Illustrated Medieval scene from the Romance of Lancelot

Medieval

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.

For our forebears, the secret to a good night's sleep lay in the contents of your gut. (Photo by Leemage/UIG via Getty Images)

6 sleeping tips and tricks from history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration by Glen McBeth.

Q&AWhen did the leopards on the royal arms of England become the lions depicted today?

Dornier 217 bombers of the Luftwaffe bomb London during the Battle of Britain. "The crucial role of the RAF in denying the Germans control of the air in 1940 and therefore persuading Hitler to abandon his invasion plans is so well known that it might seem almost sacrilegious to question it, " says Sean Lang. "But was it solely responsible for saving Britain from invasion? Not quite." (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

9 of the most overrated battles in history (and one underrated one). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Professor Dame Janet L Nelson has published extensively on early medieval Europe. She is professor emeritus at King's College London, a fellow of the British Academy and a former president of the Royal Historical Society. Her previous books include 'Charles the Bald' (1992) and 'The Frankish World' (1996). (Photograph by Frank Monks)

Books interview with Janet Nelson: "The only way this huge regime could work was by Charlemagne trusting his own instincts". This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

History ExplorerThe Holy Island of Lindisfarne

A medieval European union: why the Hanseatic League still matters. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The ruins of Dunluce Castle, which sit on the coastal cliffs of North Antrim in Northern Ireland. They are thought to have been the inspiration for CS Lewis’s castle Cair Paravel in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ (1950–56). (Photo by Andrea Ricordi/Contributor/Getty Images)

9 of Britain’s best castles. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.