Levi Roach

A tool for tyrants... or their undoing? The Crowd in the Early Middle Ages by Shane Bobrycki crafts a history for the medieval mob.

‘I used to doubt that the changes undergone in western Europe’s “feudal revolution” were substantial; now, I’m inclined to accept that they were.’

Spreading east in the 11th century, the Normans soon became a feared part of the Byzantine army, but a mercenary’s loyalty is always to his paymaster, as the empire would soon discover. 

Æthelred the Unready was king of a divided nation that lived in fear of the ‘divine punishment’ of the Vikings. Piety and prayer became his weapons of choice. 

Looking beyond the usual rogues’ gallery of historical figures can help us to better understand the past.