As you know, my main focus is the medieval history of the Low Lands. I am forever interested in the general medieval history of my country. I have a beautiful piece for you today! Have a seat, grab a drink and enjoy this original pearl. The ‘Rondeel’ was one of several nunneries in Zutphen. AlfardusContinue reading “The 1336 Indulgence from Zutphen”
Category Archives: General Medieval History
About dangerous business
Boy, do I have a story for you today! It involves mystery, murder and… a latrine… Allow me to take you back to the beautiful year of 1076. Yes, the days without proper indoor plumbing. I realise that doesn’t sound very romantic, and trust me it gets worse, much worse. Private toilets, also called privvies,Continue reading “About dangerous business”
Monkey business
Today, I am going to take you to our capitol Amsterdam. There aren’t many 16th century houses in the city anymore, but this one is quite remarkable and worthy of a post. Between 1544 and 1550 a house was built on the Zeedijk, in the heart of the city. The Zeedijk is one of theContinue reading “Monkey business”
Egmond Abbey
If you follow this blog, then you perhaps also are familiar with my first blog post about how I developed my medieval alter ego Ava van Allecmere. In short, I was born in that area and the abbey of Egmond church books were the source of my SCA persona. The abbey in Egmond still isContinue reading “Egmond Abbey”
13th century farm
As you know, my country is small. But, we are so rich in history. Today, I am going to share another story on a very very old building, a 13th century farm. As it happens, it is the oldest still working farm in Western Europe and I am so proud it is in The Netherlands.Continue reading “13th century farm”
Mother’s Day
Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and I would like to tell you something about that, and at the same time I would like to showcase the art of a fellow Scadian, the lady Else van Stretford, whose persona documentation I wrote not too long ago. Read that article here. Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring theContinue reading “Mother’s Day”
Oldest bridge
Today, I would like to tell you about the oldest bridge in the Low Lands. It is an incredible structure! I am going to take you to Maastricht, all the way to the South of The Netherlands, very close to the Belgian border. It also happens to be my favourite city because the town isContinue reading “Oldest bridge”
Unique library
Dearest Traveller, I have found SUCH a unique place! Please, come sit by the fire, I really must tell you all about this amazing library! This library, called Librije is a public reading room from the year 1564, founded by 2 church masters from the Walburgis church in Zutphen, Conrad Slindewater and Herman Berner. TheContinue reading “Unique library”
Leuven
I am happy to tell you about this gorgeous city in Belgium today. Leuven, or Louvain, is a beautiful medieval city about 25 kilometres from the Belgian capitol of Brussels. The earliest mention of Leuven (Loven) dates from 891, when a Viking army was defeated by the Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia. According to aContinue reading “Leuven”
Compleat Anachronist
In July of 2020 my first Compleat Anachronist was published! I am so happy I was finally able to finish it and to share bits of it with you here. Now, if this isn’t a good campfire story, then I don’t know! I am aware that some of my followers already know this, but thereContinue reading “Compleat Anachronist”
Ava's Corner 