Illustrated Medieval scene from the Romance of Lancelot

Medieval

Portrait of King Henry V. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Henry V: 5 facts you might not know about the king's softer side. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The footprint of Old Sarum cathedral

ExploreOld Sarum: the regal and the rotten. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

King John out hunting

8 things you (probably) didn’t know about medieval elections. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A depiction of a 13th-century parliament, sitting under Edward I. The Good Parliament of 1376, during the reign of Edward III, sowed the seeds for discontent that was to come.

The Good Parliament of 1376: Crown v Commons. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Norman invasion of 1066. The tapestry was most likely embroidered by women in Norman England in a workshop setting using four embroidery stitches – stem stitch; split stitch; chain stitch; and laid work, sometimes called ‘Bayeux Stitch’, says Dr Alexandra Lester-Makin. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The making of the Bayeux Tapestry: who made it, how long did it take, and how has it survived?

Being invited to become a 'guest' of the Tower of London in medieval England meant, more often than not, that you would soon be food for the crows. (Image by Getty Images/RM Creative)

10 historical haunted sites across Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the death of King Harold II during the battle of Hastings in 1066. (Photo by Getty Images)

Where did the battle of Hastings actually take place? 8 facts about the 1066 battle

War criminal? William the Conqueror shown on horseback in the Bayeux Tapestry. The king's Harrying of the North was a military success but a human catastrophe – one that even appalled chroniclers traditionally sympathetic to the Norman regime. (Photo by Bridgeman)

Was William the Conqueror a war criminal? The brutal story of the Harrying of the North

Cardinal John Henry Newman

How to become a saint. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The murder of Thomas Becket

Q&A: What happened to the assassins who killed Thomas Becket?

In 1992, Betty Boothroyd was voted in as Speaker of the House of Commons, with cross-party support by 372 votes to 238, asking the House “to elect me for what I am, not for what I was born”. (Photo by Tom Stoddart/Getty Images)

A brief history of the Speakers of the House of Commons. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting by Italian painter Defendente Ferrari (c1480-1540) showing a Saint performing a miracle.

Medieval saints and sinners: tales of saintly miracles in the Middle Ages. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Baked loves of bread

Q&AWhy are there 13 items in a Baker's Dozen?

Jan Žižka, the general whose peasant army defied the Holy Roman Empire in the 1420s.

Christ’s communists: the radical religious sect that challenged the Holy Roman Empire. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The battle of Agincourt, 1415

True-to-scale battle numbers and 15th-century life: look inside the revamped Agincourt museum

Dan Jones by Steve Sayers and Helen Castor

The Crusades, with Dan Jones. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Crusaders defeat the Turks at Dorylaeum in 1097, as shown in a 14th-century illumination

Crusaders: did they fight for God or gold?

ExploreA masterpiece of Gothic grandeur: the Church of St Mary, Warwick. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Popes Palace, or Palais des Papes, in Avignon, France.

Q&AWhy did the papacy move to Avignon in the 14th century?

Robin Hood statue outside Nottingham Castle (Photo by Getty)

The many faces of Robin Hood. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Men play kemari ball game

Q&AWho played the sport of kemari?

The engine houses of Botallack mine in Cornwall

A visit to Botallack Mine, Cornwall. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A woman on a medieval ducking stool

Q&AQ&A: Were ducking stools ever used as punishment for crimes other than witchcraft during the Middle Ages?

Ladies-in-waiting

General History

Q&AWhat did a lady-in-waiting actually do?

In 1358, women finally gained full knightly acceptance in England when they began to be admitted to chivalric orders. (Photo by Eugene Antonov/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Q&ACould a woman become a knight in medieval times?

The leaning tower of Pisa

Q&AWhy does the Tower of Pisa lean to one side?

Aerial view of Dover Castle

ExploreExplore Dover Castle: Britain’s first line of defence. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An 1824 cartoon depicting the drinking escapades of Oxford students. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The history of student life: 7 things you didn’t know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Winchester Cathedral

From King Alfred to Jane Austen: a historical tour of Winchester. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Professor Dame Janet L Nelson

Charlemagne: medieval empire builder. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.