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Friday, January 9, 2026
TopicMedieval history

Topic: Medieval history

Aurangzeb’s redemption is built on a scholarly empire of shaky citations

The considerable weight of claims about Aurangzeb’s religious tolerance rest heavily on one obscure scholar's writings. We know him merely as 'Jnan Chandra, Bombay.'

Medieval Kashmir was confidently multicultural. And dazzled the world with art and ideas

Kashmiri art once outshone China, and its poets were sought after as far south as the Deccan — to say nothing of the vast reach of its textiles.

How did taxes work in medieval India? Chola, Mughal subjects struggled like today’s middle-class

In Tamil Nadu, we have an extraordinary archive of over 13,000 stone inscriptions on temple walls, recording the taxation, sale, and cultivation of land.

Yoga, Sanskrit inspired Sufi epics—Chakras became ‘mystical stations’, gods turned ‘angels’

Maulana Daud’s ‘Chandayan’ originated in a cultural context we can think of as Hindu, above which Sufism had become a major strand of elite devotion.

How a brawl in 18th-century Constantinople changed what we know about the Vikings

The sources that inform our knowledge of the Vikings come in many forms and languages. Among them are a series of geographical and eyewitness texts written in Arabic that discuss aspects of the Viking world.

How medieval French women used hidden social networks to share medical advice

The ‘Distaff Gospels’ share advice on pregnancy, childbirth and health. The collection was compiled during secretive meetings of French women who had gathered to spin flax.

Shaivite rivals were not Vaishnavites, but tantric Buddhists in medieval era

The Pallava dynasty was turning toward Shaivism. Buddhists took immediate note and strung up a narrative where Shiva is immature and Trailokyavijaya emerges supreme.

On Camera

Venezuelan economy did not collapse overnight. 4 decades of stagnation is the cause

In 1980, South American countries exhibited similar income levels, with Venezuela ranking among the more affluent economies. By 2023, this landscape had significantly altered.

500% tariffs ahead for India? Trump’s lined up a big bad Bill for countries buying Russian oil

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says bill will be 'well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent'.

2025: Pakistan’s deadliest year in over a decade

Islamabad-based think-tank PICSS's new report says Pakistan saw 'pronounced escalation' in violence last year, with 3,413 conflict-related deaths compared to 1,950 in previous year.

A year-end Mea Culpa in National Interest—The Army-Islam combo doesn’t kill democracy

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.