High and Late Medieval
For better or worse, the Crusades were among the more spectacular, far-reaching and important endeavours of the first two millennia of the Common Era. Typically they are seen as huge battles between the Christian West and the Muslim East, but as the…
The Black Death looms large in the modern imagination, as it did in the minds of late medieval people. It is a spectre, or shadow, reminding everyone of their mortality, and the briefness of life. The reactions it provoked showed the best, and worst…
The last two decades of the fourteenth century stand out in English history, distinguished by cultural, social and political shifts that have echoed through the centuries. Yet perhaps the most widely-accepted and lauded change in this period came…
Without doubt, the Norman Conquest had an impact on England, but recently historians have stressed its continuity, questioning whether the invasion can be viewed as a cataclysm. After all, any incident claiming the description must have far-reaching…
William Marshal was the landless younger son of a middle-ranking nobleman, who raised himself through the tournament circuit and serving five crowned kings, to become the de facto regent of England. He was the original celebrity, inspiration for…
In May 1381, government demands to pay a poll tax started widespread rebellion in what became known as the Peasants' Revolt. Groups of people from Essex and Kent marched on London seeking social reform, inspiring others as they went. Leaders of…
Henry VI has gone down in history as a weak and mentally unstable king, swayed too easily by his court favourites and his over-bearing wife. He is compared unfavourably with his father who had success in battle and in laying siege to towns.
Magna Carta (meaning 'Great Charter') has gone into myth as the foundation of modern human and civil rights, and of our current systems of government and law. Many look to its legend to give themselves authority legally or politically, and…
The Battle of Hastings is considered to be one of the most important battles of England's history. Often taken as the definitive point when England stopped being Anglo-Saxon and instead became Norman - with all the associated changes in…
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