Medieval

Ts’ên Shên was one of the celebrated poets of the T’ang dynasty. Here, Arthur Waley explores his body of work and the tumultuous career that propelled it.

No monument of Christian architecture is more celebrated than the Cathedral of Chartres. Peter Quennell here traces both the origins of the great church and the effect it has exercised on succeeding generations.

L.F. Marks introduces Savonarola, dominant within the turbulence of Florentine politics of the 1490’s.

David Footman on the conspiracies that surround the Order of Assassins.

J. Guthrie Oliver discusses a major source of funds for both medieval England and the Church.

Jean Lindsay queries the medieval path of scientific enquiry.

Wilfrid Blunt explains the history of British flora's natives and invasives

John Rodgers pays a visit to the historical viking city of York

Lucy Inglis admires Nicholas Orme’s article on medieval childhood, first published in History Today in 2001.

Pilgrims were a lucrative source of income for the Church and miracles did not come free. Adrian Bell and Richard Dale discover some striking parallels with modern marketing tactics in the management of shrines in the Middle Ages.