Medieval

St Brice’s Day Massacre, from Cassell’s Illustrated History of England, 1890. Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo.

The St Brice’s Day Massacre

When paying off the Vikings failed to yield lasting peace, on 13 November 1002 king Æthelred ordered the slaughter of England’s Danes instead.

The collapsed spire of Chichester Cathedral, 1861. Historic England.

The Allure of Medieval Churches

The ancient stones of churches are portals to the past. Each new generation becomes a custodian.

Reason, Righteousness and Sincerity teaching some women, c. 1425-50. KB, National Library of the Netherlands. Public Domain.

‘Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife’ and ‘God’s Own Gentlewoman’ review

Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women and God’s Own Gentlewoman bring the real world of medieval women out of the margins.

Carthusian monks at the dining table, from an account of rules of the Carthusian Order, the Netherlands, 15th century. British Library/Bridgeman Images.

The Violent Life of the Medieval Monks

Meant to live a life of perfect peacefulness and contemplation, in reality monks were human and fallible. How violent could life in the medieval cloister be?

Roger II, crowned King of Siciliy by Christ. La Martorana, Palermo, 12th century. DEA/G. Dagli Orti/Getty Images.

The Kingdom of Sicily is Born

On 27 September 1130 a Norman usurper gained a crown from a desperate pope and the Kingdom of Sicily was born.

Richard II and Thomas Mowbray, from Jean Froissart’s Chronicles, 15th century. British Library/Bridgeman Images.

The Last Testaments of Richard II and Henry IV

Tyrant and usurper: the last wills of Richard II and Henry IV give rare insight into the medieval monarchs who wore the crown.

Bishop Odo blesses the food and wine, detail from the Bayeux Tapestry, late 11th century. Bridgeman Images.

How to Rescue the Reputation of the Nasty Normans

The villains of British history, the Normans can be a difficult sell. But going off script has its rewards.

A woman working a nail on the anvil, from the Holkham Bible, England, c.1330. British Museum/Bridgeman Images.

The Women who Forged Medieval England

Who were the female blacksmiths of medieval England?

King John with his unsteady crown, from Matthew Paris’ Chronicle of England, c.1250. British Library/Bridgeman Images.

King John’s Lost Treasure

The loss of his treasure on the road to war was said to have brought about King John’s demise. What happened to it?

‘The moost mighty prynce Rychard’, from the Rous Roll, Warwick, 1483-85. British Library/Bridgeman Images.

Richard III and Kingly Justice for All?

Was Richard III a just king or just doing what a king should do?