Stewart Binns - Anarchy

Lumphanan is a village twenty-five miles from Aberdeen in Scotland and is the site of a battle in 1057, where Malcolm III of Scotland defeated Macbeth of Scotland.

A Persian legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx (which is female). It has the body of a (male) red or golden lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth and a trumpet-like voice. Other aspects of the creature vary from story to story. It may be horned, winged, or both. The tail is that of either a dragon or a scorpion, and it may shoot poisonous spines or arrows. Sometimes it is portrayed as a hunter armed with a bow. It may have come into European mythology in Roman times or as a result of the First Crusade.

A mantle (from mantellum , the Latin term for a cloak) is a long, loose cape-like cloak for outdoor protection worn by men and women from the twelfth to the sixteenth century.

A domestic waste and sewage dump for a village or burgh. A word of Scandinavian origin, it is still in use in Scotland and the English Pennines.

A code of knightly ethics, loosely based on the ancient noble tradition of the Roman aristocracy and the influence of Islamic ethics, such as those of the Futuwwa, which appeared in the late eleventh century and formed the basis of the values of the Age of Chivalry.

From the Latin nobilissimus (most noble). Originally a title given to close relatives of the Emperor, during the Comneni period the title was awarded to officials and foreign dignitaries.

From the French, meaning ‘forgotten place’ it was a form of dungeon which was accessible only from a hole in a high ceiling. The word comes from the same root as the French oublier (to forget), as it was used for those prisoners that captors wished to forget.

From the French outre-mer (overseas), it was a generic name given to the Crusader States established after the First Crusade: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and especially the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The name equates to the ‘Levant’ of the Renaissance. The term was, in general, used to refer to any land ‘overseas’; for example, Louis IV of France was called Louis d’Outremer as he was raised in England. The modern term outre-mer (spelled with a hyphen) is used for the overseas departments and territories of France ( Départements d’outre-mer ).

The great concierge of the imperial palaces of Byzantium, responsible for the opening and closing of the palace gates each day.

A pectoral cross or pectorale, from the Latin pectoralis (of the chest) is a cross that is worn on the chest, usually suspended from the neck by a cord or chain. In ancient times pectoral crosses were worn by both clergy and laity, but during the Middle Ages the pectoral cross came to be indicative of high ecclesiastical status and only worn by bishops and abbots. Unlike abbots, abbesses did not carry a crozier, but were allowed to wear pectoral crosses.

A small streamer-like flag, flown at the top of a knight’s lance to signify his status. It would have a combination of one, two or three colours to identify him, his origins or the lord he served.

Pennyroyal is a plant in the mint family Lamiaceae . The leaves of the European pennyroyal Mentha pulegium (also called Squaw Mint, Mosquito Plant and Pudding Grass) exhibit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint when crushed. Pennyroyal is a traditional culinary herb, folk remedy and abortifacient (a substance that induces abortion).

The Phrygian cap is a soft conical cap with the top pulled forward, associated in antiquity with the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia. In the Roman Empire, it came to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty, probably through a confusion with the pileus, the felt cap of emancipated slaves of ancient Rome. The Phrygian cap is sometimes called a liberty cap.

A pike is a pole weapon. It is a long, sometimes very long (even up to five metres and beyond) thrusting spear used extensively by infantry. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown, but is a defensive weapon, especially against cavalry. Pikes were used by the armies of Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great and regularly in European warfare from the early Middle Ages until around 1700, wielded by foot soldiers deployed in close order. They were also common in the armies of Asia.

Sometimes called the Great Rolls, they are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer or Treasury. The earliest date from the twelfth century, and the series extends, mostly complete, from then until 1833. They form the oldest continuous series of records kept by the English government, covering a span of about 700 years.

Shorter than the gladius – the standard heavy, stocky sword of the Roman army – the pugio was a side-arm, a weapon of last resort, a tool of assassination and often a highly decorated status symbol for senior army officers and members of the equestrian class.

One of the many names – others include slow/camp/ship/jail fever (it flourishes in overcrowded human environments) – for epidemic typhus. The name comes from the Greek typhos (hazy), describing the state of mind of those affected. Symptoms include severe headache, a sustained high fever, cough, rash, severe muscle pain, chills, falling blood pressure, stupor, sensitivity to light, as well as delirium. During the second year of the Peloponnesian War (430 bc) Athens suffered a devastating epidemic, known as the ‘Plague of Athens’, which killed, among others, Pericles. The plague returned twice more, in 429 bc and in the winter of 427/6 bc. Epidemic typhus is thought to have been the cause in each case.

A pyx or pix, from the Latin pyxis (box-wood receptacle) is a small round container used in the Catholic, Old Catholic and Anglican Churches to carry the consecrated Host (Eucharist) to the sick or to those otherwise unable to come to a church in order to receive Holy Communion.

Also known as qadi, qaadee, qazi, kazi or kadi, is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law (sharia) appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims. The judgement of a qadi must be based on the prevailing consensus of the Islamic scholars.

A quarrel or bolt is the term for the ammunition used in a crossbow. The name is derived from the French carré (square), referring to the fact that they typically have square heads. Although their length varies, they are shorter than longbow arrows.

A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, for example, bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures. Often elaborately carved wooden boxes with decorated or gem-encrusted clasps, or made from brass or even gold, they can be among the most precious artefacts of the Middle Ages.

A short, stabbing sword, sometimes as short as a dagger. Seax is an Old English term for ‘knife’. The term is used particularly for the fighting knife typical of the Germanic peoples and especially the Saxons, whose tribal name derives from the weapon during the Early Middle Ages. In heraldry, the seax is a curved sword with a notched blade, appearing, for example, in the coats of arms of Essex and the former Middlesex.