's Chronicon in the so-called 'Berghse kroniekenhandschrift' within the Latin tradition of this text... Show moreThis article considers the Dutch translation of the section on the emperors of Martin of Opava's Chronicon in the so-called 'Berghse kroniekenhandschrift' within the Latin tradition of this text and the various ways in which it appeared in manuscripts produced in the Low Countries. Particular attention is awarded to the 'glocal' tendencies in these manuscripts: in the continuations the universal history of popes and emperors is complemented with local and regional events. Additionally, the structure of the Bergh manuscript is compared with similar multi-text manuscripts with Latin texts and Latin compilations. Show less
