middle ages

For the average person in Medieval Europe, life was nasty, brutish and short. Around 85% of medieval people were peasants, which consisted of anyone…

Once upon a time, castles were full of life, loud noises, terrible smells, grand lords and ladies, endless servants, fierce knights and juggling…

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is now treatable and fairly rare. But there was no cure for leprosy in the medieval period. From the 11th…

Edward III died in June 1377, having outlived his son and heir, Edward of Woodstock. By the practices of medieval kingship, the crown thus passed to…

When we refer to chivalry, images of knights in shining armour, damsels in distress and fights to defend a lady’s honour spring to mind.
But…

In an age of warrior lords, shield-maidens and warring kings such as Alfred the Great, Edward the Elder, Athelstan and of course, the famous Harold…

It goes without saying that medieval weapons were very different from those used in battle today. But although medieval armies may not have had…

The Wars of the Roses was a bloody contest for the throne of England, a civil war fought out between the rival houses of York – whose symbol…

The Hundred Years’ War was a territorial conflict fought between England and France in the late Middle Ages. It was waged between 1337-1453, so the…

The Crusades were a series of conflicts during the Middle Ages centred around the Christian fight to ‘reclaim’ the Holy Land of Jerusalem, which…