Medieval

The houses built by Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, are a reflection of his career under Henry VIII, says Maurice Howard, and the King's manipulation of those who served him.

David Abulafia considers Columbus’ first encounters with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, and shows how they challenged European preconceptions about what it meant to be human.

How dangerous was life in the Middle Ages? Sean McGlynn gets to grips with the level of violent crime, and the sometimes cruel justice meted out to offenders.

What did Britain and the Britons mean to the Anglo-Saxons, and what did it mean to be their ruler? 

Jeremy Goldberg examines three stories of disputed marriages and discusses definitions of consent and how they impinged on a medieval woman’s right to marry when and whom she chose.

Judith Richards helps us appreciate a Marian perspective on the reign of the boy-king.

The Duke of Orleans was assassinated on November 23rd, 1407.

Julie Kerr looks at the role of hospitality to the Benedictine community between the years 1066 to 1250, and how monks and nuns sought to fulfil their monastic obligations in this respect  without impeding their ideals.

George T. Beech traces the origins of the word England to the period 1014 to 1035 and suggests how and why it came to be the recognized term for the country.

Richard the Lionheart was born in Oxford on 8 September 1157.