Illustrated Medieval scene from the Romance of Lancelot

Medieval

This illustration shows the chief of the Taensa people receiving the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle on 20 March 1682. Set in what is now Louisiana, the scene reflects the early encounters between Indigenous nations of the Lower Mississippi Valley and Europeans

Step inside the lost Native American city that rivalled medieval London

What Was Life REALLY like in a Medieval Castle? The truth about castle living. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Habsburg royals displaying the distinctive jaw that became a hallmark of their intermarrying to stay in power. (Images by Getty)

What was the Habsburg jaw?

Episode 3How 1066 altered England’s fate FOREVER. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This late 15th-century illustration shows crusader forces besieging Damascus during the ill-fated Second Crusade in 1148. The armies of King Baldwin III of Jerusalem, Emperor Conrad III of Germany, and King Louis VII of France converge on the city, only for the campaign to collapse in defeat. Likely produced in Bruges for a chronicle of the Crusades, the image reflects how later medieval artists interpreted one of the crusading movement’s most damaging failures.

Who won the crusades? The causes, death toll, and number of medieval holy wars explained

Episode 2Medieval privies. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 2The LAST Anglo-Saxon kings of England | Harold II and the road to 1066. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 1 The VIKING king of England: the story of King Cnut and the Danish conquest of 1016. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Was Robin Hood ACTUALLY real? The history explained. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A selection of illustrations of medical procedures, including childbirth and someone vomiting, around a circular chart that depicts flasks of different coloured urine

Marvellous medieval medicine: why their curious cures were better than you think. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 3Was Henry V really DESTINED for greatness?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A man in medieval attire hands another man an arrow

Was there a real Sheriff of Nottingham?

Is this England’s MOST GRUESOME castle?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A tapestry scene showing a small figure dressed in a gold robe holding a large needle and thread. Below him, another man rides on the back of a black horse

Just how many Bayeux Tapestries were there?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This woodcut from 1521 depicts Martin Luther on his way to Worms, laying down his sword and opening the Bible in prayer as Christ descends to comfort him. The scene reflects Protestant legend surrounding Luther’s defiance before the Diet of Worms, where he refused to renounce his writings.

Why did Martin Luther condemn the “hordes of peasants” fighting the war he helped inspire?

Episode 2BORN to be king!? Dan Jones and Helen Castor anatomise Henry IV. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A depiction of an ensign and drummer recalls the German Peasants’ War of 1525, when rural rebels rose against feudal oppression.

In 1525, an army of revolting peasants seemed unstoppable – but a brutal end was on the horizon

A pair of swords in a cross shape, on top of an orange background that features warriors fighting on horses

The assassins' reign of terror: how these 12th-century killers spread fear in the Middle East. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

11th-century Europe: not just the Norman Conquest. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 1Was Richard II really a TYRANT?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This illustration depicts Viking ships arriving in Britain. Though produced centuries after the earliest raids, it reflects how the impact of Norse invasions remained vivid in medieval memory and manuscript culture.

Forget the longships: this is the overlooked story of how the Vikings dominated eastern Europe

This 16th-century portrait depicts Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler (1431–1476), a Wallachian prince infamous for his brutal rule and defence against the Ottoman Empire.

Vlad the Impaler was medieval Europe's bloodiest warlord, but is the scale of his murder just a myth?

The German Peasants' War: a summer of fire and blood

A painting depicting Rurik and his brothers arriving in Staraya Ladoga, a scene based on the legend of the Varangian invitation, in which Norse leaders were asked to bring order to the Slavic lands. Rurik’s arrival marked the legendary founding of the first ruling dynasty of Rus’, a key moment in the early history of Eastern Europe.

Why does Putin think Ukraine should be Russian? It’s all to do with the Vikings

An illustration of Matilda of Flanders, queen consort of William the Conqueror. As queen after the Norman Conquest, Matilda played a key political role.

The conqueror’s queen: meet the real Matilda of Flanders

An illustration shows five women in colourful headscarves sewing a large piece of cloth with soldiers and horses on it

Michael Wood on women's contributions to the Bayeux Tapestry. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

El Cid: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

How did the Vikings shape Russia and Ukraine?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This 19th-century facsimile shows the Duke of Salisbury, John Montacute, arriving at Conwy Castle from Ireland — a scene from Le Prinse et mort du Roy Richart. Just a year later, in 1400, Owain Glyndŵr would launch his rebellion, with castles like Conwy becoming key flashpoints in the Welsh fight against English rule.

It’s one of the most famous revolts in medieval history – but has the Glyndŵr rebellion been misnamed?

William the Conqueror: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.