#HistoricalZoology

From private collection to zoo

June 18, 2025July 1, 2025adminLeave a Comment

The Royal Menagerie in the Tower of London In the early thirteenth century, London saw the emergence of a job that had hitherto been unnecessary in the thriving, medieval city. In the year 1210, King John I (r. 1199–⁠1216) came into the possession of some lions, necessitating a permanent wage to be put aside for […]

An Emperor on Avian Anatomy: Frederick II and De arte venandi cum avibus.

March 7, 2025April 11, 2025adminLeave a Comment

As the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and king of both Sicily and Germany, Frederick II (1194–1250) was one of the most powerful figures of the High Middle Ages. He was a patron of the arts, a statesman, architect, scholar, poet and composer, as well as a speaker of Latin, Sicilian, German, French, Greek and […]