Out of the Margins

The unlikely links between an obscure English saint and a Viking warrior.

Visiting sites of importance can connect us with history – and each other – in a way that echoes the power of medieval pilgrimage.

A historical landscape is impossible to recover, but we can still feel its power.

Despite the myth of a lone genius toiling away into the night, history is a collective endeavour.

It is tempting to adopt a black-and-white view of the past, but history is complex and should be judged on its own merits.

Even the most obscure topic can be fascinating, and fascination can be found in the most unlikely places.

Modern Britain is dominated economically, culturally and politically by London, its capital city. It was not always that way, as an examination of medieval texts reveals.

In commissioning her biography, Emma, wife to two kings of England, created a subtle yet audacious piece of propaganda, used to maintain her position and secure her reputation.

If you believe the neologism 'post-truth' describes a new phenomenon, think again. Geoffrey Chaucer diagnosed the problem at the end of the 14th century.

The beginning of another year provides Eleanor Parker with an opportunity to reflect on a meditation on time that combines exquisite Old English poetry with early medieval science.