Early Medieval History Books

More Info Buy this book	Edward the Confessor by Frank Barlow (1997) Frank Barlow's magisterial biography, first published in 1970 and here reissued with new material, updated bibliography and a fresh introduction, rescues the king from contemporary myth and subsequent bogus scholarship. Disentangling verifiable fact from saintly legend, he vividly recreates the final years of the Anglo-Danish… More Info Buy book
More Info Buy this book	Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King by Ian W Walker (2010) King Harold Godwineson (c. 1022-66) is one of history's shadowy figures, known mainly for his defeat and death at the Battle of Hastings. His true status and achievements have been overshadowed by the events of October 1066 and by the bias imposed by the Norman victory. In truth, he deserves to be recalled as one of England's… More Info Buy book
More Info Buy this book	In Search Of The Dark Ages by Michael Wood (2005) This edition of Michael Wood's groundbreaking first book explores the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest of 1066. In Search of the Dark Ages vividly conjures up some of the most famous names in British history, such as Queen Boadicea, leader of a terrible war of resistance against the… More Info Buy book

Fact of the Day

Augustus the Strong (1674-1733), Elector of Saxony, would break horseshoes with his bare hands, and reputedly fathered 355 children

Quote of the Day

"Sick men are privileged to tell all their stories and grievances. "

~ John Chamberlain, letter writer, 1613

On This Day

1579 Thomas Gresham, merchant, financier, and founder of the Royal Exchange, died suddenly, apparently of apoplexy. He bequeathed his estate, after the death of his wife, to the Corporation of London and the Mercers' Company to set up a college to provide free lectures to the public; Gresham College thus became London's first institution of higher education.

1916 The hospital ship Britannic, sister-ship of Titanic, hit a mine and sank, killing 30.

1918 Ten days after the Armistice, the German navy surrendered to the British in the Firth of Forth.

1920 The assassinations of British intelligence officers ordered by Michael Collins in the Irish War of Independence led to thirty-one dead (from both sides) in what became known as 'Bloody Sunday'.

1974 21 people were killed and 182 injured when bombs exploded in two Birmingham pubs. The IRA was probably responsible, but the real culprits have never been found. The Birmingham Six, originally convicted of the bombings, were released because of dodgy police practices.

1981 The proceedings of the House of Commons were televised live for the first time.