I had the pleasure of writing a piece on medievalism for an exciting new project called Camedieval. For those not familiar with the terminology, medievalism is the study of how the medieval period is portrayed or thought of in more recent times and why. Camedieval, a project associated with CALM and GEMS at Cambridge University, seeks to make medievalism relevant to the wider public. It’s still a very new project and I’m honored to be one of the first authors to contribute.
My article is about how modern political and social discourse in the UK, Ireland, and the US still relies on shorthands derived from the early medieval rulers of England. It’s called “Epithets, Legends, and Lessons: Early English Royalty and the 21st Century” and it talks about how we still use names and legends attached to kings who lived a thousand years ago — the story of Alfred and the cakes, the legend about Cnut and the waves, and the nickname “Unready.”
Be sure to stop by Camedieval and check it out, and follow them for more medievalism posts.
Brandon M. Bender 