Welcome to 2021!

This first issue of the New Year looks at crime and punishment and how medieval society dealt with lawbreakers, deviant behavior, and the meting out of justice. Nobody escaped the long arm of the law, be it mouse, cow, pig, or man – what spurred the bizarre spate of animal trials in the Middle Ages? On to Iceland and Njal’s Saga to cover the theme of law, revenge, and familial justice. Man or myth? What is the truth behind the wild stories surrounding Vlad the Impaler? For those with a roving eye, we explore humiliation as a form of punishment with the French tradition of ‘The Running’ of adulterers. Last but not least, we trace the history of Byzantine codification from the time of Justinian up to the ninth century. Outside of the theme, we see how the fearsome Samurai beat back the Mongol invasions, and we contrast monasticism in medieval Iceland with monastic life on the Continent.

Happy New Year!