Medieval Word of the Day

Rights of warren: permission granted to a knight or baron to hunt small game in the royal forests, such as hares, conies, pheasants, partridges, etc.

(From the Lady and the Unicorn tapestry series, late 15th Century)

Medieval Word of the Day

Chase: a private forest not under royal forest law, or an area of the royal forest where a knight or baron had been granted permission to hunt big game, such as deer and boar.

Medieval Word of the Day

Blanchet: a very coarse woolen cloth.

Medieval Word of the Day

Prime: the second canonical hour of the Catholic Church, after which nuns might listen to readings from the scriptures or lives of the Saints; in 12th Century England, it could fall between 3:40-6:00 AM.

None: the fifth canonical hour of the Catholic Church, after which nuns might eat dinner while one of their number read to them from the scriptures or lives of the Saints; in 12th Century England, it could fall between 1:40-3:00 PM.

See canonical hour.

Medieval Word of the Day

Canonical hour: One of seven prayer times observed by the Catholic church during the Middle Ages. During the Equinox, the hours fell as follows:

Matins: 5:00 AM

Prime: 6:00 AM

Terce: 8:30 AM

Sext: 12:30 PM

None: 2:30 PM

Vespers: 5:00 PM

Compline: 7:00-8:00 PM

These times naturally varied throughout the year as the days accordingly grew longer or shorter. To read more about the canonical hours during various times of the year, visit Court Will Begin at Half-way Terce: Keeping Time in High Middle Ages.

Medieval Word of the Day

Relics: objects venerated as sacred from their association with a saint or martyr.

Reliquary: a container where relics are stored.

Many reliquaries were elaborately decorated. Here's one example of an early medieval reliquary dated from the 7th Century:

You can see another example that I shared with you in a previous post: What Am I Writing Now?

Medieval Word of the Day

Rosary: a Roman Catholic devotion consisting of a series of prayers spoken in a specific order; includes the Ave Maria and the Paternoster. Also a string of beads that helps the person praying keep track of the prayers.

(From the painting Medieval Pomanders with Rosary, 15th Century)

Medieval Word of the Day

Paternoster or Pater Noster: Latin words meaning “Our Father,” the first two words in the Lord’s Prayer, often prayed with the Catholic rosary. 

Medieval Word of the Day

Ave or Ave Maria: Latin words meaning "Hail Mary," from a prayer that begins, "Hail Mary, full of grace," often prayed with the Catholic rosary.

(Virgin Mary and Christ Child, ivory statuette, c. 1260-1280)

Medieval Word of the Day

It's time for a new Medieval Word of the Day series! These are all "new" words that I used in my medieval story, A Candlelight Courting: A Short Christmas Romance.

Let's begin alphabetically with the Apostles' Creed: a statement of early Christian belief adopted by the Catholic Church, believed to have been dictated by the Twelve Apostles of the New Testament. The date of its origins are unknown, but it was referred to by the Catholic Saint Ambrose as early as 390 AD.

Click here to read the Apostles' Creed.

(The Twelve Apostles with the Virgin Mary receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Artwork dated c. 1460-1480)

Medieval Word of the Day

Jongleur: An itinerate minstrel, poet, or entertainer in medieval France

Medieval Word of the Day

The Great War: A civil war that took place between Henry II and his sons in 1173-1174; also called the Great Rebellion and the Great Revolt

Henry II (father)

Henry the Younger (eldest son)                                                        Richard I (2nd son)

Count Geoffrey of Brittany (3rd son)                                                King John (4th son)

(John was actually too young to participate in this rebellion, but I thought you might enjoy seeing him anyway)

Medieval Word of the Day

Sou: A French coin of little value

Medieval Word of the Day

Pommel: A counterweight, usually in the shape of a circle or ball, at the top of the handle (hilt) of a sword or dagger, often intricately decorated; derived from Latin word for “little apple”

The circular top of this sword is the "pommel"

(Thank you to Arms & Armor for this image)

Medieval Word of the Day

lèse majesté: Literally “injured majesty”; a crime such as treason committed against the king

Go to Google Translate, type lèse majesté under French and click on the little "listen" iconto hear how to pronounce this phrase.

Medieval Word of the Day

Wardrobe: A medieval wardrobe could be a free standing closet like this:

(courtesy of Early Oak Reproductions)

But in Dangerous Favor, "wardrobe" refers to a room or (for a king or great noble) a series of rooms in a castle that housed his robes, jewelry, and other personal valuables (including spices!), as well as cash and important documents; the King’s Wardrobe included his personal treasury

Medieval Word of the Day

Seneschal: Official in a medieval household responsible for the supervision and management of a nobleman’s estates

Medieval Word of the Day

mesnie privée: A lord’s inner circle of most trusted knights, specifically those who travel together with their lord to fight in tournaments and wars

I don't know if this king and his companions are riding off to a tournament, but they might be!

If you'd like to know how to pronounce this phrase, go to Google Translate, type mesnie privée under French and click on the little "listen" icon

Medieval Word of the Day

Sennight: One week (from seven nights) 

Fortnight: Two weeks (from fourteen nights)

Medieval Word of the Day

Unlike my previous novels, which took place in Poitou, Dangerous Favor takes place in Normandy.

Normandy: A region of northern France bordering the English Channel, ruled by Henry II of England during the Middle Ages; assigned inheritance of Henry’s eldest son, Henry, the Young King (along with England and Anjou)

Rouen: Capital of Normandy

You can see Normandy on this map directly across the channel from England (D. of Normandie)