Medieval

Pugin & the Medieval Dream

Once upon a time... nostalgia for the imagined medieval harmony of the arts, religion and society was a powerful impetus for the aesthetic revival in these areas in Victorian England.

The Reformation and the Red Light

Nicholas Orme shows how Catholic and Protestant reformers alike campaigned rigorously against medieval attitudes to prostitution which were far less restrictive and oppressive than is often supposed.

Morte D’Arthur

Felix Barker keeps an open mind about speculation on the burial place of King Arthur.

The Treason of Saint-Pol, 1474-75

The hubris of Louis XI's Constable produced his nemesis against a background of incipient French nationalism and a growing royal sense of 'majesty'.

Medieval Christmas

Existing elements of pagan midwinter rites fused with the developing theology of Christmas in an appeal to the senses of both sacred and lay.

Pagans and Christians

James Graham-Campbell looks at the persisting image of the Vikings as pagan raiders striking at isolated Christian settlements. But is this the whole truth? And how and why did the Vikings adopt Christianity?

Froissart, Chronicler of Chivalry

Kenneth Fowler looks at the genius of the 14th-century French courtier and chronicler and how he captured the spirit of his age in a sophisticated and complex narrative.